National
Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
Rating:
R
Runtime:
98 minutes
Box
Office (in today’s dollars): 144 million (approximately)
Characters:
Clark Griswold, Ellen Griswold, Rusty Griswold, Audrey Griswold, Cousin Eddie,
Cousin Catherine, Aunt Edna, Cousin Vicki, Cousin Dale, Russ Lasky, Girl in the
Red Ferrari
Cool
Stuff: The Wagon Queen Family Truckster
Cool
Music: “Holiday Road”
Cool
Quote: some funny lines but no one standout quote
Pack
it up, pack it in, the Griswold family vacation review is about to begin! I
think I have only seen this movie twice in its entirety (including this time).
I am pretty sure teenage Salty loved it because of a practically naked Christie
Brinkley and a foul-mouthed Chevy Chase. Adult Salty was a little confused this
time around. I found it funny, but at the same time I wasn’t sure why. Clark
Griswold made me laugh, but the jokes I found amusing 25 years ago were not so
amusing 25 years later. Russ Lasky was great, but he was only in it at the end.
I had to stop the movie and look closely when cousin Vicki appeared.... Yes,
that’s Jane Krakowski! Smoking weed and French kissing at age 15.
I
see a theme developing in the “cool stuff” category: modes of transportation. The
Millennium Falcon from Empire and Jedi, the Bluesmobile from The
Blues Brothers, and the 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
In this movie, it is the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. It is an absolutely
awful car, which makes it awesome at the same time. I had a terrible car as a
teenager (1986 sky blue Plymouth Duster), and at no time was it awesome. I
would have traded it for the Family Truckster in a second. In the cool music
category, we get a classic in “Holiday Road”. It is used in most of the
Vacation sequels as well ... which is a funny because the Griswold kids are
different in most of the sequels.
I
think most of the time I was watching the movie I was thinking about going to
Walley World ... I mean Disney World. When my girlfriend and I have gone, we
have always driven from New Hampshire to Florida. I hate flying, but I also
find the trip in the car part of the adventure. We have not been in a few
years, but I am sure one day we will return to that magical place ... and
someday we will go cross-country to Disneyland!
Next
movie to review: The NeverEnding Story
This is one of those rare occasions where the sequel is better than the original. I always thought they kept getting better through x-mas vacation, and then took a step back with Vegas. Still, it's Chevy in his prime, which is pretty good.
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