National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Phil H

  
  MAJOR blast from the past here and it still holds up really well today despite being really seriously dated. The appearance is almost historical with all those 80's clothes, cars and electronic gear (the sequence with 'Clarke' using the old computer, check those… More
  MAJOR blast from the past here and it still holds up really well today despite being really seriously dated. The appearance is almost historical with all those 80's clothes, cars and electronic gear (the sequence with 'Clarke' using the old computer, check those graphics! may have even been an old Atari, not sure) but the laughs all round are still gold, silly but pure gold. You have to remember that these days this kind of thing is completely unoriginal and pretty lame really, but when this first came out it was quite unique. Best scenes include...the red Ferrari driving blonde and 'Clarke' trying to impress her, highjacking 'WallyWorld', the annoying auntie who then pops her clogs, Randy Quaid as 'Eddie' and arriving at 'WallyWorld' to find its closed with 'Clarke' then throwing a wobbly LOL!! many other various in-car travel moments along the way also make you smile. The main thing is you can relate to it completely, maybe not now, but back in the day as a kid I had a few roadtrips on holiday with my parents and it actually was like this at times, it really was haha! especially how 'Clarke' sweats allot through his gloriously 80's t-shirts, my dad did exactly that lol! Ramis really hit home with this excellent comedy and to think for years I had no clue he was the director, much like the rest of the cast I didn't really know who they were. Now of course its a cult and virtually part of the American way, the rest of the world used to see Americans as the Griswold's, best not mention that to them hehe.

• Directors C

  
  Lampoon's Vacation is so not one of the greatest comedy movies all time. However, on a positive note, it's the movie that made modern road trip movies extremely popular. Chevy Chase and his family are very likable but I felt the whole "American values" thing nearer… More
  Lampoon's Vacation is so not one of the greatest comedy movies all time. However, on a positive note, it's the movie that made modern road trip movies extremely popular. Chevy Chase and his family are very likable but I felt the whole "American values" thing nearer to the end of the film was either a failed joke or a cheesy moral. Not everything in the movie was funny or worked well but you know what? The bits that didn't miss were sublimely silly. It's the start of a franchise that is undeniably likable no matter how many times the plot is repeated. Franchises like that are hard to come by. Some of the sequels went wrong though...

• Graham J

  
  This comedy masterpiece is one of my favorites. Chevy Chase delivers one of his best performances as the dad that can't get anything right, a character that I wills always remember because I saw him in my dad and now I see Clark Griswold in myself.

• Alexander D

  
  Not until 2006 (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) has a road comedy even come close to being as great as NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION. It's funny, raunchy, and it spawned a few decent films. (Though VEGAS VACATION was <i>not</i> good.) Okay, I really do not like… More
  Not until 2006 (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) has a road comedy even come close to being as great as NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION. It's funny, raunchy, and it spawned a few decent films. (Though VEGAS VACATION was <i>not</i> good.) Okay, I really do not like "hard-R" comedies at <i>all</i>, and this may actually be a good example of a "hard-R" comedy. But if you overlook the nudity (though the one-scene spoof of both JAWS and the shower scene from PSYCHO is admittedly funny), profanity, and innuendo of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION, what remains is still a whole lot of good, solid humor. And the good thing about VACATION is that it has all <i>sorts</i> of humor: the immature kind young kids would enjoy (not that they should be watching this uncensored!); the farcical kind that was resurrected less than two decades later in films such as MEET THE PARENTS; the slapstick kind that brings back the memories of Curly, Larry, and Moe (if you don't know who they are, you are probably a miserable low-life--no offense); the racist kind (the scene in which the Griswolds ask for directions in downtown city area, for a memorable example); the absurd/dumb kind (for another classic example, the scene in which Clark Griswold is driving while sleeping); even the gross-out kind and (well, of course) the raunchy kind! The "Vacation" films are most likely the only <i>National Lampoon</i> films I will ever watch. Maybe ANIMAL HOUSE, but the rest of the company's films (particularly VAN WILDER) are bound to be no match for NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION.

• Brad W

  
  Possibly, the greatest comedy film ever made in history. Clark Griswold wants to take his family to Wally World in California, but during the road trip, he is jacked by the ghetto, kills a dog, kills Aunt Edna, destroys his car and crashes it (more than once), and much more. This is… More
  Possibly, the greatest comedy film ever made in history. Clark Griswold wants to take his family to Wally World in California, but during the road trip, he is jacked by the ghetto, kills a dog, kills Aunt Edna, destroys his car and crashes it (more than once), and much more. This is Chevy Chases best performnace, his side comments, his look, and just himself in general is great. The plot never lets down, it keeps bringing more and more funny jokes. Vacation is a GREAT COMEDY, and is one of the best of all time.

