VACATION-20TH ANNIVERSARY (DVD/NATIONAL LAMPOON) DVD

National Lampoon's Vacation
Far superior to its sequels, National Lampoon's Vacation chronicles the trials and tribulations of the Griswolds (Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Barron, and Anthony Michael Hall) as they trek cross-country in search of fun and recreation at the mythical WallyWorld theme park. Along the way, they get lost in East St. Louis (in what some may consider a racist scene involving black youths stripping the brand-new family station wagon clean while Clark Griswold [Chase] unwittingly asks a belligerent pimp for directions), stop to visit some hillbilly relatives (Randy Quaid is hilarious as the down-on-his-luck patriarch), pick up their cantankerous aunt Edna (Imogene Coca), dispose of her corpse after she passes away in the back seat, narrowly skirt death after crashing through a roadside billboard in the desert, and stay at a hotel where Clark is tempted by a seductive swimmer (Christie Brinkley). Having endured a journey more trying than Homer's Odyssey, they finally arrive at WallyWorld -- only to find it is closed for two weeks for renovations. Wackiness ensues as Clark snaps and takes a security guard (John Candy) hostage. Chase is good as everyman Clark Griswold, as is D'Angelo as his wife, and Candy is a scene-stealer as a stodgy, dim-witted park security guard. Among the funniest scenes are Clark's swim at the motel, the visit to the Grand Canyon, and the encounter with the state trooper regarding Aunt Edna's missing dog. Much of the humor in National Lampoon's Vacation is indicative of the general lack of taste in '80s comedies (particularly their exploitation of racial stereotypes and incest humor), but a good portion of the film is still laugh-out-loud funny thanks to a game cast. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

Cast Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold Beverly D'Angelo as Ellen Griswold Anthony Michael Hall as Rusty Griswold Imogene Coca as Aunt Edna Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie Dana Barron as Audrey Griswold John Candy as Lasky Eddie Bracken as Walley Christie Brinkley as Girl

Crew Robert Grand - Associate Producer Robert Harris, Jr. - Costume Designer Barbara Siebert-Boticoff - Costume Designer Robert P. Cohen - First Assistant Director Harold Ramis - Director Paul Herring - Editor Pem Herring - Editor Ralph Burns - Composer (Music Score) Jack T. Collis - Production Designer Victor J. Kemper - Cinematographer Matty Simmons - Producer John Hughes - Producer Marty Bolger - Sound/Sound Designer John Hughes - Screenwriter

National Lampoon's Vacation
Considering the number of talented people involved in this film, it is not surprising that the laughs are constant. Conversely, considering the number of talented people involved in this film, it is surprising it isn't a bit sharper and deeper with its comedy. Harold Ramis showed in subsequent comedies that he was capable of finding an emotional level to match the laughs (Groundhog Day, Stuart Saves His Family, and even, to a lesser extent, Ghostbusters), and screenwriter John Hughes invested the seemingly overworked een film with some honest feelings in his screenplays for such '80s classics as Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, and Some Kind of Wonderful. There are easily two-dozen very funny scenes in this film. Chevy Chase does a fine job of modulating his performance so that he slowly becomes more and more unglued until all his pent-up frustrations are released in a hilarious monologue/rant to his family, and in his threatening of John Candy's park worker. There is no doubt that Vacation is funny, but watching the films mentioned before (as well as Animal House, another National Lampoon film which Ramis co-wrote) reveals that it is possible to make a slob comedy that is populated by characters with some depth. Vacation succeeds as a comedy, but fails to resonate emotionally. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French, Spanish, Por Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish, Por Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc All new 20th anniversary digital transfer All new introduction by Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid and producer Matty Simmons Feature lenght Griswold family audio commentary by Chase, Quaid, Simmons, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron and director Harold Ramis Family truckster featurette gallery MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 99 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Postcard Credits (Holiday Road) [2:12] 2. New Car [3:03] 3. Half the Fun [3:09] 4. Departure; Road Songs [4:12] 5. Wrong Exit [3:03] 6. Asleep at the Wheel [3:22] 7. Bedding Down [3:21] 8. Part of the Act [2:03] 9. Ferrari Girl (Little Boy Sweet) [2:10] 10. Eddie's Place [2:10] 11. She's Best, He's Boppin' [:44] 12. Aunt Edna [1:20] 13. Potluck; Farewells [2:04] 14. Some Picnic [3:31] 15. Bad Night's Unrest [2:31] 16. Dog's Life [3:04] 17. Life in the Fast Lane [4:53] 18. Somewhere in Arizona [2:41] 19. Good Talk Over Beer [2:20] 20. Griswold of the Desert [2:35] 21. Sheriff's Other Job [2:46] 22. Cash Infusion [1:15] 23. Trouble With Edna [2:56] 24. Quest for Fun [5:49] 25. Dream Girl at Last [1:30] 26. Clark Goes for It [4:07] 27. Another Good Talk [3:25] 28. Ellen Goes for It [2:05] 29. Walley World [1:29] 30. Security Guard Lasky [3:42] 31. Ride...or Else [2:27] 32. Cuffed; Roy Wally [4:36] 33. End Credits (Dancin' Cross the USA) [4:01]