NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION (1983)
Reviewed By Jerry Saravia
(30 YEARS OF THE GRISWOLDS)
I usually scoff at anything with the title "National Lampoon," but I have a certain kind of affection for "Vacation," the hilarious 1983 comedy with Chevy Chase. It is a classic comedy in that its raunchiness and absurdity reaches levels of cartoonishness. Besides, Chase, in his better days, proved he was the funniest bloke on the block.
Chase is Clark Griswold, a family man with two kids, Rusty and Audrey (Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron) and a buxom wife, Helen (Beverly D'Angelo). They live in typical suburbia and a vacation is planned to Walley World, an amusement park on the level of a Disney theme park. Disaster is on the fringes of this road trip by station wagon, however, as one obstacle is hurled in front of them after another. The Griswold clan first visit Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) only to discover they need to take the dreaded Aunt Edna along (played by Imogene Coca). Money grows tight as they try to stay in a hotel, until Clark takes all the money from the register and runs. They crash their station wagon in the middle of the desert while Clark looks for the nearest gas station. They end up in a dangerous part of some city where their hubcaps are stolen. A flirtatious woman (Christine Brinkley) tries to get Clark to go swimming with her in the nude. And when they finally arrive at Walley World...let's just say it meets short of their expectations.
Watching "Vacation" will depend highly on your tolerance for Chevy Chase. I laughed out loud in a restaurant scene where Chase hits his head on an overhead lamp - this is much funnier than seeing Chase literally shoot himself in the foot in the wretched "Deal of the Century." There is an enjoyable shot of Clark and Helen looking at the awesome Grand Canyon for no less than two seconds. And there is nothing more hysterical than seeing Clark trying to talk to his son about adultery and other matters. And the ultimate gag, which may be a wee bit too black-humored for some, concerns Aunt Edna's denouement. I may add that Clark's indifference to Edna's situation may strike some as far too callous, even for a comedy.
"Vacation" is not one of the great comedies of all time, but it has occasionally high spirits and the Griswold family is as likable as they come. Just don't ever go on vacation with them.
