National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) **

 

National Lampoon is a name everybody knows, mostly from their movies. Originating with the “Harvard Lampoon,” “National Lampoon” magazine was an irreverent, bawdy, influential comedy mag in the 1970's, persisting into the 80's and 90's, although with considerably less influence. It was the inspiration for several films, the most famous of which was “National Lampoon's Animal House.” “National Lampoon's Vacation” was based on a story by John Hughes (yes, that John Hughes) and directed by Harold Ramis ("Ghostbusters" "Groundhog Day").

The Griswald family, including Clark (Chevy Chase), Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo ), Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall), and Audrey (Dana Barron) embark on a cross-country road trip in their loaded-down station wagon. The destination is Walley World, which features rides, family fun, and Marty Moose. (Any similarities to an actual California amusement park are strictly coincidental!) Basically, everything that can go wrong does go wrong.

It's a fine comedy setup, and the movie has been hugely popular over the years, although with mixed reviews from critics. Amazingly, I never saw it back in the day. Now that I have finally seen it, I gotta say, I'm with the naysayers on this one.

My biggest problems with “Vacation” can be summed up in two words: Chevy Chase. I have never really liked his style of humor, and he is everything that is wrong with the movie. The film only works if you can identify with his Clark Griswald, everyman character, but the guy is such a milquetoast nitwit that identifying with him is impossible while retaining any sort of self-respect. Chase plays him with his usual can't-be-bothered comedy style, although I will admit that his meltdown at the end does provide some laughs.

Aside from Chase, the cast is actually reasonably good, and Beverly D'Angelo deserves special mention. With her massive, blue eyes and perfect 80's hair, she is cute as can be, and she looks good with her shirt off, too. Her acting is way better than Chase's, and I only wish the script had given her more to do.

Speaking of the script, I have been leveling a lot of criticism at Chevy Chase, but there is a lot of lazy writing in “Vacation.” This is surprising given the pedigree of John Hughes and Harold Ramis, both of whom are known for much better work. An example of where the story fails is the girl-in-the-ferrari storyline. As the Griswalds encounter one road-trip setback after another, Clark keeps seeing a gorgeous blonde (Christie Brinkley) in a Ferrari, who flirts with him and makes him dream of a better, sexier vacation, without kids, relatives, or all the unsexy reality that is ruining his trip. In a better-written movie, the blonde would be a figment of Clark's imagination, a manifestation not of his desire for another woman, but of his desire for something exciting but easy, something fun. That's what vacations are for, isn't it? (But vacations with family never seem to be as easy or fun as they should be, do they?) In the last Christie Brinkley scene, however, everyone can see her, which means she is real and that this single, rich hottie was, inexplicably, flirting with goofball Clark Griswald in his Members Only jacket. The movie lacks the courage to do the logical thing, narratively, and make the fantasy girl a fantasy. This makes some sense, if you are a “Wizard of Oz” fan, because the movie also lacks a heart and a brain.

2 stars out of 5