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The screenplay was written by [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]], based on his [[short story]] "''Vacation '58''" which appeared in ''[[National Lampoon (magazine)|National Lampoon]]''. The original story is a fictionalized account of his own family's ill-fated trip to [[Disneyland]] when Hughes was young. The success of the film helped advance his screenwriting career.
The screenplay was written by [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]], based on his [[short story]] "''Vacation '58''" which appeared in ''[[National Lampoon (magazine)|National Lampoon]]''. The original story is a fictionalized account of his own family's ill-fated trip to [[Disneyland]] when Hughes was young. The success of the film helped advance his screenwriting career.


The film was a box-office hit, earning more than $60 million in the US with an estimated budget of $15 million, and received widespread acclaim from critics. In 2000, readers of ''[[Total Film]]'' voted it the 46th greatest comedy film of all time. It is widely considered to be the best film in the [[National Lampoon's Vacation (film series)|''Vacation'' series]]{{Cn|date=February 2015}}, and continues to be a [[cult film]] and a staple on cable television.
The film was a box-office hit, earning more than $60 million in the US with an estimated budget of $15 million, and received widespread acclaim from critics. In 2000, readers of ''[[Total Film]]'' voted it the 46th greatest comedy film of all time. It is widely regarded as both the best film in the [[National Lampoon's Vacation (film series)|''Vacation'' film series]] and the best [[List of National Lampoon films|''National Lampoon'' film]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cohen|first1=Daniel|title=Ranking The First Four Vacation Movies|url=http://pop-break.com/2015/08/04/ranking-the-first-four-vacation-movies/5/|website=Pop-Break|accessdate=August 12, 2015|date=August 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Giles|first1=Jeff|title=National Lampoon’s Best Movies|url=http://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/national-lampoons-best-movies/|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Flixster]]|accessdate=August 12, 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812183034/http://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/national-lampoons-best-movies/|archivedate=August 12, 2015|date=July 29, 2015}}</ref> It continues to be a [[cult film]] and a staple on cable television.


==Plot==
==Plot==
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{{expand section|date=August 2015}}
{{expand section|date=August 2015}}
The film was acclaimed by critics. On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds a 93% rating based on 43 reviews.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/national_lampoons_vacation | title=National Lampoon's Vacation | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher=[[Flixster]] | accessdate=July 29, 2015}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] reports a 60 out of 100 rating based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/national-lampoons-vacation | title=National Lampoon's Vacation | work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] | accessdate=July 29, 2015}}</ref>
The film was acclaimed by critics. On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds a 93% rating based on 43 reviews.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/national_lampoons_vacation | title=National Lampoon's Vacation | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher=[[Flixster]] | accessdate=July 29, 2015}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] reports a 60 out of 100 rating based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/national-lampoons-vacation | title=National Lampoon's Vacation | work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] | accessdate=July 29, 2015}}</ref>

==Sequels==
''National Lampoon's Vacation'' spawned a number of [[sequel]]s:
* ''[[National Lampoon's European Vacation]]'' ([[1985 in film|1985]])
* ''[[National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation]]'' ([[1989 in film|1989]])
* ''[[Vegas Vacation]]'' ([[1997 in film|1997]])
* ''[[National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2]]'' ([[2003 in film|2003]])
* ''[[Hotel Hell Vacation]]'' ([[2010 in film|2010]])
* ''[[Vacation (2015 film)|Vacation]]'' ([[2015 in film|2015]])

