** 1\2 out of (****)
It's home for the holidays with the Griswold's in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989).
A lot of people I think like the idea of the holiday season and what it represents but when you get down to the gift buying, decorating a Christmas tree, cooking a Christmas dinner, preparing to host a dinner party, you realize geez this is a lot of work. Is it worth it? And do you really want to spend the day with family and in-laws that may begin to fight?
I think somewhere in "Christmas Vacation" that idea is lurking around. We all want a perfect Christmas but family, decorations and gifts get in the way.
"Christmas Vacation" isn't really a "Christmas movie". But Alex, you will say, the word "Christmas" is in the title. Thank you for pointing that out. I was wondering what that word was. It doesn't matter however. "Christmas Vacation" is primarily about the difficulty of dealing with family and trying to create the perfect experience. It is no different than the previous National Lampoon vacation movies with the Griswolds. This movie just happens to take place around Christmas. The setting could have also been Thanksgiving and little would have to be changed. Of course screenwriter and producer John Hughes had already given us his Thanksgiving adventure, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (1987).
"Christmas Vacation" was the third vacation movie in the series, coming after "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983) and "National Lampoon's European Vacation" (1985), and had already established the characters in the Griswold family and father Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) in particular. Clark prides himself on being a family man and wants to give his children wonderful memories of their time spent together. He is good-natured and well meaning but of course, as is the nature of comedy, his plans don't always work out.
Placing the Clark character in this Christmas setting could provide a lot of comedy potential with the character trying to make the "perfect Christmas", whether it is picking out the right Christmas tree, decorating their home with a lights display or buying gifts. In these moments the movie is able to find laughs and provides Chase the opportunity to engage in a lot of comedy high-jinx, a staple of a John Hughes comedy.
However there is a minuscule plot in "Christmas Vacation". The movie is basically a series of comedy sketches that when put together I think don't add up to much and never gives us a big payoff, emotionally or laugh-wise. A rewrite would be needed. Perhaps have the Clark character narrate the story or have the movie take place during the course of one day. There is a neighboring yuppie couple (Nicholas Guest and Julia-Louis Dreyfus) that isn't into Christmas and think the Griswolds are losers. What if the neighbors were into the holidays and "competed" with Clark. Alex, you'll say, these ideas are predictable and cliche. What, you think "Christmas Vacation" is an original work of art?!
Again, this is not to imply some won't laugh at "Christmas Vacation". You will. But take a scene where Clark goes Christmas shopping for his wife and is in the lingerie section. An attractive young female sales clerk approaches Clark. He becomes hot and bothered staring at her and her cleavage and trips over his words. It is funny. I smiled. But this scene doesn't advance the plot of the movie at all. Had this scene be deleted nothing important would have been left out. At that goes for multiple comedy sequences. If you are a fan of this movie and remember this scene or that scene as being funny, yes, the individual sequences on their own are funny but in the context of the movie as a whole they do nothing plot-wise.
The movie does have a very good cast of character actors including William Hickey as Uncle Lewis, who had been appearing in movies since the 1950s and was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in "Prizzi's Honor" (1985). Here he plays an absent minded character that unknowingly causes great destruction. His wife in the movie, Aunt Bethany, is played by Mae Questel, who us old timers will remember as the voice of Betty Boop. Do younger children know who Betty Boop is anymore? Her character is similar to Uncle Lewis, playing a forgetful old lady who even wraps her pet cat up as a Christmas present. Rounding things out is Doris Roberts, best known as the mother on the TV show "Everybody Loves Raymond", Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Randy Quaid and Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill's brother). Each character is meant to be "colorful" and provide an obstacle for the Clark character, testing his holiday cheer. All of the actors are very good in the roles. They aren't believable characters but they are funny.
"Christmas Vacation" even finds time to make a slight social commentary on big business and the importance of a holiday bonus. I've been in the situation and can relate to the drama of waiting for it and the crushing effect it can have when you don't receive one. That's one thing about "Christmas Vacation" that is actually believable. The other commentary is the reason a boss may or may not give out a bonus, because it would affect the company's bottom-line. From the CEO's perspective a Christmas card would serve just as well. It's the thought that counts right?
Of course the humor arises from this situation when the characters exaggerate their reaction and do what the rest of us in the audience would only dream of doing as retaliation.
Is there a Christmas message in "Christmas Vacation"? Perhaps something about spending time with family. The holiday miracle of receiving a Christmas bonus. And the dangers of having a real Christmas tree in your home.
This isn't a movie that will give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside. That's fine. This is a comedy with the word "Christmas" in the title. It has plenty of physical comedy and some good performances. The movie as a whole doesn't add up to me but you will find yourself laughing. For something more heartfelt, go watch "It's A Wonderful Life" (1946).
Merry Christmas everyone!
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