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Christmas Vacation (1989)
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Watching the movie Christmas Vacation has been a Christmastime tradition for as long as I can remember. I don’t remember the first time that I watched it, but I know that I was very young and it was likely on television.
Christmas Vacation is National Lampoon’s third Vacation movie. This time, the Griswolds are not going anywhere for vacation. Instead, they have decided to host a big family gathering for Christmas at their house. Like previous Griswold vacations, things do not go as planned and quickly spin out of control.
The film was written by John Hughes and directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik. The noteworthy cast includes Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Randy Quaid, Brian Doyle-Murray, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Doris Roberts, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Mae Questel, and Sam McMurray.
The movie is absolutely hilarious! It’s my favorite of the Vacation movies. It’s the ultimate dysfunctional family comedy. It’s everything a family comedy should be, and more.
Christmas Vacation is one of the funniest Christmas movies ever made and it’s usually the first Christmas movie that I watch each year. The festive soundtrack and the chaotic family gathering help to give you a feeling of Christmas.
There are so many memorable scenes, brilliant dialogue, and one-liners. The comedy is sarcastic and poetic.
Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid both give unforgettable performances. Christmas Vacation is easily each actor’s best and funniest movie.
The film has a very obvious John Hughes feel to it. Even though Hughes didn’t direct, he still wrote and produced the movie.
Christmas Vacation is a timeless Christmas classic. I’ve seen it dozens of times and it never gets old. It’s one of the funniest Christmas movies ever. It always puts me in the Christmas spirit. Christmastime is not complete without watching Christmas Vacation.
I rate this movie a 10 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy it and make it a part of your holiday tradition.
If you liked Christmas Vacation then you will probably enjoy:
Home Alone (1990)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Groundhog Day (1993)
In honor of Groundhog Day today, I decided to review the 1993 film of the same name.
Phil: “What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?”
Phil (Bill Murray) is a weather reporter who is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on Groundhog Day to cover the Groundhog Day festivities. Although he is unhappy with his assignment, he follows orders and soon finds himself stuck living the same day over and over again.
Groundhog Day is easily Bill Murray’s best performance and greatest movie.
Although I saw the movie in the theatre when I was a kid, I did not truly appreciate the humor in it until I was an adult. The more Phil is forced to repeat the same day, the harder and harder you will laugh.
The film is a comedy classic and this is mostly attributed to the pairing of Harold Ramis directing and Bill Murray starring. The two men were good friends at the time of filming and Ramis had previously directed Murray in Caddyshack. They both also had starred together in Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989), and Stripes (1981). Ramis wrote the screenplay for all of those films including Groundhog Day. His writing of Groundhog Day is superb and he also has a cameo appearance in the film.
The comedy is very tastefully written and the film is eventually quite touching.
Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliot, and Steven Tobolowsky are all excellent additions to the film. Bill Murray’s brother Brian Doyle-Murray even has a bit part in the movie.
If you have not seen Groundhog Day, I strongly recommend that you do so immediately. Go out and rent it, buy it, download it, or borrow it. Steal it if you have to. You will not be disappointed, and it may become a holiday tradition for you and your family just as it has for me. I have watched it over and over and over again.
I rate this movie a 10 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? BUY!
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