|
 Director
: Jeremiah Chechik
Starring
: Chevy Chase, Beverley D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Juliette
Lewis, Miriam Flynn, William Hickey.
Picture:
Full-Screen, DD Surround, Single-Side, Dual Layer, Snap
Case
Running
Time : 97 mins
The
story:
Yule
Crack up !
Clark
Griswold (Chevy Chase) decides that this Christmas will
be a "good old Fashioned Family Christmas" complete
with a real tree, 25,000 Christmas lights and all the family
- invited or not. The trouble is that things never seem
to go right for the Griswolds and Christmas is no exception
as Clark holds on too tight to the ideal image of Christmas.
Surrounded by kith and kin, including his wife (Beverely
D'angelo) his son and his daughter he must rise above the
torment or risk a nervous breakdown !
The
summary:
Of
all the Christmas films that we are lucky (or unlucky) to
receive this for me is one of the all time classics. Together
with Its a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and The
Wizard of Oz (OK not strictly a Christmas film but it is
always on!) this is a must see for me every year. The main
reason this film is so good is because you can see so much
of your own family Christmas's in it. Pushy parents, annoying
Grandparents and unwelcome uncles - they are all here and
you can relate to everything. The story is further caricatured
by John Hughes who wrote and produced the film and it makes
the story a little bit more over the top than you may have
experienced at home, but it definitely churns out the laughs
from the very beginning.
Chevy
Chase has been in some absolute stinkers over the years
(Memoirs of an invisible man anyone !) but the vacation
films and the criminally under received Fletch films are
his legacy to comedy. No-one in my opinion could be better
in the role as the family man gone one step too far, Clark
Griswold. Beverley D'Angelo is also good as his long suffering
wife and look out for an early Juliette Lewis as their daughter.
But the major Jewel in the crown of the film is Randy Quaid
as the unwelcome down and out Brother in Law, Eddie. His
portrayal of super dum but full of heart Eddie is superb
and must have been a factor in his brilliant casting in
King-pin. The film is so eminently quotable with its plethora
of funny dialogue but for me the image of Randy Quaid emptying
the chemical toilet of his RV down the drain outside Clarks'
house with the line "Shitter was Full" is timeless.
The
DVD platter is a bit of a let down when you consider the
quality of the film. The extra's are lacklustre text based
affairs with only trailers for the whole "vacation"
series to lift it up slightly, Picture is also an issue
with the annoying decision to only include the full screen
version (a la Happy Gilmore) and the sound is average with
Dolby Surround. But overlook these minor problems and you
will enjoy the brilliance of the film.
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