Is It Possible That National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Is Underrated?
We're balls deep in Christmas Movie season so excuse me for getting a little heavy handed with the content lately. I blogged the top 10 moments of Christmas Vacation yesterday morning before drafting Christmas movies in the afternoon and now just this morning Chief is getting a taste while WSD has gone public with some big takes on Bad Santa's critical recognition. Needless to say it's that time of the year and you'll be hard pressed to see me slow down. This is my wheelhouse and I'm here to embrace it.
That said, I'm going to punt on spoiling the entirety of the draft. Out of respect to those who have not yet listened, you can do so here.
I will be revealing a handful of 1st round selections in the coming paragraphs. This is your warning.
If you're still with me, maybe you noticed this week the overwhelming rush to credit Home Alone as the #1 Christmas movie of all time. Like the first kid handing in his scantron 5 minutes after the midterm started. Maybe he's really fucking smart but maybe you should also double check your work. Maybe you overlooked something while jumping to your conclusion.
Along the way our conversation introduced the sub-controversy between the sequel stans that love Home Alone 2 more than the OG. I don't need to go down that path right now but it's important to note we spent a lot of time on the subject. And somewhere in-between WSD stayed true to himself at #2 with Bad Santa. Classic Dave.
But by the time the 4th pick rolled around no one had thought about National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. It wasn't even debated anonymously as a two-horse race when Ed picked 1st overall. WSD hesitated for approximately zero seconds with it on the board. And part of me thought Chief would've taken Elf before Christmas Vacation - it was that seemingly disrespectful. I wasn't distraught because it seemed like a gift from the Snake Draft gods when picking 4th overall. But at the same time I couldn't help but wonder.
Is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation underrated?
Without consulting any authoritative evidence and while relying solely on my limited personal experience, I can unequivocally say that it's 100% underrated. And that's total fucking bullshit. Not on my watch. Not while I am commandeer this website's 38th largest and 41st most dedicated following. It's basically a professional obligation at this point to gas up Christmas Vacation so let me do my duty.
Never mind the Christmas genre. It's arguably one of the funniest comedies of All Time. You talk about carrying a movie scene-to-scene, you talk about Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold. Some of the best laughs are in the most subtle moments of his absurd efforts. Make it a silent film and you'll still laugh your ass off. That's how much power Clark Griswold brings to the big screen. All Time Top 10 Character, period.
On the subject of All Times - Bevery D'Angelo's legacy as a pioneering MILF is unmatched. The bone structure. The cleavage. The patience and optimism and Ride Or Die attitude all roll up to one magnificent woman. Find me a better MILF around the holidays. Seriously I want to meet her.
From a relatability standpoint I mean who doesn't love sinking their teeth into a big family Christmas? Who doesn't love the controversy from an unwanted family member, or a lousy Christmas bonus? It's nearly every basic Christmas stereotype perfectly rolled up and served from the perspective of an excessively stressed out guy trying to be good dad and give his kids a great Christmas. Completely over the top but still hits home in all material respects. It's certainly more realistic than just about anything else drafted in the top 3 rounds NO MORE SPOILERS.
Anyways I'm surprised it took 4 picks to get this one on the board. I consider myself lucky to be in that position to select it, but same time you just don't leave Clark Griswold untouched for that long. For nothing else he's such a good meatball Chicago sports fan. Even his son Russ reps the Illini at one point in the film. Be more of a sucker from Chicago. You can't.
So there's my personal and professional argument for Christmas Vacation. I love having it and I'm confident moving into this round's twitter poll tonight.
That said it's just one of the 25 overall picks so if you haven't listened yet, go check it out. It's a great draft for this time of year.
PS - Free Ball Don't Lie shirt if you can guess who takes Die Hard.