With the exception of ''Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure'', each sequel saw Chase and D'Angelo reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold, enduring their unique and unenviable brand of vacation misadventure in various locales. However, the children Rusty and Audrey are played by a different set of actors in each film (except for Audrey in the made for TV sequel). In July 2013, Barron explained that because Hall was committed to shooting ''[[Weird Science (film)|Weird Science]]'', ''European Vacation'' director [[Amy Heckerling]] requested both Griswold children be recast.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why They Got A New Audrey For National Lampoon's "Vacation"|url=http://ca.omg.yahoo.com/video/yo-why-got-audrey-national-210000223.html|accessdate=2013-07-27}}</ref> This fact is joked about early in ''Vegas Vacation'': when we first see the kids again, Clark tells them that he "hardly recognizes" them anymore. The various actors were [[Anthony Michael Hall]] and [[Dana Barron]] in ''Vacation'', [[Jason Lively]] and [[Dana Hill]] in ''European Vacation'', [[Johnny Galecki]] and [[Juliette Lewis]] in ''Christmas Vacation'', [[Ethan Embry]] and [[Marisol Nichols]] in ''Vegas Vacation'', and [[Ed Helms]] and [[Leslie Mann]] in 2015's ''Vacation''. Barron again plays Audrey in ''Christmas Vacation 2'', but Rusty, like his parents, could not make it for ''Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure'', an [[NBC]] [[television film]]. However, Flynn and Quaid reprise their roles as cousins Catherine and Eddie, as they did in each film aside from ''European Vacation''. [[Christie Brinkley]] reprised her role as "The girl in the red Ferrari" in ''Vegas Vacation''<ref name=NYTfilmography>{{cite web |work=[[New York Times]]|title=Christie Brinkley filmography in The New York Times|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/person/8503/Christie-Brinkley/filmography |accessdate=2009-09-16}}</ref> and later spoofed it in a 2008 [[DirecTV]] commercial inter-spliced with footage from ''Vacation'', recreating the famous swimming pool scene.<ref name=etonline>{{cite news|title=Christie Brinkley Takes It Off For DirecTV|url=http://new.etonline.com/news/2008/05/61799/|date=19 May 2008|website=[[Entertainment Tonight|ET Online]] |accessdate=2013-12-04}}</ref>

Each sequel also manages to reference Walley World in some way.

In July 2012, it was announced that [[Ed Helms]] of ''[[The Hangover]]'' fame would star as an adult Rusty Griswold in the upcoming film, simply titled ''[[Vacation_(2015_film)|Vacation]]''. This new film follows Rusty, who now has his own family, on their own misadventures as they travel cross-country to Walley World, which will be closing forever. [[John Francis Daley]] and [[Jonathan Goldstein (screenwriter)|Jonathan Goldstein]] will write and direct the film. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=92434 |title=Ed Helms to Play Rusty Griswold in New ''Vacation'' |website=[[CraveOnline#Websites|ComingSoon.net]] |date=11 July 2012 |accessdate=2013-12-04}}</ref> The remake was postponed indefinitely due to creative differences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collider.com/vacation-remake-delayed/ |title=VACATION Remake Delayed Indefinitely Citing Creative Differences over Movie Rating |website=Collider |last=Trumbore |first=Dave |date=23 April 2013 |accessdate=2013-12-04}}</ref> Filming eventually began in October 2014 and Helms posted a photo of him with Chase and D'Angelo, confirming the two original stars will reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold. Cousin Eddie, a mainstay of the first five films, isn't expected to appear in the film due to Randy Quaid having [[Randy Quaid#Legal issues|lived in Canada under refugee status since 2010]].<ref>[http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/07/randy-and-evi-quaid-not-extradited-canada-hollywood-star-whackers Runaways Randy & Evi Quaid Won’t Be Extradited From Canada] retrieved 25 October 2012</ref> The film was released on July 29, 2015.


==Legacy==
==Legacy==

Revision as of 18:38, 12 August 2015

National Lampoon's Vacation
Theatrical release poster
by Boris Vallejo
Directed byHarold Ramis
Written by
Produced byMatty Simmons
Starring
CinematographyVictor J. Kemper
Edited byPembroke J. Herring
Music byRalph Burns
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • July 29, 1983 (1983-07-29)
Running time
98 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million
Box office$61.4 million[2]

National Lampoon's Vacation, sometimes referred to as Vacation, is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Dana Barron, and Anthony Michael Hall. John Candy, Imogene Coca, Christie Brinkley, and a young Jane Krakowski appear in supporting roles.

