Movie Flashback: NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION(1989)

-
   NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION is a holiday staple in my household. It's a film that we are certain to watch at Christmas time no matter what is going on in the world around us.
CHRISTMAS VACATION is one of the rare comedies that is consistently funny all the way through. There is a laugh or two (or three) to be found in every scene. Most comedies today fail to be consistently funny or even funny at all, resorting to profanity-laced and crude, gross-out gimmicks to get a laugh. Let's focus on the movie in question.
 Check out the cast. Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswald. You will be hard-pressed to find another comedy duo that captures the chaos of married couples raising a family. The children, Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (Johnny Galecki), capture perfectly the embarrassment of having a father who will go the edge of insanity to provide a perfect life for his family. In this case, Clark does his best (or worst) to bring his family, and extended family, the perfect Christmas. I could go on about the cast.  It is one of the perfect casts assembled for a comedy in recent years. Who can forget Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie?
  The story brought to you by John Hughes, the master of teenage movies and some other memorable comedy classics (Home Alone, Uncle Buck, Ferris Bueller's Day Off) centers around Clark Griswald (Chase) trying to provide the best Christmas ever for his family. Obstacles abound when his parents and in-laws show up to join in the joys of Christmas togetherness. Cousin Eddie and his family show up unexpectedly and uninvited to provide even more laughs and dysfunction.
  One problem with Christmas Vacation is that the comedy can be crude and slightly inappropriate at times, making it not watchable for the entire family. I will say that the crude and sometimes inappropriate comedy found here is 1,000 times better than the crud that is made today. That's my opinion that is sure to be argued.
  If you have somehow never seen NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION, do yourself a favor and a time out from your busy Holiday chaos to watch the master of dysfunctional family antics, Clark Griswald, bring his family the best Christmas since Bing Crosby danced with Danny Kay in White Christmas. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Movie Review: DADDY'S HOME 2

-
Image
   Movies like DADDY'S HOME 2 are made for two things- to entertain and to make people laugh. That is exactly what this sequel to the hit DADDY'S HOME succeeds in doing. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg return as Brad and Dusty, co-dad's to Sara's(Linda Cardellini) two children, as well as much of the original cast. To recap the first one, Brad (Ferrell) is the step-dad to Sara's(Cardellini) two children who finds himself competing with the real Dad, Dusty(Walhberg) for the title of Dad.   With DADDY's HOME 2, we get the Grandfathers added to the mix. Mel Gibson as Dusty's Dad, Kurt and John Lithgow as Brad's Dad, Don. Gibson is stunt casting while Lithgow's performance is indicative of his award-winning career. Lithgow plays a comedic role in dramatic fashion. It could be the other way around as well. One of the things had a problem with in this movie is Gibson's performance, which I found to be a lackluster performance. It as if Gibson is just ...
Read more

Review: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019)

-
Image
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood(2019) Rated R; Run Time:2 hours and 41 minutes Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is about a washed up actor named Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his best friend/Stunt Double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) in 1969 Hollywood, who struggle to keep their careers afloat in a time when the industry was more focused on the next big star and always ready to throw dirt on fading, aging movie stars, like Rick Dalton. Once is an original film from legendary writer/director, Quentin Tarantino and features two excellent performances from DiCaprio and Pitt, both appearing together in a film for the first time. Their onscreen chemistry is the #1 reason to see this film. The story unfolds like reading a novel, an activity that is lost on people in these fast paced information  loaded Internet days we live in. It rewards the patient moviegoer who is willing to give th...
Read more
-
Image
MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE-GHOST PROTOCOL       The forth entry in the MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE franchise is the best of the bunch.        Every scene is set up masterfully by screenwriters Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec and director Brad Bird. I will give most of the credit to Brad Bird. This is his live action directing debut and it is nothing short out outstanding. You might recognize his previous three animated directing efforts-THE IRON GIANT,THE INCREDIBLES and RATATOUILLE. I cannot describe in words the action sequences this man has created. They are simply breathtaking.       Now to Tom Cruise.       The man has been in career meltdown ever since jumping on Oprah's couch and spouting off his views of Scientology. This is his comeback film. The man is in top action form here. I'll go as far to say that this is his best action performance since MINORITY REPORT. His performance is the glue to the whole movie.Without him, you...
Read more