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Christmas Vacation [1989] (1 disc)

Borrowed by WWMbd?
Director:Jeremiah S. Chechik
Writer:John Hughes
Composer:Angelo Badalamenti
Length:97 minutes
(1 hour 37 minutes)
MPAA Rating:PG-13
Suggested Event Use:Christmas
Sorting Category:Holiday
IMDB Rating:7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating:63%
Amazon Rating:4.5/5 stars
User rating sites like above
are subject to change
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Classifications:
  • Comedy
  • Family
Available Formats:
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Synopsis: The Griswold family's plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.


Reaction: A bit random and, at times, crude, but there are some nicely funny moments.


Personal Rating: 7/10

Select Cast and Crew
Jeremiah S. Chechik => Director
John Hughes => Writer
Angelo Badalamenti => Composer
Beverly D'Angelo => Ellen Griswold
Brian Doyle-Murray => Mr. Frank Shirley
Chevy Chase => Clark Griswold
Cody Burger => Cousin Rocky Johnson
Diane Ladd => Nora Griswold
Doris Roberts => Frances Smith
E.G. Marshall => Art Smith
Ellen Hamilton Latzen => Cousin Ruby Sue Johnson
John Randolph => Clark Wilhelm Griswold, Sr.
Johnny Galecki => Russell 'Rusty' Griswold
Julia Louis-Dreyfus => Margo Chester
Juliette Lewis => Audrey Griswold
Mae Questel => Aunt Bethany
Miriam Flynn => Cousin Catherine Johnson
Natalija Nogulich => Mrs. Helen Shirley
Nicholas Guest => Todd Chester
Nicolette Scorsese => Mary
Randy Quaid => Cousin Eddie Johnson
Sam McMurray => Bill
William Hickey => Uncle Lewis

Random Trivia For This Title:

  • [?] Frank Capra III, the grandson of It's a Wonderful Life director, Frank Capra, was the Assistant Director of Christmas Vacation.
  • After Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) unsuccessfully attempts to demonstrate his handiwork with the house Christmas lights to his family, he asks his son, Rusty (Johnny Galecki), to help him check all the light bulbs again. Rusty looks at his bare wrist, pretending to have a watch, and excuses himself. Looking at a bare wrist and pretending to have a watch is one of Chevy Chase's trademark gags.
  • Final screen appearance of Mae Questel, who's film career began in 1930 as the voice of Betty Boop.
  • When Clark shows his coworker Bill the brochure about the swimming pool he wants to put in his backward, he is seen drinking coffee out of a Tasmanian Devil coffee mug. Miriam Flynn (Cousin Catherine) would later go on to play the voice of Taz's mother in the cartoon [Taz-Mania].
  • Chevy Chase appears in some scenes wearing a black Chicago Bears ball cap. He wears the same Chicago Bears cap throughout all four [Vacation] movies.
  • In the scene when the police storm into the Griswold's house, the song "Here Comes Santa Claus" sung by Gene Autry is used for the background music. Randy Quaid (cousin Eddie) is the third cousin of Gene Autry.
  • According to Randy Quaid, many of cousin Eddie's characteristics (most notably the clicking of the tongue) were based off a guy that Quaid knew from when he grew up in Texas years ago who had similar traits.
  • The scene where the cat bites on the Christmas lights cord and gets electrocuted was nearly cut from the movie. Prior to the first test screening. the studio execs wanted the scene taken out, fearing that it might offend some viewers, but producer [?] Matty Simmons begged them to leave the scene in, and they eventually gave in to his request. After the first test screening, the test audience had scored the cat electrocution scene as the No. 1 favorite scene throughout the entire movie.