The screenplay was written by John Hughes, based on his short story "Vacation '58" which appeared in National Lampoon. The original story is a fictionalized account of his own family's ill-fated trip to Disneyland when Hughes was young. The success of the film helped advance his screenwriting career.

The film was a box-office hit, earning more than $60 million in the US with an estimated budget of $15 million, and received widespread acclaim from critics. In 2000, readers of Total Film voted it the 46th greatest comedy film of all time. It is widely regarded as both the best film in the Vacation film series and the best National Lampoon film.[3][4] It continues to be a cult film and a staple on cable television.

Plot

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase), wanting to spend more time with his wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and children Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) and Audrey (Dana Barron), decides to lead the family on a cross-country expedition from the Chicago area to the Los Angeles amusement park Walley World, billed as "America's Favorite Family Fun Park." Ellen wants to fly, but Clark insists on driving, so he can bond with his family. He has ordered a new car in preparation for the trip, but the dealer (Eugene Levy) claims that it will not be ready for six weeks. Clark is forced to accept a Wagon Queen Family Truckster, an ugly, out-sized station wagon, as the car he brought to trade in has already been hauled away and crushed.

During the family's travels, they run into numerous mishaps, such as being tagged by vandals in a rundown area of St. Louis, while Clark is tempted numerous times by an attractive young woman (Christie Brinkley) driving a flashy red Ferrari. They stop in Kansas to visit Ellen's cousin Catherine (Miriam Flynn) and her husband Eddie (Randy Quaid), who foist cranky Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) and her mean dog Dinky on the Griswolds, asking them to drop her off at her son Norman's home in Phoenix. After stopping at a decrepit and dirty campground in Colorado for the night, Clark forgets to untie Dinky's leash from the bumper before driving off the next morning, killing the dog. A police officer pulls the Griswolds off the road and angrily lectures Clark over animal cruelty but accepts Clark's apology. Exiting Colorado, the Griswolds lose their credit cards, forcing Clark to have to cash a check for future spendings.

While Ellen and Clark argue during a drive between Utah and Arizona, they crash and become stranded in the desert. After setting off alone in the desert to look for help, Clark eventually reunites with his family, who have been rescued and taken to a local mechanic (who is also the corrupt county sheriff). The mechanic extorts the remainder of Clark's cash only to make the car barely operational. Frustrated, they stop at the Grand Canyon; when Clark cannot convince a hotel clerk (Henry Gibson) to cash a personal check, he takes cash from the cash register behind the clerk's back and leaves the check. Leaving the Canyon, they find that Aunt Edna has died in her sleep. They tie the corpse to the roof of the car, wrapped in a tarp. When they reach Norman's home, they discover he is out of town and leave Edna's corpse at the back door. Clark eventually meets the Ferrari driver at a motel and goes skinny-dipping with her in its pool, but they are discovered by the family before anything can happen. Ellen forgives Clark, and the couple goes skinny-dipping as well.

Despite the family's misfortunes and the begging of Ellen and the kids, Clark becomes obsessed with reaching Walley World. They finally arrive the next day, only to find that the park is closed for the next two weeks for repairs. Clark, slipping into madness and realizing that all his efforts have been for nothing, buys a realistic-looking BB gun pistol and demands that park security guard Russ Lasky (John Candy) take them through Walley World; Ellen and the kids follow, attempting to placate Clark. Eventually, a LAPD SWAT team arrives, along with park owner Roy Walley (Eddie Bracken). Roy understands Clark's impassioned longing to achieve the perfect vacation, bringing back memories of his own childhood years ago. He decides not to file criminal charges against the Griswolds and lets the family and the SWAT team enjoy the park as his guests.

The ending credits show various pictures of the Griswolds' vacation as well as the decision to fly home.

