Hallelujah, Holy Shit! Where's the Tylenol?

December 24, 2014 2:56 PM

Xmas or Bust: The Untold Story of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The modern holiday classic and third installment in National Lampoon's Vacation series turns 25 this year! Join hapless patriarch Clark Griswold as he struggles to maintain his sanity in a Christmas season full of eccentric relatives, mounting workplace stress, and increasingly outlandish domestic disasters. Full video - Scenes: Eat My Rubber - The Griswold Family Christmas Tree - Bend Over and I'll Show You - Gift-shopping - Decorating - Christmas Lights - Cousin Eddie - Let 'Er Rip, Hang Ten! - MERRY CHRISTMAS, SHITTER WAS FULL - Home Movies - Aunt Bethany - Turkey Dinner - The Cat - Clark Breaks Down - SQUIRREL - Hostages - The National Anthem - More: Quotes from IMDb - PDF Transcript - What's the Damage?
posted by Rhaomi (30 comments total)

Thanks for this. Watching Christmas Vacation has become a staple of my own personal Christmas vacation with my family. I think it gets funnier as I get older.
posted by A Bad Catholic at 3:21 PM on December 24, 2014 [4 favorites]

The reason why I love this movie is because my biological father used to be that version of Clark Griswold come holiday time. After his accident, not so much, but when I see that movie now, yes, I remember how he used to get so crazypants about Chrimbus.
posted by Kitteh at 3:31 PM on December 24, 2014

It's on Netflix at the moment as well. Clark and his jam of the month club have become a touchstone for being grateful for what you have, rather than counting on what may never be. Fantastic movie.
posted by arcticseal at 3:43 PM on December 24, 2014

This is great. One thing though. Beverly D'Angelo mentions the hostage scene where she puts her hand on Chevy Chase's crotch that nobody working on the film noticed. Weird to say, but I totally noticed that and she does it during the hostage scene in Vacation as well. Can't remember if it happens in European Vacation..?
posted by the lake is above, the water below at 3:52 PM on December 24, 2014 [3 favorites]

TBS starts showing A Christmas Story at 8:00 tonight. ABC Family starts showing Christmas Vacation at 7:00. Well played, ABC Family.
posted by usonian at 3:54 PM on December 24, 2014 [2 favorites]

Also, a fave quote/scene: "I don't knooww, Margo!"

Available in t-shirt form as well.
posted by the lake is above, the water below at 4:12 PM on December 24, 2014 [4 favorites]

Thanks, usonian. Threw this up at the last minute after Internet issues prevented me from posting earlier and didn't even think about TV show times. Watching now!
posted by Rhaomi at 4:13 PM on December 24, 2014

Christmas Vacation is a holiday tradition around our house. We play it every year first thing when opening gifts...and A Christmas Story soon follows. I love this movie and the way it encapsulates everything frustrating with family without beating you over the head (I'm looking at you Four Christmases)
posted by Benway at 4:13 PM on December 24, 2014

It's strange that I like Chevy Chase's movies and characters so much, when Chevy Chase the person seems like a real self-absorbed jerk.
posted by Ickster at 4:14 PM on December 24, 2014 [3 favorites]

And how great is the Ray Charles song featured? So classic.
posted by ageispolis at 4:24 PM on December 24, 2014 [2 favorites]

It's strange that I like Chevy Chase's movies and characters so much, when Chevy Chase the person seems like a real self-absorbed jerk.