• Shawn E

  
  Classic dumb comedy

• AJ V

  
  Another classic comedy from the 80s, I love it, it's hilarious. The cast is great, the story is great, and it's just so funny. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes comedy.

• Jason C

  
  This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I still laugh my ass off whenever I watch it. A classic.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  3 stars

• jay n

  
  Just dumb!

• Nicki M

  
  Somehow got through 35 years without seeing this! Funny 80's film, goes a bit stupid at the end, but I guess you would expect that from one of these films. Enjoyed it.

• Tim S

  
  Very funny classic.

• Anthony L

  
  The first one was the best one! Love the poster for it.

• Jason O

  
  "National Lampoon's Vacation" is the movie that started the classic National Lampoon movie series. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) decides to take his family on a cross-country trip to Wally World in California. On the way, the Griswold family will see sites such as the… More
  "National Lampoon's Vacation" is the movie that started the classic National Lampoon movie series. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) decides to take his family on a cross-country trip to Wally World in California. On the way, the Griswold family will see sites such as the Grand Canyon, and even unwillingly pick up one of their least favorite family members, Aunt Edna. The long lasting National Lampoon series couldn't have begun with a better movie than "National Lampoon's Vacation." It's hilarious all the way from the comics at the very beginning of the movie all the way till the movie ends. Some of the funniest parts of the movie that I remember most are what the Griswolds do to Aunt Edna when she dies, and what Chevy Chase does when Beverly D'Angelo asks if he's going to look at the Grand Canyon. John Candy also makes a great cameo appearance. "National Lampoon's Vacation" is simply a great movie. It's hilarious, Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo do a great job together, and even the music isn't bad. I recommend "National Lampoon's Vacation" to anybody that likes comedy movies, it's a must have. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001. Chevy Chase is always a pleasure to watch.

• Cassandra M

  
  Every summer Chevy Chase takes his family on a little trip. This year he went too far. Chevy Chase stars as Clark Griswold, the typical American businessman. Well, almost a basic businessman. He works in food preservatives. Beverly D'Angelo plays his wife, Anthony Michael Hall… More
  Every summer Chevy Chase takes his family on a little trip. This year he went too far. Chevy Chase stars as Clark Griswold, the typical American businessman. Well, almost a basic businessman. He works in food preservatives. Beverly D'Angelo plays his wife, Anthony Michael Hall plays Rusty, his teenage son, and Dana Barron plays his daughter Audrey . This summer, Clark has decided to go all out and take a vacation with his family to "Walley World," a theme park spoof on Disney World, owned by "Roy Walley". Basically, this film starts out strong and ends strong. There are many gut grabbing scenes, and the film never resorts to gross out humor. The biggest gross out is when Clark bites into a sandwich a dog leaked on, but that's a different story. Along the way to Walley World, everything and everything that can go wrong does, and Clark ends up with Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca), who adds more fun to this wallop of a comedy. The laughter just escalates more and more as we see Clark's dreams flush down the toilet farther and farther, and I can't tell you how much I laughed at some of the scenes. "Vacation" isn't typical National Lampoon fare. Chevy Chase gives by far his best performance (akthough he acts just as well in "Christmas Vacation") as Clark, a real optimist, go get'm kind of guy, who completely snaps toward the end of the film. The rest of the cast does well, and Beverly D'Angelo does surprisingly well as a house wife. The two children, Audrey and Rusy, squawk at each other, but not to the point of obnoxious, which is another good thing about this film. Is it no surprise that John Hughes, the king writer/director of the 80's comedy films wrote this, or that Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters, Striped, Analyze This) directed the film? With cameos by the likes of John Candy, Eugene Levy, Brian Doyle Murray (who played Clark's boss in "Christmas Vacation"), and more, "Vacation" is a comedic triumph of the eighties that is now an icon of how to make a good comedy.

• Brian D

  
  Classic 80's comedy.Chevy chase at he's best...

• Mark H

  
  Absurd road comedy about the Griswold's family vacation to Wally World. When first released back in 1983, this film felt like an obvious farce full of gross-out gags and dumb slapstick bits. Although it <b>IS</b> that, what's amazing is just how much heart this… More
  Absurd road comedy about the Griswold's family vacation to Wally World. When first released back in 1983, this film felt like an obvious farce full of gross-out gags and dumb slapstick bits. Although it <b>IS</b> that, what's amazing is just how much heart this film actually has. Chevy Chase as the agreeable family patriarch anchors the film, but Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and even Christie Brinkley all add significantly to this dream cast.

• Lenny M

  
  Could've ended with this one.

• Lafe F

  
  A classic! The Griswald family takes a cross-country drive past many great USA landmarks. They have a series of hilarious adventures as a family, with lots of funny and tacky moments. I loved what happened when they arrived at their destination, Wally World. Great fun!

• Dean !

  
  Probably the funniest Lampoon's film there is.

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