Cast

Production

Walley World

In Hughes' original short story, the theme park was Disneyland. Because of this, all of the names were altered to sound-alikes.[5] Walt Disney's Disneyland became Walley World, itself a good-natured parody of the Anaheim location. The name of the mascot, Marty Moose, is reminiscent of Disney's Mickey Mouse.

Walley World is represented in the film by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Santa Anita Park's large parking lot and blue-tinged fascia serve as the introduction scenes, while all park interior scenes were shot at Magic Mountain. The two roller coasters seen in the film are Revolution, which can be recognized by the vertical loop, and Colossus, the double-track wooden roller coaster.

Wagon Queen Family Truckster

Wagon Queen Family Truckster

The Wagon Queen Family Truckster station wagon was created specifically for the film. The Truckster is based on a 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire station wagon and heavily modified.[6] The car was designed by George Barris, and lampooned American cars of the late 1970s. The Truckster features a turd green paint scheme; fake wood paneling; eight headlights, four on each side in a rectangular cluster (taken from another Crown Victoria/Country Squire, but inverted); and a grille area largely covered by bodywork with only two small openings close to the bumper.[7]

In the 2015 Vacation movie sequel, the Wagon Queen Family Truckster makes another appearance in Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo's bed and breakfast garage. The Truckster is the creation of a real life Griswold family that lives in Atlanta, GA., Steve and Lisa Griswold. The Griswolds created the replica wagon so that they could take family road trips across America with their two daughters. In July of 2014 the Griswold family drove across the United States visiting the locations in the original 1983 Vacation film and ended their journey on the 31st anniversary of the film at Walley World (Six Flags Magic Mountain), so they could ride the famous wooden roller coaster Colossus, before Six Flags' planned closure of the roller coaster.[8]

Music

The film's music was composed by Ralph Burns, featuring original songs by Lindsey Buckingham. A soundtrack album was released in 1983. While it did not chart, Buckingham's single "Holiday Road" reached number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100.

  1. "Holiday Road" – Lindsey Buckingham
  2. "Mister Blue" – The Fleetwoods
  3. "Blitzkrieg Bop" – Ramones
  4. "Deep River Blues" – Ralph Burns
  5. "Summer Hearts" – Nicolette Larson
  6. "Little Boy Sweet" – June Pointer
  7. "The Trip (Theme from Vacation)" – Ralph Burns
  8. "He's So Dull" – Vanity 6
  9. "Christie's Song" – Ralph Burns
  10. "Dancin' Across the USA" – Lindsey Buckingham

Release

Box office

National Lampoon's Vacation opened theatrically in 1,175 venues on July 29, 1983 and earned $8,333,358 in its opening weekend, ranking number one at the domestic box office.[9] The film grossed $61,399,552.[2]

Critical reception

The film was acclaimed by critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 93% rating based on 43 reviews.[10] Metacritic reports a 60 out of 100 rating based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11]

Legacy

References

  1. ^ "NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 16, 1983. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  3. ^ Cohen, Daniel (August 4, 2015). "Ranking The First Four Vacation Movies". Pop-Break. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  4. ^ Giles, Jeff (July 29, 2015). "National Lampoon's Best Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  5. ^ Hughes, John. "Vacation '58 / Foreword '08". American Zoetrope. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  6. ^ Movie cars: 20 best of all time - 1983 Queen Family Truckster, MSN
  7. ^ "'Family Truckster' road tripping to Mecum auction in Houston". Foxnews.com. April 3, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  8. ^ "'Family Truckster' Vacation Movie Behind the Scenes with the Real Griswolds". GriswoldFamilyVacation.com. July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  9. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for July 29-31, 1983". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. August 1, 1983. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  10. ^ "National Lampoon's Vacation". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  11. ^ "National Lampoon's Vacation". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  12. ^ McCarthy, Caroline (January 26, 2010). "HomeAway Super Bowl ad resurrects the Griswolds". CNET. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
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