ⓘ Details

Movie TitleNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Release DateDecember 1, 1989

TaglineYule crack up!

Runtime97 minutes

DirectorJeremiah S. Chechik

Screenplay Written ByJohn Hughes

Based OnJohn Hughes’ short story “Christmas ’59,” originally published in National Lampoon

Is It a Remake?No. It is the third theatrical film in the original National Lampoon’s Vacation series.

BudgetApproximately $25 million

Box OfficeApprox. $71.3 million original domestic gross / Approx. $75.5 million all-release worldwide gross

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👥 Main Cast

Chevy ChaseClark Griswold

Beverly D’AngeloEllen Griswold

Juliette LewisAudrey Griswold

Johnny GaleckiRusty Griswold

Randy QuaidCousin Eddie Johnson

Miriam FlynnCousin Catherine Johnson

Diane LaddNora Griswold

John RandolphClark Griswold Sr.

E.G. MarshallArt Smith

Doris RobertsFrances Smith

Julia Louis-DreyfusMargo Chester

Nicholas GuestTodd Chester

William HickeyUncle Lewis

Mae QuestelAunt Bethany

Brian Doyle-MurrayFrank Shirley

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🏆 Awards

⭐ IMDb currently lists no awards for National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

⭐ No Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, or Saturn Award nominations were verified for the film.

⭐ Its legacy is driven more by holiday rewatchability, quotable comedy, and long-term Christmas-classic status than awards recognition.

⭐ Rotten Tomatoes describes the film as a solid seasonal treat despite its loose comic structure.

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📖 Short Plot Summary

Clark Griswold is determined to give his family a perfect, old-fashioned Christmas, which means getting the perfect tree, hanging an absurd number of lights, hosting both sides of the family, and counting on a Christmas bonus to pay for a backyard pool. Naturally, everything goes wrong. Between Cousin Eddie’s RV, a cat-wrapped present, a bone-dry turkey, a squirrel in the tree, a kidnapped boss, and one explosive sewage situation, Clark’s dream holiday becomes a full-blown Griswold disaster.

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❝ Key Quotes

“Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.” — Clark Griswold

“Shitter was full.” — Cousin Eddie

“Where do you think you’re gonna put a tree that big?” — Todd Chester

“Bend over and I’ll show you.” — Clark Griswold

“It’s a beaut, Clark. It’s a beaut.” — Cousin Eddie

“Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!” — Clark Griswold

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💡 Trivia

Director

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.
The screenplay was written by John Hughes, who also produced the film.
The movie was inspired by Hughes’ short story “Christmas ’59,” originally published in National Lampoon.
Chechik’s film shifts the Vacation formula away from road-trip chaos and into one house, turning the Griswold home into a holiday pressure cooker.

Cast / Casting

Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo returned as Clark and Ellen Griswold.
Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki play Audrey and Rusty, continuing the series tradition of recasting the Griswold kids.
Randy Quaid returned as Cousin Eddie, whose RV arrival became one of the movie’s defining images.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Nicholas Guest play the Griswolds’ long-suffering neighbors, Margo and Todd Chester.
Mae Questel, famous as the voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl, appears as Aunt Bethany in her final film role.

Soundtrack / Score

The score was composed by Angelo Badalamenti.
AFI lists Mavis Staples performing the title song “Christmas Vacation,” written by Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.
The soundtrack also features Ray Charles’ “That Spirit of Christmas” and Bing Crosby’s “Mele Kalikimaka.”
Other listed holiday songs include “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
The movie’s warm Christmas music often contrasts with Clark’s increasingly unhinged holiday meltdown.

Location

The story is set in the Chicago-area Griswold home, but much of the movie was filmed in Colorado and California.
AFI lists production dates from March 27 through late June or early July 1989 in Breckenridge, Colorado, and Burbank, California.
AFI notes that filming took place in Colorado during summer 1989, as well as at studio locations in Burbank.
The Griswold house exterior was shot on the Warner Bros. backlot.
The snowy mountain/tree-farm material gives the movie its classic winter look, even though some of the production happened in warm weather.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film was produced by Hughes Entertainment and released by Warner Bros.
It opened domestically on December 1, 1989.
Box Office Mojo lists the original domestic release at approximately $71.3 million.
Later re-releases brought the all-release worldwide total to approximately $75.5 million.
The movie is the third theatrical Vacation film, following National Lampoon’s Vacation and National Lampoon’s European Vacation.

Nostalgia

Christmas Vacation has become one of the most rewatched holiday comedies of the late 1980s.
Clark’s 25,000 lights, Cousin Eddie’s RV, the “jelly of the month” bonus, and the squirrel scene have become pop-culture holiday staples.
The movie captures the gap between the fantasy of a perfect family Christmas and the loud, stressful, chaotic reality of actually hosting one.
Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold remains one of the defining holiday-comedy dads: optimistic, reckless, sentimental, and one extension cord away from disaster.

Easter Eggs

The movie continues the Griswold tradition of recasting Audrey and Rusty with each main Vacation installment.
The boss character Frank Shirley is played by Brian Doyle-Murray, brother of Bill Murray and a frequent collaborator in comedy films.
Cousin Eddie’s RV and bathrobe look became one of the most imitated Christmas-decoration displays associated with the film.
The Griswold house lighting scene has been recreated and parodied repeatedly in holiday commercials and Christmas light displays.

Misc.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is rated PG-13 and runs 97 minutes.
Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus says the film has enough laughs and good cheer to work as a solid seasonal treat.
The movie’s original domestic opening weekend was $11,750,203.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 242, with Don rating it 2.50, Ken rating it 3.50, Jon rating it 4.25, and an overall rating of 3.42.

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