National Lampoon's Vacation [UMD Mini for PSP]

This is a really fantastic film. It has not dated in the least. The jokes are subtly underplayed and very funny and the acting is great across the board. The story works and it is a film that you can watch over and over again and still notice new jokes.

Chevy Chase is at his finest here and one wonders why he doesn't make more films. His timing and expressions are flawless.

Criticism - No extras at all, not even a trailer. This film lends itself to having a commentary. Let's hope a fuller version is released soon.

...will know all about this movie, unless you had your head buried in the sand from 1980-1989. Put simply, National Lampoons Vacation,is Chevy Chase's finest hour.

The comedy is slapstick, and continues very much in the vein of Caddyshack, both of which were directed by Harold Ramis. Now, anyone watching a movie directed by Harold Ramis knows just what sort of comedy they are in for: Hotwire102, I'm guessing from your review you are one of those that just didn't get it.

Vacation is a classic, and still has holds plenty of belly laughs for me 20 years on. For those 'articulate' comedy lovers Vacation will disappoint, but for the 80's generation that grew up with Porkys, Caddyshack and Bachelor Party Vacation just can't be beat. Clark Griswold For President!

Clark Griswold ignores his family's pleas to go to Hawaii for their summer vacation and opts for the Walley World resort in California instead. His long-suffering wife Ellen wants to fly, but Clark would rather drive and spend time with the kids he hardly ever sees.

Sounds like a simple journey from A to B right? Wrong! The Griswolds are a gene pool of absolute disaster and nothing...NOTHING goes right...ever. The fun begins with Clark being forced to accept a disgusting metallic pea-green family truckster instead of a cool-blue sports model with CB and optional fun pack. It's literally the most hideous car in the history of automobiles (and that includes the car that Homer Simpson made for his brother Herb).

As the lengthy days on the road pass, Clark is ripped-off by street hustlers, guilt-tripped out of $500 from his hick cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid in what is, begrudgingly, his most popular role), ripped-off by a hick sheriff/mechanic, and tempted by gorgeous blonde in a Ferrari. Though Ellen doesn't take kindly to anyone with an eye on her Sparky (actually D'Angelo's pet name for Chevy Chase and not something that was scripted).

Based on John Hughes' ill-fated trip to Disneyworld when he was five-years-old, Vacation brought us Chevy Chase's most famous character (sorry Fletch) and most successful series. He has absolutely perfect chemistry with Beverly D'Angelo, who, with her large eyeballs and perfect timing, is an under-rated comic actress in her own right.

While I absolutely love the first and third movies in the Vacation series, and both definitely score 5/5, I have to say the original is the best as it has a really dark edge that none of the others have. There's virtually nothing in Vacation that isn't funny. Harold Ramis, fresh off the absolute anarchy of Caddyshack, keeps a tight, sadistic reign on the disastrous road trip. If you have a dark sense of humor and enjoy evil comedy then you'll love Vacation. It was one of the first movies I ever saw and it helped turn me into the misanthropic, dysfunctional, ghoulish misfit that I am today.

Thank you, Vacation! Thank you!

The Blu Ray looks great with a 1080p 1.78:1 picture. The sound is in DTS HD-MA Mono, but it gets the job done. Extras are limited to an introduction by Chase and Quaid and a commentary. The could have done better, to be honest.