National Lampoon's Vacation

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National Lampoon's Vacation

R

Released Jul 29, 1983

1h 38m

Comedy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

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50 Reviews

85%

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100,000+ Ratings

Accompanied by their children, Clark Griswold and his wife, Ellen, are driving from Illinois to a California amusement park. As Clark increasingly fixates on a beautiful woman driving a sports car, the Griswolds deal with car problems and the death of a family member. They reach Los Angeles, but, when Clark worries that the trip is being derailed again, he acts impulsively to get his family to the park.

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Critics Consensus

Blessed by a brilliantly befuddled star turn from Chevy Chase, National Lampoon's Vacation is one of the more consistent -- and thoroughly quotable -- screwball comedies of the 1980s.

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Half-baked but occasionally hilarious, National Lampoon's Vacation gets a reasonable amount of mileage out of depicting the disaster-prone journey of a "typical" family of four, the Griswolds of suburban Chicago.

Jun 24, 2015

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

This is one Vacation trip not to be missed.

Oct 7, 2009

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Variety Staff

Variety

National Lampoon's Vacation is an enjoyable trip through familiar comedy landscapes.

May 7, 2008

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Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

"Vacation," and especially cousin Eddie have long become oft-referenced parts of the American pop culture lexicon. While not from this episode, we all know the two-word response for when your bathroom's not working. Isn't that national treasure territory?

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 1, 2023

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Sets the standard for the sub-genre of road trip films, and it’s still the best of its ilk...

Jul 16, 2023

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Some jokes feel a rewrite away from leaning into the right sort of stereotyping rather than the more offensive ones. Still, the comedy's vision of ugly Americanism in America and the scourge of suburbanite selfishness helps it scoot past its problems.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 14, 2023

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Jason H

This was my first R-rated movie. I was 12 when my older sister rented the VHS. Many of the jokes in it are wildly inappropriate - and undeniably funny.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/19/25

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Stephen C

Funny in 1 hour and 38 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Language Throughout and Some Crude/Sexual Content!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/21/25

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r96 s

'National Lampoon’s Vacation' is a little underwhelming, I thought it was going to be more amusing than it is, though I think there's enough to it that's worth watching. The fun ending with John Candy is what probably nudges this into the rating that I've given. Chevy Chase is at the forefront of the humour, as anticipated. I would've liked him to a bit more of a bumbling mess than he is, a more dumbed down deadpan delivery would've been more funny. He is shown as an idiot, but not as much as one as the character actually is. Beverly D'Angelo is good alongside Chase. The kid actors, which notably includes Anthony Michael Hall, are fairly solid in this movie too. The earlier mentioned Candy is alright, he has obviously done far better, and there is also an appearance from Eugene Levy, albeit a fairly tiny one.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/04/25

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Garrett B

A good and bumpy comedy flick

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/04/24

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Cork B

Not as funny as I recalled, but still a classic. Similar to Ferris Bueller, but maybe even more tongue in cheek. There are some pretty funny moments here, but one of the things that turned me off was the uneven tone - it is part goofy road trip comedy and part family dysfunction in a dark way. The way they dealt with infidelity was just horrendous, although casting Chevy Chase in a darker role was good (maybe Bill Murray could have pulled it off too, although he wasn't as big then).

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/15/24

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Harrison R

Gave up after 15 minutes. This film is clearly only meant for children under 12. Slapstick and slow-pacing and not much else.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/24

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Harold Ramis

Director

Chevy Chase

Clark Wilhelm Griswold, Jr.

Beverly D'Angelo

Ellen Griswold

Christie Brinkley

The Girl in the Ferrari

Anthony Michael Hall

Russell "Rusty" Griswold

Imogene Coca

Aunt Edna

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Synopsis

Accompanied by their children, Clark Griswold and his wife, Ellen, are driving from Illinois to a California amusement park. As Clark increasingly fixates on a beautiful woman driving a sports car, the Griswolds deal with car problems and the death of a family member. They reach Los Angeles, but, when Clark worries that the trip is being derailed again, he acts impulsively to get his family to the park.

Director: Harold Ramis
Producer: Matty Simmons
Screenwriter: John Hughes
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 1983, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2008
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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