(Photo courtesy imdb.com)

By Lucas Greifzu – Sports Editor

The holiday classic “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” starring Chevy Chase is a classic Christmas movie that everyone should see. It was released in 1989, and while it isn’t as popular as some other Christmas and holiday movies, it is still worth watching. It is the third of the National Lampoon’s movies, and it topped the box office in its third and 4th week. The movie was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.

The movie follows Clark Griswold and his family as they try to have their first big family Christmas. The movie opens with Griswold and his family driving to the woods to get the family Christmas tree. However, when they find the tree, they realize that they forgot the saw, so they dig up the entire tree. When they get back to the house with it the tree is too large for the house, and when he takes the rope off of it the tree breaks through the windows, and breaks things inside the house. These unfortunate incidents and slapstick humor keep taking place throughout the movie. But, in the end they all come together as a family, and have Christmas together.

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is a funny, family-friendly, and heartwarming movie that teaches us to persevere even when seemingly everything goes wrong. Watching everything go wrong in this movie is what makes this movie hilarious. From 25,000 lights not working, to the turkey exploding on the dinner table, and a SWAT team storming the house after one of the family members was suspected of kidnapping Griswold’s boss. This plus a great cast that really brings the holiday spirit to light in the movie. However, watching them together as a family at the end is what makes this movie truly special.

However, there is a trade off in this movie. With all of the humor, and the funny scenes, there is an element of inappropriateness with this movie. The movie might not be suitable for people of all ages. There is some inappropriate language, and some slightly inappropriate humor in the movie. However, for people of the correct ages it does add to the humor that is in this movie. But, the dry humor and slapstick comedy is what sets this movie apart from other Christmas and holiday movies.

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is a holiday classic and shows everyone what the true meaning of Christmas is. It shows us that coming together as a family and spending time with each other is more important than anything else during the holiday season.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars