25 Greatest Christmas Films: #4 — ‘Christmas Vacation’ (1989)
by John NolteIn this household, the Christmas season can’t officially begin until we hear those two magic words… “Shitter’s full.”
Once again screenwriter/producer John Hughes delivers the Christmas goods, this time with Christmas Vacation, a masterpiece of a family holiday comedy (and the third of four “Vacation” films) with so many iconic scenes and pieces of quotable dialogue that it would take less time for you to watch the movie than for me to try and list them here. It’s the simplest of stories: Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase), a Chicago family man whose enthusiasm forces him to overdo everything, wants to throw his kith and kin a fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. But from the moment his parents and in-laws arrive all kinds of hell breaks loose including house fires, electrocuted cats, SWAT raids, and sewer gas explosions.
What makes Christmas Vacation a must-see perennial (I’ve already watched it twice this season and the season’s not over) is that Hughes’s script expertly wrings every possible situation out of his concept, and first-time feature director Jeremiah Chechik does a beautiful job wrapping the whole production, even the more slapsticky and cruder moments, into an old-fashioned package that never loses the winning sincerity so crucial to the film’s success. Not only is the look of the film much warmer than most comedies, but most impressively, Chechik controls the overall tone like a seasoned pro.
Chevy Chase is absolutely brilliant as the Griswold patriarch whose selfless, well-intentioned plans never fail to completely unravel into mayhem and worse. Chase’s comedic timing is impeccable but he’s also a marvelous actor able to make us sympathize and take Clark’s side every step of the way. Even while we’re laughing at him and gleefully anticipating his reaction to the chaos, in the end we really do want Clark to pull it off.
Beverly D’Angelo returns as Ellen, Clark’s sexy, supportive put upon wife, and in keeping with the four-film “Vacation” tradition, the kids, Rusty and Audrey, are replaced, this time most ably by Johnny Galecki and Juliette Lewis. The supporting cast may not have a whole lot to do but with old pros like E.G. Marshall, Diane Ladd, John Randolph, William Hickey, Doris Roberts, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brian Doyle-Murray and Mae Questel (the original Betty Boop and Olive Oyl), their presence alone elevates every scene they’re in.
The scene stealer, however is Randy Quaid as Ellen’s chronically unemployed, mooching, blissfully un-self aware Cousin Eddie. Granted, Hughes scripted the lines, but Quaid’s performance is one for the ages. Every Cousin Eddie line is made forever quotable, and the way Quaid carries himself physically is just as hilarious. The film’s best scenes are the conversations between Clark and Eddie, and it’s a tribute to Chase’s genius as a comedian that when playing off Quaid he so easily slips into the role of straight man without ever losing a character beat.
My favorite scene, though, doesn’t involves full shitters, wild squirrels or rocket-sledding. Set to Ray Charles’ The Spirit of Christmas is that perfect John Hughes’ moment where the story takes a breath at precisely the right time to reset the film’s theme. Everyone’s gone, Clark’s alone and locked in the freezing attic dressed like his Aunt as he watches a black and white home movie of a Christmas from when he was a boy. The song, the images from the past, the wistful look on Chevy Chase’s face … they all fit together beautifully for that perfect moment when, well, it comes to an end.
A big hit when released, like any true classic, Christmas Vacation now broadcasts every year on television and is in its third or fourth DVD release. It’s also entered the popular culture whereas any overlit holiday house is immediately labelled a “Griswold Home.” If you catch me on the right day, I could rank Clark and family as high as number two on this list.
But not number one. Never number one. No number two could ever come close to my all-time numero uno pick.
Not that I have a log.
Read the full countdown here.
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77 Comments
I first saw this is in its theatrical release and was underwhelmed — I was 18 and far too cool for school. A couple of years later, I watched it at home with my parents and little sister, and I was amazed at their reaction: they laughed for nearly an hour and a half. It was then I realized what a snob I'd been about this gem of a movie and I've loved it ever since. And it still gets at least one viewing a year in our home.
I haven't seen this in years – now I feel I must rush out to either rent or buy!
She really is a terrific actress — unlike so many of the blandbots given roles today, Lewis has an actual PERSONALITY.
Awesome movie despite Chevy Chase.
It's been airing on AMC non-stop and I tuned in the other night just in time for "Did I break wind?"
Also props to Natalia Nogulich as the boss' wife. When describing Cousin Eddie: "He was a beastly… bulging man!"
