Stephen Bird
A little camp and very dated granted, but National Lampoons Vacation is still a proper cheer me up and let go of life family film. Clark Griswold personifies the every man American, we've all got a little Clark Griswold in us regardless of how much you try and deny it. This guy is a family man through and through, a guy that only wants the best for his wife and two kids, but one day it suddenly hits him, that his kids are growing up and getting older, and he feels he's missed out on a large proportion of their childhood putting in the hours at work.Never fear, good old Clark has a trick up his sleeves, he's hired a station wagon and plans to take the whole family on a road trip across America, their final destination, Wally World of course!Now, as you can expect, the trip of a lifetime doesn't go all to plan and there's enough hiccups along the way to keep you laughing throughout the duration of the film.One such hiccup is the diversion they take to visit Cousin Eddie and his family, the kids, all of whom have a screw loose, and the ditsy wife who has very little in the way of brain power; but that's just the start, they pick up a piece of luggage in the way of Aunt Edna, and the legendary Imogene Coca provides some comedy gold.Not withstanding, yes the family (minus one casualty) do make it to Wally World in the end, tired, beat up and an absolute mess that is, but the film is based around the journey, not the destination. Chevy Chase, during the early eighties around the time the film was released, was one of the most sought after comedy players in Hollywood, he demonstrates why perfectly with his performance in Vacation. I felt that the film revolved around Clark (Chevy Chase), and the rest of the cast was there to back him up and have something for him to interact with. One example was the famous girl in the red Ferrari scene, with just tacky music playing in the background, and no dialogue exchanged in the scene at all, this scene perfectly demonstrates Chevy's comedy prowess, his facial expressions say it all, an attractive young lady in an attractive car lures him on and Clark (as expected) bites, speeding up the car to keep up with the girl until Ellen, his wife, stops him. Very eighties, very-very eighties, a film like this couldn't have been made this successfully in any other era, as demonstrated by the recent rehash of Vacation, starring Ed Helms; that new film changed it's style to fit with the modern era, whilst staying true to the original Vacation, yet in my humble opinion, the new film had absolutely nothing on the original, dated yet timeless, a film that no matter how much you've watched, it's still good to watch again and again. Top marks I really couldn't mark it any lower I'm afraid.
brokenglassband
.This movie is silly and some elitists deplore it. But it consists of one great scene after another, with lots of good gags, good pacing, and good performances, especially by Michael Anthony Hall. Supporting players Imogene Coca and John Candy also turn in good performances, and Chevy Chase is better than usual. Some reviewers take issue with a scene here or an off-color joke there, but fail to judge the movie as a whole. Don't fall into that trap. If you liked Caddy Shack or Airplane or even Married With Children, you will like Vacation. If you've never seen it, then look for it (it's often on TV), and enjoy. .
Geeky Randy
Cornball family man Clark Griswold (Chase) takes his family on a road-trip from Chicago to Los Angeles, and they run into plenty of bumps and detours along the way. Sets expectations for being a standard goofy comedy typical of its type, and then suddenly amps the crudeness at all the right spots. Cousin Eddie (Quaid) is underused, but we thankfully see much more of him in Christmas VACATION; however, here, we still get other fun supporting characters like Aunt Edna (Coca) who add just the right amount of zest to make this an outstanding full of great lines, fun locations and non-stop laughs. The Lindsey Buckingham soundtrack is both nostalgic and timeless. Followed by European VACATION.***½ (out of four)
RustyShacklefordd
Don't get me wrong Vacation is an enjoyable and funny movie, but it isn't exactly the classic comedy that some have made it out to be.The concept of the ultimate family vacation is executed well and anyone who's ever been on a less than stellar vacation will be able to relate to it. Chevy Chase is the best thing about the film and he has a real gift for delivery and comedic timing. It's hard to picture the film working quite as well with another actor in the lead role. The humor is very much in the vein of comedies of the 80's being silly and completely over-the-top. While the majority of the humor works, there are a few gross-out gags and repetition of jokes that don't work well that keep the movie from being great. Vacation is a lot fun and has more than a few laughs to over, but it's simplicity makes it a bit forgettable. Maybe it's lost some of it's charm since it was released it the 80's, but it's still a very enjoyable comedy that's worth watching. I'd still say that Christmas Vacation sit the best of the series though.