Interesting, because I love movies that feature Randy Quaid in them, but Randy Quaid the person needs serious psychological help. He'll probably end up in the news some day and it won't be good news. I fear for his loved ones, actually.
posted by surazal at 4:47 PM on December 24, 2014 [3 favorites]

We're watching it at the moment - the Christmas lights!
posted by arcticseal at 4:52 PM on December 24, 2014

I know the joke is "Die Hard is my favorite Christmas movie!" but Christmas Vacation, Scrooged, and Gremlins are the Christmas film trilogy for me. My god, all three of those are from amazing filmmakers at the top of their respective games.
posted by Servo5678 at 5:03 PM on December 24, 2014 [5 favorites]

Yeah, I am totally watching this right now.
posted by Literaryhero at 5:10 PM on December 24, 2014

If I actually watch the Chevy Chase version, will the Pittsburgh Penguins' version make more sense?
posted by beaning at 5:19 PM on December 24, 2014

I have a bunch of holiday-related tchotchkes on my fireplace mantle with this is in the center.
"Shitter's full!"
posted by dogmom at 5:42 PM on December 24, 2014 [5 favorites]

Anyone else always been annoyed by Cousin Eddie's "Bingo" at the end of Clarks toboggan crash? It just always seemed so awkward/tacked on/out of place.
posted by sourwookie at 5:58 PM on December 24, 2014 [3 favorites]

Kiss my ass. Kiss your ass. Kiss his ass. Happy Hanukkah.
posted by dirigibleman at 6:10 PM on December 24, 2014 [7 favorites]

That home movie link seems adulterated, i dont remember a group hanging from the movie.

It's a little disturbing.
posted by bricksNmortar at 8:02 PM on December 24, 2014 [2 favorites]

WTF. Did somebody splice something awful into it? My internet has been spotty all day (including right now), so I wasn't able to view all the videos all the way through, but that one appeared normal.

This one should be OK. So sorry for the oversight.
posted by Rhaomi at 8:13 PM on December 24, 2014

Is this the airport, Clark?
posted by dr_dank at 8:43 PM on December 24, 2014 [1 favorite]

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. And forgive my husband. He knows not what he does."

"Amen!"

Just finished watching this, as we've done every year, since I was too young to understand all the jokes. ("I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels.")
posted by Rangi at 10:16 PM on December 24, 2014 [1 favorite]

Anyone else always been annoyed by Cousin Eddie's "Bingo" at the end of Clarks toboggan crash? It just always seemed so awkward/tacked on/out of place.

God, yes. Thought about exactly this again when rewatching it yesterday, that line is just so hacky, like beating the audience over the head with a laugh-track. The scene stands on its own, it's unnecessary and I hate that it was added. I like to think it's something a mouthbreathing focus group loved, rather than the director's vision.
posted by rodeoclown at 11:16 PM on December 24, 2014 [2 favorites]

"I have to eat! So I can take my back pills..."

I don't know why but that one line sums up Christmas with my family more than anything else.
posted by downtohisturtles at 11:51 PM on December 24, 2014

Anyone else always been annoyed by Cousin Eddie's "Bingo" at the end of Clarks toboggan crash? It just always seemed so awkward/tacked on/out of place.

Also, if Clark really went that far on the sled, Eddie wouldn't even be able to see him anymore!!
posted by dogwalker at 12:45 AM on December 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

Christmas '59 - The original short story by John Hughes from National Lampoon.

Bonus: Vacation '58.

Happy Christmas everybody!!
posted by valkane at 3:59 AM on December 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

TBS starts showing A Christmas Story at 8:00 tonight. ABC Family starts showing Christmas Vacation at 7:00. Well played, ABC Family.

Well played, both. Can't have one without the other.
posted by blucevalo at 9:59 AM on December 25, 2014

The singer in the animated opening isn't Darlene Love, it's Mavis Staples. Otherwise, good article.
posted by themanwho at 10:04 AM on December 25, 2014

TFA says that the "Bingo" was improvised (sounds like they all liked it, though). Merry Christmas, MetaFilter!
posted by No-sword at 4:00 PM on December 25, 2014

I know the joke is "Die Hard is my favorite Christmas movie!" but Christmas Vacation, Scrooged, and Gremlins are the Christmas film trilogy for me.

Gremlins 2 > Gremlins
posted by krinklyfig at 8:14 AM on December 27, 2014