You know you're getting old when you remember when Chevy Chase was funny.
And he's on in this 1989 movie, which has been one of my holiday favorites since it was released. Chase's Clark Griswold is a sweet, lovable Everyman. He just wants the best for his family and takes everything far too far.
In a charming script written by John Hughes (and I'm a child of the '80s, which means I like John Hughes' movies) Clark and his family have "an old-fashioned Griswold family Christmas," which means that everything from picking a tree to Christmas dinner will be a complete disaster. Add in yuppie neighbors, annoying in-laws and the drop-in guest from hell (Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie) and it is slapsticky, increasingly outrageous and full of heart and old-fashioned appeal. I even like the cheesy animated opening credits.
A wrap-around plotline of Clark worrying about his holiday bonus is mostly filler, but has a few good moments. This is not a movie one watches for the in-depth story.
Watching it again, I was impressed by how few dick and fart jokes there were. Sure, there were some, but for the most part, "Christmas Vacation" doesn't go for the cheapest of the cheap laughs -- they're too easy. At almost 20 years old, the laughs in this movie are as fresh and funny as when it first appeared -- how many of today's comedies are going to be able to top that?
Something to watch for -- the last film appearance by Mae Questel, who was the voice of Betty Boop in the 1930s.
It's not Christmas without "Christmas Vacation."
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