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This 1989 Christmas special is the third film in the Vacation series since John Hughes's 1983 comedy hit, National Lampoon's Vacation. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and the rest of the family return in this film that covers Clark's hectic journey to throw the best Christmas for his family. Along the way, Clark will encounter all of the holiday hijinks you would expect, from the Christmas lights not working to a mix-up with the holiday dinner and there is even a surprise attack by a flying squirrel!
Despite the film's PG-13 rating, there is definitely plenty of humor for the whole family to enjoy. Perhaps that is the biggest problem I have with this film though, it is more focused on the jokes per minute than providing a strong Christmas story that audiences will remember. The performances are great, but again there needed to be more development with the characters and the situations the characters undergo. When I was watching the film, I didn't think I was watching Clark Griswold, but rather a generic father figure who has neighbor issues and, although has his family's best interest at heart, he finds himself in sticky situations. These character traits that are overdone, from Homer Simpson to Al Bundy and even Tim "The tool man" Taylor, we have seen these types of characters over and over again.
Part of the issue is that the director, Jeremiah Chechik had no prior directing experience, nor saw any of the previous movies in the Vacation franchise. Jeremiah was a photographer for Vogue before getting his directing gig.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is an entertaining family comedy that you can enjoy over a cup of hot coco, but there is nothing unique that this film brings to the table.
December 1st
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Directed By: Jeremiah S. Chechik
This 1989 Christmas special is the third film in the Vacation series since John Hughes's 1983 comedy hit, National Lampoon's Vacation. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and the rest of the family return in this film that covers Clark's hectic journey to throw the best Christmas for his family. Along the way, Clark will encounter all of the holiday hijinks you would expect, from the Christmas lights not working to a mix-up with the holiday dinner and there is even a surprise attack by a flying squirrel!
Despite the film's PG-13 rating, there is definitely plenty of humor for the whole family to enjoy. Perhaps that is the biggest problem I have with this film though, it is more focused on the jokes per minute than providing a strong Christmas story that audiences will remember. The performances are great, but again there needed to be more development with the characters and the situations the characters undergo. When I was watching the film, I didn't think I was watching Clark Griswold, but rather a generic father figure who has neighbor issues and, although has his family's best interest at heart, he finds himself in sticky situations. These character traits that are overdone, from Homer Simpson to Al Bundy and even Tim "The tool man" Taylor, we have seen these types of characters over and over again.
Part of the issue is that the director, Jeremiah Chechik had no prior directing experience, nor saw any of the previous movies in the Vacation franchise. Jeremiah was a photographer for Vogue before getting his directing gig.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is an entertaining family comedy that you can enjoy over a cup of hot coco, but there is nothing unique that this film brings to the table.