Director Jeremiah Chechik will live in infamy as the director of the ill-fated big-screen remake of The Avengers but he has redeemed himself, having served as producer and director on ABC Family's The Middleman, a show that I've mentioned here several times.
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This movie is so good it makes me forget how much of a tool Chevy Chase is…..
Why are you conservatives so self conscious? You don't need to be the same age as Juliette Lewis or to qualifuy your remarks so carefully. Juliette Lewis is hot becase she is easy on the eyes and always oozes that slightly crazy sex appeal. No need to explain yourself. Being aroused is not some kind of cardinal sin
Don't forget your stash of ludes…..
John, I am with you on the same page 1000% here. My second oldest brother, his daughter and I all went to see this when it came out in theaters in 1989. It is now also a perennial in my house. I may not catch The Grinch (Boris Karloff version) or Rudolph every year, but VACATION is a must. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss was a real stand-out, and rarely has music and film been matched more perfectly than HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS with the SWAT raid.
NatLamp at its absolute best. Which reminds me. Where the hell did I put that DVD?
I love this movie, I did 2 deployments 1 In Sudia Arabia and the other Turkey ( in the Clinton Years, watching Saddam) and watched this movie like 5 times in 6 weeks. Great laugh for me being away from my family at the time. Great pick
No, but it is when you act it out in certain ways. And seriously, of all things, why did you seize on that one line to make fun of conservatives? Do you really have nothing better to do?
Chevy Chase is surprisingly good in the film … something overlooked about it as it segues from pleasant comedy to Christmas classic.
My favorite moment from this movie is when Clark is trying to get the house to light and his mother in-law makes a snide comment when nothing happens. His daughter, who spends the entire movie passively fighting her family, quietly comes to her dad’s defense. “He worked really hard on it grandma.”
That is what this movie is about and why it is good. That is the heart that makes the film worth watching. It is all about family and sticking together.
"Can I get you anything, Eddie? Drive you out in the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?" Classic.
I always loved the running gag in this series of films where the kids are always different.
The scene after Cousin Eddie in the living room is tremendous. Him just standing that close while talking (loudly) to Clark reminds us why this familial relationship is strained…at least on Clark's end.
And who doesn't laugh at "…barking for the yakk woman"?
It's running during December on AMC – check your listings.
http://www.cafepress.com/rightwingstuff
It's running during December on AMC – check your listings.
http://www.cafepress.com/rightwingstuff
'Is your house on fire, Clark'?
Merry Christmas everyone
"Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry — kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Happy Hanukkah."
"Yes officer, it seems my husband has been abducted. The man was was wearing a blue leisure suit. And the plates were from Kansas I… He was a huge, beastly, bulging man and…"
I particularly liked her in WAY OF THE GUN. But I have a soft spot for that movie anyway.
Cute movie to be sure. . .but c'mon . . .#4 of all time?
It's been on AMC every night for the past two weeks. Sometimes twice a night…
Can you say overkill?
I didn't go to see this movie when it came out because it followed "European Vacation" which was so very, very bad. Does this amazing uptick in the series quality qualify as a Christmas miracle?
Overkill, sure – but I haven't seen it yet!
Thanks for the tip; maybe I'll check it out tonight! I see it's on at 10:15 Eastern…
very funny movie. especially the scene when they pick out the christmas tree. reminds me of the time we went into the woods to get a tree…It was just like that… only our tree was bigger..
The visual of Randy Quaid wearing a black dickey underneath a white, see-through, overly tight sweater is priceless!
Yes it does, Tommy. It's Perfect. Just like you, LOL! A must-see if you haven't. Trust Me
Hey someone help me out with something that has been bothering me going on twenty years now…wtf happened to Brian Doyle Murray in the nine years between Caddyshack and Christmas Vacation? It's like he put on 75 pounds and aged 25 years. According to his bio, he was 44 when Xmas Vacation was filmed but he looks 60. Anybody?
I'd have to add that one of my favorite lines in the whole movie follows yours, from Ellen's father: "So do washing machines". The dynamics between in laws, siblings, cousins, etc. in this movie were spot on.
This is one of those movies that is a yearly tradition in my household. That and A Christmas Story. We own both and I must say they are worth a buy.
Same here. Love that movie. Even in that snuff film Natural Born Killers she was good, just psychotic.
