I watched National Lampoon’s Vacation the other night from start to finish. Director Harold Ramis, writer John Hughes, and star Chevy Chase were in their absolute primes for this one. I’ve seen this movie at least a dozen times and there are alway new jokes that I catch. Some examples:
- In the beginning when they are discussing the trip, Ellen is scraping the dishes into a bowl and handing them to Clark who is standing over an open dishwasher. Rather then load it, he is loosely wiping the dishes with a towel and putting them back in the cupboard.
- While sharing a beer, Rusty tells his dad, “Well, I just became a man.” Clark is not aware, but Rusty is referring to learning how to “bop his bologna,” which he picked up the day before from his cousin.
- Clark ties Edna to the roof and says, “It’s not like it’s going to rain.” I just realized that at that point they were driving to arid Phoenix, make the rain that much more poignant and unlucky.
- Clark’s faces while running across the parking lot in slow motion are some of the best comedic bits in our time.
The film was made 23 years ago. That makes me feel old. But, still, it rocks. Buy the DVD or Netflix now.
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