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Reel Jolly series: “Christmas Vacation” and “Four Christmases”

  • Writer: Matt Palmer
    Matt Palmer
  • Dec 6, 2025
  • 6 min read
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Last week I started up my holiday review series with the 2017 animated movie “The Star” (which can be seen during the 12 Movies of Christmas) and the remake of “Miracle on 34th Street.” So, for this review, I took a look at a couple more festive selections that can be seen during the 12 Movies of Christmas festival at the Dietrich Theater - “Christmas Vacation” and “Four Christmases.” 

In the holiday favorite “Christmas Vacation,” as the holidays approach, Clark Griswold wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife and children as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry very quickly.

His hick cousin, Eddie, and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper outside of Clark’s house. Even worse, Clark’s employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs.

As part of a holiday tradition, “Christmas Vacation” is one of the many holiday movies that I always check out every season. This holiday classic is filled with so many humorous and memorable moments that will easily have everyone laughing. I have seen this movie so many times and I still find it incredibly hysterical.

There are so many moments in this festive classic that are truly memorable. In fact, there are so many memorable moments that I can’t decide which one is my absolute favorite. One favorite scene of mine is where Clark attempts to test out his company’s new “miracle lubricant” on a metal saucer sled, which makes him go a little faster than he intended.

Besides the hilarious arrival of Cousin Eddie, the infamous overcooked turkey (“Save the neck for me, Clark”), the house Christmas lighting and the killer squirrel terrorizing the family, the one scene that has become one of the most iconic moments in this classic is the “Hap-Hap-Happiest Christmas” moment where Clark gets his bonus, or a membership of the Jelly of the Month Club. His iconic “full blown four-alarm holiday emergency” meltdown speech is a major highlight!

“Christmas Vacation” is widely regarded as a cherished Christmas classic, praised for its hilarious and relatable depiction of chaotic family holidays, though it initially received mixed reviews from critics. The movie has become a holiday staple, beloved for its blend of slapstick humor and heartwarming themes of family togetherness.

MPA: Rated PG-13   (runtime 97 minutes)

In the comedy “Four Christmases,” when their plans for an exotic vacation fall apart,

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unmarried couple Brad and Kate must spend Christmas Day trudging around to a quartet of family get-togethers.

When Brad counts the hours till he can escape the onslaught of crazy relatives, Kate begins to wonder about her own choices and ponders whether her family members are so crazy after all.

Sure this Vince Vaughn holiday comedy can be formulaic at times and relies a little too heavily on slapstick humor, but “Four Christmases” is still a fairly humorous watch. Fans of Vaughn’s rapid fire, improvisational comedy will really find this movie hilarious.

While “Four Christmases” doesn’t have as many memorable moments like “Christmas Vacation,” this holiday comedy does deliver some fairly funny moments, such as a chaotic nativity play and an MMA fight where Brad (Vaughn) ends up sparring with his aggressive brothers (who are also fighters) which provides a lot of physical comedy.

Despite some of its slapstick humor, “Four Christmases” also delivered the underlying message about commitment, love and ultimately accepting one’s family.

Even though this movie has received mixed to negative reviews from critics, it has become a popular holiday viewing option for many audiences who find it a fun and relatable take on chaotic family gatherings.

MPA: Rated PG-13 for some sexual humor and language   (runtime 88 minutes)

Make sure to check the Dietrich Theater website for show dates and times for these festive movies during the 12 Movies of Christmas festival! If you aren’t able to make it during their holiday festival, both of these movies are currently streaming on Hulu and HBO Max.



  • Final film of Mae Questel, whose film career began in 1930 as the voice of Betty Boop.

  • Even before cameras could roll, original director Chris Columbus came to the realization that he just could not work with the notoriously difficult Chevy Chase after meeting him. So even though he desperately needed the job at that point in his career, Columbus decided to quit the project. He was worried it would end his career, but then John Hughes brought him in to direct Home Alone (1990) which became a massive hit a year later, earning over six times the amount of money National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) did with a budget of almost $10 million less.

  • Brian Doyle-Murray appeared in two of the Vacation movies. In this one, he played Frank Shirley, Clark's boss. In the first one, he played the clerk at Kamp Komfort, where the Griswolds stopped to stay on their way to Walley World.

  • After unsuccessful attempts to enlist John Hughes, Chris Columbus, and George Roy Hill as directors for the movie, Chevy Chase proposed the idea of bringing back Harold Ramis, who had directed the original National Lampoon's Vacation. Ramis, obligated to co-write and co-star in Ghostbusters II, unfortunately had to decline the offer to direct the sequel.

  • This was Randy Quaid's first appearance in the Vacation film series as Cousin Eddie since the original National Lampoon's Vacation. Initially, John Hughes did not intend to have Eddie or his family come back for the film, however, he discovered that fans were disappointed that Eddie was not in European Vacation, and when that film did less well at the box office than the first film, Hughes said the absence of Eddie could have very well contributed to that, so Eddie was written back in as a result. However, Hughes said Eddie would not come back unless Randy Quaid agreed to reprise his role as he felt nobody could replace Quaid. Fortunately, Quaid was happy to return.

  • John Hughes was asked if he wanted to write a new Vacation film. He said he would only do it if he had a good story to use, as by this point, the series was a Chevy Chase vehicle, and there was little need for him to write a story. He found one called "Christmas '59," from his time working at National Lampoon Magazine that he thought was good, so he agreed to write the script.

  • When Chris Columbus declined to direct and before Jeremiah S. Chechik was hired to replace him John Hughes briefly considered directing the film himself, however, he was still busy with post-production on Uncle Buck and was unable to do so.

  • This was Chevy Chase's last hit film to not flop at the box office until the release of Man of the House six years later.

  • After failing to get the Christmas lights to work one last time, Clark Griswold takes his frustration out on the plastic decorations in the front yard. Chevy Chase actually broke his pinky finger while punching Santa Claus. He resorts to kicking and clubbing the decorations after that. The film kept rolling, and the take was used.




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