Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
A Griswold anniversary
Celebrate 30 years of ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’
For so many of us, the holidays are all about family, and one close-knit clan has been bringing Christmas cheer — and a lot of laughs — for 30 years.
The Griswolds have been worming their way into the hearts of holiday revelers for three decades, and their popularity shows no signs of waning — they’ll likely be entertaining movie lovers for years to come.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” a film touted as a modern holiday classic. In 1989, Chevy Chase (“Saturday Night Live”) reprised his role as Clark “Sparky” Griswold Jr., the hapless patriarch featured in the popular “National Lampoon’s Vacation” films from legendary screenwriter John Hughes, who was enjoying the prime of his career at the time. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is the third film of the franchise — after “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) and “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” (1985) — and most fans claim it’s the best installment of the series.
“Christmas Vacation” struck a chord with audiences right away, as Hughes’s films often did. He was also the brainchild behind such beloved movies as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986), “Pretty in Pink” (1986), “Home Alone” (1990) and many, many more. In a December, 2014, Rolling Stone article commemorating the 25th anniversary of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” Chase had kind (and characteristically cheeky) words to say about the legendary screenwriter:
“Maybe he was a genius, and God bless him if he was. There are so few of us,” he quipped.
The first two “Vacation” films followed the Griswolds on ill-fated, epic family vacations. In “Christmas Vacation,” Clark is determined to have a picture-perfect family Christmas at home. But, as usual, just about everything goes wrong. After spending hours stringing lights all over his house, he can’t get them to work. His in-laws crowd his home, the turkey is drier than the Sahara and a cat is electrocuted in a Christmas tree light mishap — these are just a few of the things that threaten Clark’s twinkling, sugar-plum vision of a consummate Griswold holiday. What’s worse, Clark discovers that his boss has decided to nix their traditional Christmas bonuses.
Through it all, his loving family stands by him, for better or for worse. (It’s usually worse.) The “Christmas Vacation” cast includes familiar faces from the previous films, and adds new, extended Griswold family members. Beverly D’Angelo (“Coal Miner’s Daughter,” 1980) returns as Clark’s long-suffering wife, Ellen. Despite all of her “Sparky’s” faults, she’s unwavering in her love and support for him. And, like in the other “Vacation” movies, the Griswold kids were re-cast for the holiday film. In her first major role, a young Juliette Lewis (“Natural Born Killers,” 1994) portrays eye-rolling teenage daughter Audrey, while future “The Big Bang Theory” star Johnny Galecki plays Clark an Ellen’s son, Rusty.
John Randolph (“You’ve Got Mail,” 1998) and
Diane Ladd (“Alice”) star as Clark’s parents, Clark Sr. and Nora Griswold. Ellen’s parents Art and Frances are portrayed by E.G. Marshall (“The Defenders”) and Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”). Perhaps the most memorable of all of Clark’s extended family members is Cousin Eddie, played to idiotic perfection by Randy Quaid (“The Last Detail,” 1973).
Quaid’s performance as the down-on-his-luck, uncouth Eddie was so popular that he was cast in the TV spin-off film “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure.” In the original, though, he arrives with his wife, Catherine (Miriam Flynn, “Grounded for Life”), kids Ruby Sue (Ellen Latzen, “The Equalizer”) and Rocky (Cody Burger, “Heavyweights,” 1995), and their Rottweiler, Snots. “Seinfeld” and “VEEP” fans will recognize Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Clark’s neighbor Margo, who despises the Griswolds, and her husband, Todd, is played by Nicholas Guest (“USA High”). Brian Doyle-Murray (“The Middle”) also makes an appearance as Clark’s much maligned boss, Frank Shirley.
Arguably the most family friendly of the “Vacation” films, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” has stood the test of time since its debut in 1989. It was based on Hughes’s short story “Christmas ‘59,” which was published in the December 1980 issue of National Lampoon Magazine. On December 1, 1989, the film opened in the No. 2 spot at the box office behind “Back to the Future: Part II,” and went on to bring in more than $70 million during it’s run in U.S. theaters.
Though some critics initially found the movie crass, fans always get the last word. The film has gained a huge following over the years, and frequently appears on Holiday Best lists, including IndieWire.com’s list of The Best 20 Holiday Films, Town and Country’s Top 25 Christmas Classics and IMDB’s list of Top 20 Christmas Comedy films. What is it that makes this film, which many critics panned upon its release, so enduring? There have been hundreds (if not thousands) of Christmas movies released since then, and very few have achieved the kind of following that this film continues to build. It may be that the Griswolds’ antics offer viewers an alternative to the starry-eyed, completely unattainable “perfect” Christmases seen in other holiday films: “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” continues to resonate with modern audiences because most of us don’t have perfect Christmases.
The turkey may be dry (hopefully quite as dry as Clark’s), family members may annoy us (hello Cousin Eddie) and we may not always find what we want under the tree (no squirrels, please). But, just like Clark and his loved ones, we muddle through the holidays, holding tight to one another when things get tough, and appreciating those precious moments of togetherness along the way.
So, as the Yuletide season revs up, take some time to enjoy a modern holiday classic that will hopefully make you feel better about your own holiday foibles. Celebrate 30 years of dysfunctional Christmas antics with Clark and the gang in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” It airs Sunday, Dec. 1, on AMC, and repeats very regularly throughout the rest of December. Check your local listings for additional screenings of the classic comedy.