Christmas films are a longstanding staple of cinema going back to the Golden Age of Hollywood. In the Classical Hollywood period of cinema, there were films such as Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Michael Curtiz’s “White Christmas” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” There have been more offbeat holiday fare in the following decades, such as Bob Clark’s comedy “A Christmas Story” and the iconic action flick “Die Hard.” There have even been horror films such as 1974’s “Black Christmas” (also directed by Bob Clark) and the 1980 psychological slasher “Christmas Evil.” A great example of an offbeat holiday film that has since become a Christmas classic and one of my favorites is “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” follows the Griswolds as they spend Christmas vacation at their home and deal with the arrival of family relatives, specifically Cousin Eddie (played by Randy Quaid). At the same time, Clark Griswold (the patriarch of the family) is looking forward to receiving his annual Christmas bonus from his domineering boss, Frank Shirley (played by Brian Doyle-Murray, who would later have a prominent voice-acting career), in order for him to have enough money to install a pool in his backyard.

Photo of the “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” movie poster. (Contributed/IMDb)

As Clark Griswold, Chevy Chase embodies a goofball father who is adamant about having a fun, old-fashioned Griswold family Christmas. Chase’s excellent performance as Clark is especially shown in the scene where he hilariously delivers the famous rant with which this film is associated. 

Along with Clark is his wife Ellen (played by Beverly D’Angelo) and their children Audrey and Rusty (played by Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki in their early roles, respectively).

There are also comic minor characters such as Aunt Bethany (played by Mae Questel, most famous for voicing the characters Betty Boop and Olive Oyl in Fleischer Studios cartoons, in her final on-screen appearance), with one of the most hilarious scenes out of the entire film involving her at the dinner table, in the film’s third act. 

Easily the preeminent aspect of the film is the script written by John Hughes, who wrote some of the most successful comedies of the 1980s. Like 1983’s “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” the source material for “Christmas Vacation” was from a short story written by Hughes that was published for National Lampoon magazine. One script highlight is the dynamics between characters such as Clark, who is the straight man to the unhinged antics of Cousin Eddie. A great example is a scene in which Cousin Eddie dumps sewage from his RV into a nearby storm drain, with Clark sarcastically commenting on it. There is also the scene where Clark foolishly flirts with a lingerie sales clerk at a department store (an example of Hughes’s brilliant usage of dialogue).  

With the film’s direction, Jeremiah S. Chechik does a great job. In his feature-length directorial debut, Chechik transfers Hughes’s script to screen quite well, retaining the slapstick elements of the screenplay.

Thomas E. Ackerman, the cinematographer of the film, captures several shots that perfectly complement the film’s humor. With perfect usage of a close-up zoom shot during a hilarious sequence in the film’s third act, Ackerman’s cinematography showcases a technical aspect that is, unfortunately, not seen in many modern comedy films. 

Along with all of this, there is also the fantastic titular song, “Christmas Vacation,” recorded by Mavis Staples – which is prominently featured in the animated opening credits sequence.  

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” encompasses the chaos that comes with the arrival of family relatives around the holidays, with a hilarious screenplay from the great John Hughes and excellent comic performances from the cast. It’s a Yuletide classic that has stood the test of time over three decades after its original release. Nothing else beats a fun, old-fashioned Griswold family Christmas.  

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is available on Blu-ray and is streaming on Max.

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