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"Oh, the silent majesty of a winter's morn... the clean, cool chill of the holiday air... an asshole in his bathrobe, emptying a chemical toilet into my sewer..."

-- Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase)

For all those that are tuned into the real world, knowing that the practice of Christmas traditions doesn't always run as smoothly as depicted in the media, there is one film that stands out head and shoulders above the rest: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. (And by that I mean the real version -- the one after with all the profanity and part-nudity in it -- not the edited version they put on T.V.)

Written by John Hughes and directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, this third (and arguably funniest) entry in the National Lampoon's Vacation series is concerned, primarily, with Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase), and his desire to have a good, old-fashioned family Christmas. Along with Scrooged and Home Alone, this is one of the movies that I look forward to seeing during the festive holidays. That's not because it's filled to the rim with fairytale scenarios, though; rather, it's because of the hilarious moments that spring from one man's attempt to bring parents and in-laws together... and then finding that things can go desperately wrong, despite his best efforts.

Despite Chase's character being clumsy, he is selfless in wanting to keep everyone in the family happy that you sympathise with his efforts scene by scene. Beginning with a trek to the countryside to find the perfect Christmas tree, and ending with a catastrophic mess in the living room involving a SWAT team, Christmas vacation runs on the love and horror that come with Christmas tradition. What is a nightmare for Clark is hilarious to us, but the good-nature that comes with such humour means that this isn't just another soulless comedy to fill a void for ninety minutes.

The supporting cast involves Beverly D'Angelo as Ellen, Clark’s gorgeous, supportive wife; while the kids Rusty and Audrey are this time played, effectively, by Johnny Galecki and a young Juliette Lewis.

The real star of the show, however, has to be Randy Quaid as Eddie, the dopey, hillbilly cousin. His character is only introduced mid-way through the film, but a combination of well-scripted lines and a commanding physical performance from Quaid result in Christmas Vacation's best comedic moments. Despite seeing this film three times in the last month of 2009, I still find the image of Quaid stood in a bathrobe in the middle of the street, with a cigar and beer, emptying the excrement from the RV's toilet through the pipe into the sewer, positively hilarious. For me, nothing signifies the festive holidays more than the quote "Merry Christmas! Shitter was full!"

Christmas Vacation is a timeless classic, overall, containing both the crude and warmer moments of the festive holidays, all carefully wrapped together by first-time director Jeremiah Chechik. It may be a far cry from the Victorian ideal -- stores of Christ around the fire, robins in the garden -- seen in earlier Christmas movies, but that's not to say it's lacking in Christmas spirit. It's a film that inspires to make every member of the family, young and old, come together and laugh... and, from my experience, it definitely succeeds.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2010.