Overview
It's Christmastime, and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration. But things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen, and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going, knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon.
I am a fan of John Hughes movies. I am a fan of the first Vacation movie. That said, this movie absolutely blows. Are there a handful of one-liners? Sure – it couldn’t be that hard to write one-liners for Cousin Eddie. But the rest of the movie is completely empty of any kind of comedy. Hey look, he got locked in the attic and fell through the ceiling – BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Ugh. Even as you read through the reviews, you can see why people like this movie: nostalgia. They saw it has a kid and they’ve been dragging it around ever since. If you showed this today to someone that didn’t have that kind of nostalgia, they would agree that the movie has nothing to offer. I have to admit that as I’ve gotten older and had a family of my own that I could appreciate Clarks’ spirit, but that isn’t enough to make me want to sit through this pile of dung again. I know that it is a tough genre with few real modern classics, but there are some (Christmas Story, Elf, Spirited). If you want to see Clark be funny, check out Fletch.
IHATEBadMovies.com reviews National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Movie title: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Movie description: It's Christmastime, and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration. But things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen, and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going, knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon.
Date published: 2025-12-11
Director(s): Jeremiah S. Chechik
Actor(s): Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Randy Quaid, Miriam Flynn, Mae Questel, Nicholas Guest, Cody Burger, Ellen Hamilton Latzen, William Hickey, Sam McMurray, Nicolette Scorsese, Keith MacKechnie, Brian Doyle-Murray, Natalija Nogulich, Tony Epper, Billy Hank Hooker, Alexander Folk, Jeremy Roberts, Woody Weaver, Michael Kaufman, Doug Llewelyn
Genre: Comedy
My Review
I am a fan of John Hughes movies. I am a fan of the first Vacation movie. That said, this movie absolutely blows. Are there a handful of one-liners? Sure – it couldn’t be that hard to write one-liners for Cousin Eddie. But the rest of the movie is completely empty of any kind of comedy. Hey look, he got locked in the attic and fell through the ceiling – BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Ugh. Even as you read through the reviews, you can see why people like this movie: nostalgia. They saw it has a kid and they’ve been dragging it around ever since. If you showed this today to someone that didn’t have that kind of nostalgia, they would agree that the movie has nothing to offer. I have to admit that as I’ve gotten older and had a family of my own that I could appreciate Clarks’ spirit, but that isn’t enough to make me want to sit through this pile of dung again. I know that it is a tough genre with few real modern classics, but there are some (Christmas Story, Elf, Spirited). If you want to see Clark be funny, check out Fletch.
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My Review - 4/10
4/10