Sorry Harold Ramis, but this is the best of the Vacation series.
Written by John Hughes, I told you, he wrote a lot of great stuff, it's perhaps the best take on a family Christmas ever put to screen.
Just with the Griswold's, you have to crank everything up to 11...or higher.
The story: Clark and Ellen Griswold (Chevy Chase & Beverly D'Angelo) are set to have a very Merry Christmas...unfortunately, both sets of parents are coming to stay for the holidays. If that wasn't bad enough, Cousin Eddie and his brood show up on their doorstep. Luckily for Clark, he maintains his holiday cheer because he knows, that his annual Christmas bonus will show up on his door at any moment.
Okay, if typing up yesterday's review for Scrooged started to get me into the Christmas Spirit, then Christmas Vacation puts me over the top. It's time to skip the Halloween decorations and go straight for the tree, and wonder why eggnog is not carried year round in stores?
The de-aging of Russ and Audrey is hilarious, because they simply do it, and accept it, so the audience goes right along with them. They don't try and do a prequel or explain anything. They just make the change, and run with it.
Chase is at his best as Clark Griswold. He's been criticized for his entire career for not being funny, a good actor, a pain in the butt off-camera...
Well, I don't care. Chevy Chase plays Clark to the hilt. He is a master of comic timing and reactions. His insults to Cousin Eddie, barely audible, are nothing that every single one of us has done at some point in time to some clod that has irritated us.
In short, Clark Griswold is the father every dad tries to be....and not be...at the same time.
: )
Sadly, Clark simply tries so hard, that when the obvious setback occurs, the pendulum has to swing so far in the other direction, and that is the source of much of the comedy.
He epitomizes the phrase "when it rains, it pours" or "Murphy's Law".
A dinner can't simply be ruined... the Christmas tree has to go up in flames...and then more bad things begin to pile up.
In short, it's real life, but it's funny because it's not YOUR life.
And it leads to one of the greatest outbursts/meltdowns of any character, in any movie, Christmas or otherwise.
Nope, it's just not Christmas without seeing this one a few times before the big day.
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