National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

 “Why aren’t we flying? Because getting there is half the fun. You know that.” – Clark

Number of Times Seen – between 5-10 times (cable, video and 28 Apr 2014)

Brief Synopsis – A family vacation to a famed amusement park in California is more adventurous than anyone would have suspected.

My Take on it – My family and I would make the trek from our home in Michigan to New York a few times every year in order to visit relatives.

The trip would take around 12 hours by car and we all packed into the family station wagon and traveled the long and arduous journey across 4 states.

We never had any of the adventures that the Griswald’s faced in this movie, but it made me appreciate and understand what family trips can be all about.

Yes, we would fight who should sit in the middle and constantly ask when will we be there and all the other cliche’s (that are true) that can be associated with kids and travel.

As a parent, it does annoy me when my kids ask the same questions eventhough I know that I was the same way back when I was a kid. 🙂

Having been directed by the late Harold Ramis, this movie features a lot of comic actors in small cameos.  Since most of them became popular a few years later, they are easily recognizable.

My favorite part of this movie tho is the main theme song – Holiday Road.  Hear it here.

It’s also great seeing Anthony Michael Hall as a young kid.

Bottom Line – Funny and entertaining movie, Chase is excellent as Griswald in a movie filled with lots of famous cameos. Great theme song. Recommended

Rating – Globe Worthy

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