I love how the neighbors are a couple of snobby, urban, liberal elites who have no sense of humor. God Bless John Hughes – he was our (conservative) mole in the film industry. Sad he is gone.
This is just a real nice surprise Clark – just a real nice surprise.
I was laughing in the movie because of (a) the light up the house scene and (b) Cousin Eddie – almost everyone has a Cousin Eddie!
Quaid flat-out steals the show, but that imploding turkey is comic manna from above. And Beverly D'Angelo is so sexy she makes me want to scream.
I worked with a Cousin Eddie clone.
I love that line. Just one correction to it.
"Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry — kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss your own ass. Happy Hanukkah"
Kinda gross
"Dad that tree won't fit in our front yard."
"It's not going in our front yard, Russ, it's going in our living room."
The holiday season in my family starts right after the Macy's parade with the Thanksgiving viewing of Christmas Vacation. So many hysterical moments in it, you can't name them all.
just watched numero uno the other day. You forget how good that movie is until you see it again.
Personally, I laugh at, "She falls down a well, her eyes get crossed. She gets kicked my a mule and they go back to normal again."
You can admire an underage girl's beauty without lusting after her.
Nicolette Scorsese as the lingerie clerk and in and er.. out of that red bathing suit.
Santa Baby
Nicolette Scorsese as the lingerie clerk.
http://pages.cthome.net/digimstie/nsxmas.htm
Oh, you guys, you are going to make me watch it all over again. And my NEED to watch it starts on Thanksgiving Weekend, and I try to hold out, because then I know I'll watch it like 6 times before Christmas Eve rolls around. There's not much more to say that all of you haven't already said. So many great moments, so many great lines. Even reading you guys repeat them makes me smile!
But it is the John Hughes spirit I think, along with the great performances – even from Chevy (who I still like as Fletch as well) – that really makes it a classic. The scene that John talked about up in the attic, the way Audrey sticks up for her dad, the way they are pretty much like a real family (just a little nuttier) and there is warmth and love there, even with all the tension, etc.
Cont'd
Clark's need for that "fun old fashioned family Christmas" is the same as mine – I miss those days of big family gatherings and the fact that as a child, I was completely oblivious to some of the darker underside of the family. There were never any drunken bouts or anything like that. My Christmas memories are all happy. And now that my grandmother is gone (she was that matriach that held the family together) and now my dad, it's just not exactly the same, although I try to re-create some of it for my children.
Anyway, I think I'm going to have to watch it again (maybe tomorrow, if I can get the day off! Ha ha! Yes, I'm a slacker conservative! Actually I would be working at home and therefore avoiding the horrible traffic here in L.A.!).
Great list, John! Great list.
I do not get any of these vacation movies. Never have.
I concur.
When you're done with the film, check out-
http://odeo.com/episodes/25530632-Gunsmoke-A-Chri...
It's radio – "GUNSMOKE" and William Conrad as Matt Dillon meets a stranger out on the trail on Christmas Eve.
For us It's A Wonderful Life.
My daughter told me today she's watching it in English class tomorrow, the colorized version, and she doesn't like it. For her, it has to be black and white.
I think I'm doing something right!
What can we say, Chase has the 'moron' down pat.
Agreed, when National Lampoon nails it, they really nail it.
My sister and her husband are preparing to move to New Mexico. He's retired, so they're going to spend winters out there and summers here in NY. So she cleared out her books and gave me several This has to be one of the funniest comic books I've ever seem.
http://www.amazon.com/National-Lampoons-Cartoons-...
Clark, we are under a truck…..
Do you honestly think I don't know that……
Makes me almost pee my pants every time…I'm giggling now just thinking about it…..
I think Beverly DeAngelo doesn't an excellent job supporting his character. She's simply great as a (not sure of the acting or writing term) spring board that allows Chase to bounce his character off.
I don't think his character would have worked as well with out her. Silly enough to actually love his character, yet independent enough to keep him in line.
Notice in one scene Eddie is drinking something (probably eggnog) from a Wally World cup?
I've never been able to say the word 'nippy' since I saw it.
Hey, wait, I'm Ed.
Also, Juliette Lewis is hot. I can say that because a) I am the same age as her, b) I was the same age as her back then, too, and c) she hasn't changed any; she's still hot.
