National Lampoon's Vacation Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1983

National Lampoon's Vacation is considered by most movie fans to be a true 80's comedy classic. Its premise is simple enough - the Griswold family sets out on a cross-country trip from Chicago to California to enjoy a family vacation at the Wally World Theme Park, but the results are anything but simple and ordinary as the Griswolds find themselves facing one zany disaster after another.

The National Lampoon label has been attached to all sorts of comedies from the later 70's to today, making it one of the longest surviving "names" in the business. Unfortunately the level of consistency among the National Lampoon offerings has always been hit or miss. Luckily, National Lampoon's Vacation hit comic gold.

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) is determined to take his family on a cross-country trip from their home in Chicago to America's favorite theme park, Wally World, located in sunny California. His wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) asks him to reconsider the long drive in favor of a quick trip by air, but Clark insists a leisurely road trip will allow him to spend more quality time with her and their children, Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) and Audrey (Dana Barron).

The trip gets off to a bad start when Clark gets lost in the midst of an inner city ghetto; falls asleep at the wheel, resulting in a wild ride; and begins a risky and ongoing session of posturing with a gorgeous and flirtatious temptress. But as absurdly humorous as such incidents are, they are only a harbinger of what is yet to come when the family takes a pit stop at Cousin Eddie's (Randy Quaid).

Eddie's family is the epitome of rednecks. For example, when Audrey hangs out with Cousin Vicki (Jane Krakowski), Eddie's daughter, the two enter into a friendly rivalry about boys. Vicki brags about how she dates boys and knows all about French kissing, to which Audrey responds she's also very familiar with French kissing. Vicki's response, without missing a beat, is, "Yeah, but Daddy says I'm the best."

After a questionable family meal Clark comes to find out he must provide his obnoxious Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) and her equally cranky dog a ride to her home. None of the family is particularly happy about her presence, especially the two siblings that must share a back seat with her. But that's not to say Edna didn't have her uses, such as when a cop pulls Clark over. Audrey, who was given a good deal of weed from Cousin Vicki, panics and shoves her purse into Edna's hands. "Will you hold my purse? Just hold my purse!"

So as not to ruin the movie for those who may not have already seen it, I'll cease my plot summation here with a note that the laughs don't stop until the story's conclusion.

One of the things I really liked about National Lampoon's Vacation is its overall unobjectionable nature. Sure, there is some brief nudity and hilarious off-color jokes/statements, but Vacation is far less crude and vulgar than most road trip movies of its type. This comedy struck that perfect balance of being risqué enough to give the film some bite while clean-cut enough to remain inoffensive.

The casting choices played a major role in making this film work. Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron play well off each other, lending a convincing portrayal of sibling rivalry. Beverly D'Angelo easily fit into the role of a dutiful wife and mother that does her best to suppress her frustrations about her husband's constant blunders.

Chevy Chase, of course, steals the show and proves again why he was one of the decade's most talented comedians. Much of the comedy in National Lampoon's Vacation comes from his facial expressions, vocal tones and nervous ticks as he plays a loving father that becomes more and more determined to reach his goal as disastrous events continue unfolding. His frustration begins as a light simmer, but throughout the movie you can detect it heating up into a full-blown boil, despite his efforts to put a broad smile and friendly face on things. When he finally does blow up, he does so in with outrageously funny and vulgar rants. "…You're going to have so much fun, you're all gonna be whistling 'Zippity Doo Dah' out your a**holes!"

Although there are some slapstick moments throughout the film, ultimately the true comedic fury is unleashed through one-liners and verbal exchanges that ambush you out of nowhere. You can certainly enjoy Vacation for its sight gags, but to fully immerse yourself into this delightful film you'll want to be watchful of some of the more subtle jokes.

It doesn't matter if you're a Chevy Chase fan. It doesn't even matter if you're a fan of the 1980's. All that matters is if you enjoy comedies you make sure to watch National Lampoon's Vacation the next chance you get. It's a true comedy classic.

Movie rating: 9 stars

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