Christmas Vacation (1989)
This movie is dumb.
That is not a shocking reveal to anyone who loves it and has it in their Christmas rotation. It is specifically about the Christmas season and all the things we wish went along with it. Christmas Vacation is the most beloved of all the National Lampoon movies, and probably Chevy Chase’s final decent performance. I worked in a dollar theater when it came out, so I spent a lot of time cleaning up popcorn buckets and spilled Cherry Cokes as the end credits rolled by.
But, you know, it’s dumb. It’s not really a movie as much as it is a collection of silly scenes that are tangentially connected to Christmas. Which is just fine. If you followed the story, you would be very confused. Chase/Clark wants a family Christmas at home that includes inviting his in-laws and parents to share in his ideal holiday. What I noticed this time is that the old folks, plus Cousin Eddie, show up LONG before Christmas. Over a week before! The family is annoyed the moment the old folks show up. I think two or three days of a house full of shitty in-laws is plenty. Why the hell did they come so early?
Nothing really happens other than Clark pissing off his yuppy neighbors, Todd and Margot, who suck. It was in these interactions I noticed that the Clark character is unique. Comedy movie protagonists in the 90s and 2000s were mostly bumbling doofuses. In the 70s and 80s they were wiseasses. Clark Griswold represents the ‘Stupid Asshole’ archetype. Angry, kind of a dick, and not too bright. I found it a little refreshing. There was a time when someone was unkind or disrespectful to you and you could just flip them off or tell them to basically go fuck themselves. Clark does this to his neighbors and others in the movie. Something about not having to take all the shit people throw at you was appealing in these very sensitive and wounded times.
But Clark sucks. He yells and loses his cool and presumably has everything and wants more. However, and this is my biggest takeaway as a Christmas character, Clark really tries. He tries to make it magical and memorable for the family. He’s an idiot, so he fails…but he tries. And despite what Yoda says, trying is everything. Especially at Christmas.
I have always been wary of people who specifically hate Christmas. Not due to religion or commercialism, they just hate the ‘hassle’ of Christmas. A hassle that is completely voluntary, by the way. My belief is that these people hate having to spend time thinking of others. Sacrificing money or time for the enjoyment of other people. They don’t understand selflessness. I have a difficult time with people like that. Clark is by most measurements a shithead, but because he actually made an effort, I would get along with him just fine.
At Christmas. Just Christmas, actually. Maybe not. I don’t know.