Favorite National Lampoon Vacation Movie?

[Henry]

I remember seeing Vacation as a 13-year old for the first time, and it was very funny, with the mishaps and antics of Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, who drives his family from Chicago to Walley World; even 35 years later, this one remains my all-time favorite. I've also seen European Vacation and Christmas Vacation, but then lost track after that. I'm planning to rent the last two on DVD so I can see what happens in those adventures, although from what I've heard, Rusty has taken over as the man. What is your absolute favorite out of the five listed above?

[hbelkins]

I've seen the first three. They were on BBC America last week, even "Christmas Vacation." I've probably seen it the most, followed by the original, then "European Vacation," which I really don't remember much of. I had forgotten that Cousin Eddie first appeared in the original before he brought his tenement on wheels to the Griswold home and emptied his toilet into the storm sewer.

[spooky]

There should be three choices in this poll:

-original 1983 Vacation
-Christmas Vacation
-I'm a lunatic

[abefroman329]

(1) National Lampoon's Vacation
(2) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
(3) National Lampoon's European Vacation
(4) Vegas Vacation

I have not seen the direct-to-video Cousin Eddie movie or the Vacation remake and have no plans to do so.

edit: Oops, didn't notice it was a poll.  I voted.

[abefroman329]

There should be three choices in this poll:

-original 1983 Vacation
-Christmas Vacation
-I'm a lunatic

I like European Vacation's cameos by Mel Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Eric Idle, and the actor who played the Major on Fawlty Towers, but overall it's a bunch of lazy stereotyping of everyone, American tourists included.

[roadman]

Christmas Vacation, with the original Vacation a close second.  Although my favorite line from any of the Vacation movies is still "Audrey.  When they close a road, they put up big signs.  Like this one."

[Max Rockatansky]

Christmas Vacation

[abefroman329]

Fun fact: The aerial shot of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster driving from the northbound Stevenson to southbound Lake Shore Drive appears in the opening credits of Married...with Children.

In other news, I have no idea why they were traveling from the Chicago suburbs (most likely the north suburbs, given that's where most of John Hughes' other films take place) to California by taking the northbound Stevenson to southbound Lake Shore Drive.

[roadman]

Fun fact: The aerial shot of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster driving from the northbound Stevenson to southbound Lake Shore Drive appears in the opening credits of Married...with Children.

In other news, I have no idea why they were traveling from the Chicago suburbs (most likely the north suburbs, given that's where most of John Hughes' other films take place) to California by taking the northbound Stevenson to southbound Lake Shore Drive.

Continuity fail.

[hbelkins]

Christmas Vacation

I turned that into a ringtone and used it during the Christmas season this year.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Can't beat the original. The moose out front should've told you.

[abefroman329]

Can't beat the original. The moose out front should've told you.

Voiced by Harold Ramis!  Who also provided the voice for an offscreen cop at the very end!

[Big John]

European Vacation:  "Big Ben, Parliament" when dealing with a roundabout.

[Brandon]

The first one was the best and funniest.  Christmas Vacation was pretty good as well.

[jeffandnicole]

The original is definitely the best.  I have a soft spot for Vegas Vacation as I've been there quite often.  Yet to find the 'Guess the Number' game though!!  Like most movies, the areas of Vegas are twisted around a bit. The original Hangover Movie is one of the few where it shows Vegas "as is" in nearly every scene.

[abefroman329]

The original is definitely the best.  I have a soft spot for Vegas Vacation as I've been there quite often.  Yet to find the 'Guess the Number' game though!!  Like most movies, the areas of Vegas are twisted around a bit. The original Hangover Movie is one of the few where it shows Vegas "as is" in nearly every scene.

I didn't like VV because it wasn't as outlandish as the rest - "man goes to Vegas and gambles away every penny he has" is 100% plausible.  I think I've been to the casino that they used for the "guess which hand" etc. casino.  It was on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd, south of Mandalay Bay, and it was pretty downmarket.

And yes, no casino has rock-paper-scissors, but they did introduce Casino War shortly after Vegas Vacation came out!

[bandit957]

The first one was hilarious, but they got progressively dumber after that, and I gave up after the third one.

But a character in the second one bubbled.

[inkyatari]

First one easily, as we took a vacation on almost the exact same route they did in the first film in the year the movie was released.  We turned around in Vegas, however..

I would have liked the first sequel being the return trip home.

[inkyatari]

And yes, no casino has rock-paper-scissors,

Online casinos do, and I could have sworn it was turned into a table game.

There is one choice missing from the poll..

Christmas Vacation 2...  Although from what I've read, nobody really misses that one.

[jeffandnicole]

The original is definitely the best.  I have a soft spot for Vegas Vacation as I've been there quite often.  Yet to find the 'Guess the Number' game though!!  Like most movies, the areas of Vegas are twisted around a bit. The original Hangover Movie is one of the few where it shows Vegas "as is" in nearly every scene.

I didn't like VV because it wasn't as outlandish as the rest - "man goes to Vegas and gambles away every penny he has" is 100% plausible.  I think I've been to the casino that they used for the "guess which hand" etc. casino.  It was on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd, south of Mandalay Bay, and it was pretty downmarket.

And yes, no casino has rock-paper-scissors, but they did introduce Casino War shortly after Vegas Vacation came out!

That was the Klondike Hotel/Casino, which closed in 2006. 

Other shots for the movie were done in the Mirage.

And someone getting in with a fake ID probably happens regularly.  Even a good ID may escape a good ID checker.  But once you win, then that fake ID will be discovered.  Winning 4 cars on a fake ID...and then receiving all 4 cars?  Maybe a slight stretch! LOL

[abefroman329]

The original is definitely the best.  I have a soft spot for Vegas Vacation as I've been there quite often.  Yet to find the 'Guess the Number' game though!!  Like most movies, the areas of Vegas are twisted around a bit. The original Hangover Movie is one of the few where it shows Vegas "as is" in nearly every scene.

I didn't like VV because it wasn't as outlandish as the rest - "man goes to Vegas and gambles away every penny he has" is 100% plausible.  I think I've been to the casino that they used for the "guess which hand" etc. casino.  It was on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd, south of Mandalay Bay, and it was pretty downmarket.

And yes, no casino has rock-paper-scissors, but they did introduce Casino War shortly after Vegas Vacation came out!

That was the Klondike Hotel/Casino, which closed in 2006. 

Other shots for the movie were done in the Mirage.

And someone getting in with a fake ID probably happens regularly.  Even a good ID may escape a good ID checker.  But once you win, then that fake ID will be discovered.  Winning 4 cars on a fake ID...and then receiving all 4 cars?  Maybe a slight stretch! LOL

Yeah, oddly enough, casinos don't really give a shit how old you are when you're losing.

[roadman65]

The original one of course.

[jon daly]

I like to pretend that Caddyshack was a figment of Clark Griswold's imagination where he is an idle rich slacker named Ty instead of a food chemist.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/clark-griswold-753435137/

[abefroman329]

I like to pretend that Caddyshack was a figment of Clark Griswold's imagination where he is an idle rich slacker named Ty instead of a food chemist.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/clark-griswold-753435137/

Or a newspaper columnist named Irwin M. Fletcher who writes under the psuedonym Jane Doe.

[jon daly]

I like to pretend that Caddyshack was a figment of Clark Griswold's imagination where he is an idle rich slacker named Ty instead of a food chemist.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/clark-griswold-753435137/

Or a newspaper columnist named Irwin M. Fletcher who writes under the psuedonym Jane Doe.

Or he's an anchorman and you're not.