Rating: R
Genre:
Comedy
Release Date: 08/19/2003
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol/Por
Dubbed: English/French/Espanol/Por
Sound: DD1
Run Time: 99 Minutes
Flags: Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Adult Humor, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
Far superior to its sequels,
National Lampoon's Vacation chronicles the trials and tribulations of the Griswolds (
Chevy Chase,
Beverly D'Angelo,
Dana Barron, and
Anthony Michael Hall) as they trek cross-country in search of fun and recreation at the mythical WallyWorld theme park. Along the way, they get lost in East St. Louis (in what some may consider a racist scene involving black youths stripping the brand-new family station wagon clean while
Clark Griswold [
Chase] unwittingly asks a belligerent pimp for directions), stop to visit some hillbilly relatives (
Randy Quaid is hilarious as the down-on-his-luck patriarch), pick up their cantankerous aunt
Edna (
Imogene Coca), dispose of her corpse after she passes away in the back seat, narrowly skirt death after crashing through a roadside billboard in the desert, and stay at a hotel where
Clark is tempted by a seductive swimmer (
Christie Brinkley). Having endured a journey more trying than
Homer's
Odyssey, they finally arrive at WallyWorld -- only to find it is closed for two weeks for renovations. Wackiness ensues as
Clark snaps and takes a security guard (
John Candy) hostage.
Chase is good as everyman
Clark Griswold, as is
D'Angelo as his wife, and
Candy is a scene-stealer as a stodgy, dim-witted park security guard. Among the funniest scenes are
Clark's swim at the motel, the visit to the Grand Canyon, and the encounter with the state trooper regarding
Aunt Edna's missing dog. Much of the humor in
National Lampoon's Vacation is indicative of the general lack of taste in '80s
comedies (particularly their exploitation of racial stereotypes and incest humor), but a good portion of the film is still laugh-out-loud funny thanks to a game cast.
~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