That is my favorite – I thought Doris Roberts was perfectly gentle and silently horrified to hear what is happening to the little girl just as Randy Quaid is flawlessly puzzled about the way eyes just seem to cross and uncross with every life threatening occurence….
I love Beverly's facial expression when she says that….
I didn't think Roman Polanski cruised this blog…….
Hi, I'm a Leftist and I want you to know that it's okay to unconditionally lust after underage girls.
Aren't I sophisticated and superior and progressive?
Well that's not what John said. He gave him credit as an all around great comedic actor.
I'm not a big fan of Chevy Chase. I think I've seen a lot of his work, and in my opinion, a lot of it doesn't work. But he does nail Clark Griswald. I think he also nailed Foul Play with Goldie Hawn.
I'm also old enough to remember when SNL first came out – I was around 13 or so at the time. And he couldn't hold a candle to the rest of the cast. To be fair, it wasn't fair that he was up against the likes of Murray, Akroyd, and Belushi. They were masters.
I wouldn't count him as an all around great comic actor, but rather one that with the right cast, and right script, can really perform. But the Fletch franchise, and Copps and Robbersons? I'll pass.
Was there ever a qualification here on BH as to what exactly constitutes a "Christmas movie"?
Does the movie have to take place around Christmas? For how long>
Or is a 'Christmas movie' a film that will draw in people at holiday time in a film that people of all ages can enjoy?
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (1938) and the remake, IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMER TIME, both have excellent Christmas sequences, as does MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS.
How about IT HAPPENED ON 5th AVENUE? OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES?
OR – dare it mention ALL MINE TO GIVE which one IMDB writer described as "The most sad movie I've ever seen". Here;s a guy who saw it at the theater –
"Immediately at the close of the film, the theater lights went up and nobody was getting up or doing much of anything: mostly looking at their shoelaces or whatever would keep them (us) from making eye contact. I actually heard some sobs. To this day when I attempt to tell someone about "the saddest movie ever made" I choke up at the end. That was the only time I've ever seen the movie and I so much want to share it with someone before I die. It was a beautiful, wondrously poignant experience and I will carry it in my heart forever."
I've seen ALL MINE TO GIVE. Rips your heart out. Makes "Sophie's Choice" look like a decision between Mexican or Italian food for lunch.
My sentiment is, I think I was around 13 or 14 when I started to realize that all these contests like the Oscars, the Emmys, Ms. Universe and such were all subjective selections, there is no objective criteria.
Granted, I had yet to learn about those terms, but I could just tell something was fishy. So I basically stopped paying attention to most of them. I figured the louder they screamed how important they were, the less important they are.
So when it comes to threads like this, I don't really consider it any type of sanctioned resolution derived at by objective science, it's just the opinion of who ever wrote it. Or worse, the result of some self righteous, self appointed, keepers of history like Time Man of the Year has become, or the Nobel Prize.
All people are created equal, and I'll make me own decision as to what movie I think is best for any category. For Christmas, its It's A Wonderful Life. And I understand every person on earth is entitled to disagree. I'm fine with that.
Classic moment. And when he is lingerie shopping for his wife? Awesome.
First one is the best one.
Haven't seen it and don't plan on it. I just had to take exception to this line:
Chase’s comedic timing is impeccable but he’s also a marvelous actor able to make us sympathize and take Clark’s side every step of the way.
I must have Chevy Chase confused with someone else. The only Chevy Chase I know is a pompous, has-been whose only comedic "talent" was the ability to make a goofy face after getting hit in the groin.
Rest assured, placement on this list is solely the discretion of the author.
Opinion only, and holds no real authority, like, say, Miss Universe.
My father and I watch this movie every Christmas. So funny! He loves Cousin Eddie!
This is my number one film for Christmas. Our favorite scene is yours also. My heart aches for those old days in the black and white film. It looks just like the ones my dad used to take of our Christmas with all the relatives. My dads super 8 camera had a light so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes to see and my aunt in the late 60's had a purple paisley mini dress and blue fish net stockings and my dads camera always would focus on her legs while she was sitting. It is so hilarious to watch now. I have such fond memories of this and everytime I watch this movie it always brings a tear to my eyes thinking of it.
Ugh…Nolte must be insane. this is an occasionally funny film not remotely in the class of many of the other pictures mentioned here…if this is what the conservative taste revolution in hollywood will be all about, i'm leaning left…
I like the film, but it has a few too many repulsive characters and situations in it for my tastes.
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