I took my parents to see this opening night which was December 1, 1989. I am glad I did. All 3 of us could relate to the things we feel WE Must Do" at Christmas Time. From getting the tree to decorating the home! WE put huge expectations hoping everything will turn out fine and of course they don't. This was the 3rd "Vacation" film and most likely the most popular. Millions of us could relate the original "Vacation". The family road trip during the Summer. However 99% could relate to something in "Christmas Vacation". In this film it is of course holiday time and Clark wants to have a big old fashioned family Christmas. This means not only is his parents coming for Christmas but so is his in-laws/ Most importantly however Randy Quaid returns as Cousin Eddie. This film is a laugh a minute. If you don't like cussing and are prudish stay away. I have seen this film every year since 1989 and I still laugh as hard as I did when I saw the first time. The only film I think I have seen more is "The Wizard of Oz". If you have big family gatherings then watch this with them. Everyone will have a good time.

"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is a Christmas classic, and there is no denying it. It is one of those movies that you just have to watch year after year come Christmas time. And the movie never gets old, no matter how many times you have seen it.Following in the tradition of the previous "National Lampoon's Vacation" movies, also starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, the 1989 "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is every bit as hilarious, enjoyable and entertaining as the previous movies. And if you have seen the previous movies, which I assume you have as they are also classics, then you will immediately love "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" as well.The Griswold family is hosting a big family gathering for the Christmas holidays and have everything planned out, from decorating the house to the grand feast. But of course everything goes awry for Clark and the family, true to the Griswold family streak of bad luck and misfortune.What works out so well for "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is a combination of things. First of all, the storyline is good and hilarious, with some truly wonderful situations playing out on the screen. But it is also a gallery of some magnificent characters with lots of personalities and quirks, and it is characters that easily can be identified with members of your own family. And it is, of course, also the comedy that is ever-present throughout the entire movie. There are so many laughs throughout the entire movie, and it is fabulous because it is laughs that you enjoy every year as you watch this Christmas classic.Chevy Chase is of course the embodiment of Clark W. Griswold and he carries this role with grace and perfection. And Beverly D'Angelo is right alongside him in her role as Ellen Griswold, his wife. And she not only compliments Chevy Chase, but she also stands her own ground quite well. Furthermore there are great performances by Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, Randy Quaid, Doris Roberts, John Randolph and William Hickey to name but a few of the performers who shine here in this movie."National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" has truly withstood the test of time and stands out as a classic movie to brighten up Christmas year after year.

Despite being a fan of National Lampoon's "Vacation" and "European Vacation" movies, for whatever reason I had not sat down and watched this Christmas edition of the series. I had expectations for high humor coming into the viewing, but was left with the bad taste of a series starting to turn stale.For a basic plot summary, this movie sees Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase), wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), and kids Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (Johnny Galecki) hosting "the relatives" for Christmas. This obviously includes Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and Co. as well. Per the typical formula, everything goes to hell-in-a-hand-basket despite the best intents of Clark.While the first two Vacation-series movies seem fresh and genuinely funny, "Christmas Vacation" seems stale and overbearing (like all the comedy jokes/situations are "reaches"). Sure, there are some legitimately laugh-out-loud moments in the film, but mostly it falls pretty flat.The main reason for the disappointing effort here is the casting changes. Lewis and Galecki, while both proved afterwards to be pretty fair actors in their own right, are terrible for the roles of Audrey/Rusty (key characters that provide so much of the humor in the earlier films). Maybe it was just the fact that the "original" Russ/Audrey can never quite be topped.Thus, while I was hoping for great things from this experience, I can say now that I won't be watching it next Xmas season (or maybe any further out, either). It just fails to capture that quirky sense of humor that its predecessors nailed so succinctly.

There's a lot of hype around this film, it's one of the ones that people watch every Christmas. So I thought i'd give it a try.The bit draw for me was John Hughes, who of course famously gave us 'Breakfast Club', 'Pretty in Pink' etc. And there are lots of the standard things we expect from him in this film. It's broadly funny, it's sentimental, it's got some nice set piece moments.I think your enjoyment of this film largely comes down to whether you find Chevy Chase funny. I did not. I spent most of the film wondering which modern actors could do this better. Apart from falling on his face or widening his eyes, I didn't find Chase that funny.In fact the supporting case are the ones who take most of the laughs, with Doris Roberts in particular being a good example.If it's your favourite Christmas film then don't listen to me, go and enjoy it. For me though this one won't be making it onto my 'must watch at Christmas' list.