Take this road trip classic for a spin

‘Vacation’ is something families can still relate to

Since we are now in the middle of summer, this month I decided to revisit a movie that is both a classic summer comedy and a classic road trip comedy. 1983’s Nationals Lampoon’s “Vacation.”

“Vacation” follows the patriarch of the Griswold family, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase), as they road trip from Chicago to California to visit the Walley World amusement park. Hilarity ensues as the family tries to make its way to “America’s favourite family fun park.”

This film was directed by Harold Ramis. Ramis has directed the classic comedies “Caddyshack” and “Groundhog Day,” along with screenwriting on other classic comedies such as “Animal House,” “Meatballs,” and “Ghostbusters.” But you may know him best from his role as Dr. Egon Spengler in the Ghostbusters films.

I consider this film to be the first one to establish the road trip comedy formula, with the weird pit stops, whacky side characters, the car that slowly falls apart, wild detours and driving jokes. What sets this film apart from the many road trip comedies to follow is the talent they use both in front of the camera and behind. All of the actors are great in this film but the standout is Chase.

Chase does a fantastic job portraying the relatable family man, Clark Griswold. Chase has excellent comedic timing in each situation, but he is also a relatable character because he just wants to connect with his kids and have a good family vacation, despite all of the mishaps. He’s trying to do his best in the face of all of these crazy situations and the result is beyond hilarious.

It’s really funny to see Clark try to keep things on track when everything goes wrong. The character is at his best when he goes up against other characters that have personalities far different from his wannabe wise guy attitude. Clark always tries to be prove how smart he is as he is swindled by whomever he’s interacting with. It’s also hilarious to see him slowly lose his mind as he tries to keep everything on track.

Another major talent in this film is the man who wrote this movie. This film was written by John Hughes, who is responsible for directing some of the best films of the ’80s such as “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club,” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Hughes delivers a hilarious romp, with plenty of witty dialogue, especially for Clark Griswold.

Speaking of Hughes, this film features an early role for a John Hughes regular actor, Anthony Michael Hall, who portrays Clark’s son Rusty. Hall portrayed the nerd character is both “Sixteen Candles” and “The Breakfast Club.”

There are also some great visual gags in this film. One great example is when the Griswold family visits the classic odd relatives. Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) asks Clark if he wants a beer. Clark accepts and is handed the beer Eddie is currently drinking while Eddie opens a new one for himself. Another is when Clark is attempting to give his son advice and his broken glasses fall off his face, piece by piece. Situations like this are littered throughout the film and showcase Ramis’ talent of comedy directing.

As someone who has been on more family road trips than I can count, I can say that this film accurately represents some of the crazy things that can happen. There are elements that every road tripper can relate to — the long walk for gas when the car runs out, getting on each others nerves, etc. While the sequels vary in quality, (especially the recent soft-reboot starring Ed Helms) “Vacation” stands out as a classic road trip comedy that families can still relate to today. One word of warning, this movie is rated for ages 14 and over, so if you’re going to check it out, you may not want to let young children watch.

If you’re interested in some other great road trip comedies check out “Dumb and Dumber,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” and “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.”