National Lampoon’s Vacation has gone down in history as one of the funniest movies that ever was. What movie is your favorite? Whether you’re planning a trip to Wally World or not, you might want to get familiar with the National Lampoons stories before embarking on an adventure!
National Lampoon’s Vacation is a comedy film that was released in 1983. It has been followed by five sequels and a TV series. The movie is about the Griswold family, who are on vacation at their home in Walley World.
National Lampoon’s Vacation, Christmas Vacation, and the other films in the series hold a special place in everyone’s hearts, both growing up and today. The cinematic comedy focused on the Griswold family and their cross-country vacation was a huge success with critics and fans alike when it was released in 1983, and it became a box office smash.
The popularity of National Lampoon’s Vacation spawned a host of sequels and spin-offs, some of which focused on other members of the Griswold family. How many National Lampoon’s Vacation movies have been produced, though? What is the best order in which to watch these films? Don’t worry, I’m here to assist you. Keep reading to learn how to watch the National Lampoon Vacation movies in the best sequence.
What Is the Total Number of National Lampoon’s Vacation Films?
There have been six National Lampoon’s Vacation films released to date. The following is the order of the films in terms of their release dates:
- National Lampoon’s Vacation is a comedy film directed by National Lampoon (1983)
- National Lampoon’s European Vacation is a comedy film produced by National Lampoon (1985)
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a comedy film directed by National Lampoon (1989)
- Vacation in Las Vegas (1997)
- Christmas Vacation 2 is a sequel to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (2003)
- Take a break (2015)
In No Particular Order: National Lampoon’s Vacation Films
Because there are no prequels to the Vacation movies and the series has no prequels, the chronological and release dates are the same. The following is a chronological list of all National Lampoon’s Vacation films:
1. National Lampoon’s Vacation (National Lampoon’s Vacation) (1983)
Clark Griswold, an American paterfamilias, and his loving wife, Ellen, take their two teenage children, Rusty and Audrey, on a cross-country trip from the Chicago suburbs to Walley World amusement park in sunny California.
Anything that can go wrong will, and Clark is on the verge of blowing a gasket when Ellen’s cousin Catherine and her husband Eddie arrive.
While the prospect of a covert meeting with the alluring blonde in a fast, 1981 Ferrari 308 GTSi seems enticing, Clark must do the right thing and arrive at Roy Walley’s lovely park. How tough can planning the perfect holiday be?
The movie National Lampoon’s Vacation is a riot. It’s Chevy Chase in his prime, before he became a bitter old man. With each Vacation, the kids are recast, but I always believe Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron are the real Rusty and Audrey, and Imogene Coca is fantastic as the doomed Aunt Edna.
The picture proceeds with a fantastic and well-balanced series of events. The crew acts like a family, and the idea of a thinly disguised Disneyland-style Walley World is amusing, plus you get a terrific John Candy appearance as a straight-from-the-book character.
Cousin Eddie is one of National Lampoon’s Vacation’s more sophisticated characters. Eddie is presented in this film as a backward, maybe incestuous cousin of Ellen. He is presented as a dumb but charming fool in future flicks.
It’s impossible for me to watch Christmas Vacation without recalling Cousin Vicki telling Audrey that her father taught her how to kiss in the French manner.
Vacation is an enjoyable picture. It’s well-executed absurd comedy, with a cast capable of carrying it off. If you appreciate comedy and haven’t watched National Lampoon’s Vacation, you should.
National Lampoon’s European Vacation is the second film in the series (1985)
The Griswolds travel on a delightful, worry-free, all-expenses-paid vacation to cosmopolitan Europe, courtesy of the famous TV game show Pig in a Poke, after their successful Wally World adventure in National Lampoon’s Vacation.
This time, Clark Griswold, his wife Ellen, and their teenage daughters, Audrey and Rusty, are on a tight schedule, seeking to visit as much of London, Paris, Germany, and Rome as possible.
Once again, disaster hits, with British driving quirks, horrible fashion crimes in the City of Lights, a big language barrier in a Bavarian town, and a run-in with the police in Rome all interfering with happiness. Will the Griswolds be able to make it through their European vacation?
Unfortunately, the movie is uneven. There are some amusing scenes in the film, as well as those that will stay with you for a long time. I can’t image an American group not exclaiming, “There’s Big Ben!” when they see a photo of London. The long London traffic circle and Pig-in-a-Polk are iconic moments, even though the chuckles are more slapstick and ludicrous than in the previous films.
One of the film’s shortcomings is the absence of a narrative. For the bulk of the film, they go to Europe and explore the continent. The Griswalds are aimlessly floating in European Vacation; the premise of National Lampoon’s Vacation was to visit Wally World. It would have been more effective if they had cooked up a fictitious narrative about diamond thieves or something.
Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo are still terrific as the parents, but the picture was forced to recast Rusty and Audrey, and Jason Lively and Dana Hill just lack Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo’s hilarious timing. John Astin, Robbie Coltrane, Moon Unit Zappa, and Eric Idle also play minor roles.
European Vacation by National Lampoon is entertaining yet forgettable. By viewing these, you may enjoy the 1980s fashions and trends. It’s a time capsule from the 1980s that you should view if you grew up in that decade… When you see Rusty’s “cool” attire, you can’t help but frown. Watch European Vacation, but keep in mind that it’s probably only for the show’s biggest fans.
3. Christmas Vacation (National Lampoon’s) (1989)
After the colossal blunders of National Lampoon’s Holiday (1983) and National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985), Clark Griswold, the well-intentioned but disastrously incompetent paterfamilias, wants nothing more than to have a nice, old-fashioned Christmas and plan the perfect family vacation.
Clark’s good goal of throwing the finest Christmas Eve party is delayed this year by obnoxious family members, severely broken equipment, and an unexpected but spectacular run-in with the cops. How difficult is it to get into the festive mood and plan the perfect vacation?
Christmas Vacation works because of Chevy Chase’s genuine enthusiasm throughout the holidays. As you can see from the images, he likes Christmas. For many people, the holidays are simultaneously one of the happiest and most trying times of the year.
His attempts to create the most perfect Christmas frequently backfire, and he loses control. Many individuals share this dissatisfaction. You could be a Clark Griswold if you haven’t met one yet.
A solid supporting cast is also included in the film. Beverly D’Angelo continues to provide a great counterpoint to Chase’s annoyance. This time, Clark’s children were played by Johnny Galecki and Juliette Lewis, who played his pessimistic children.
John Randolph and Diane Ladd, Clark’s parents’ in-laws, and E. G. Marshall and Doris Roberts, Ellen’s parents. Nicholas Guest and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ yuppie neighbors, Todd and Margo, must be loved as well.
The movie has a vintage feel about it. It has all of the glitz and glitter of a Christmas movie, but with a dash of comedy and obnoxious humor thrown in for good measure. The dining table, Christmas tree, and, of course, the lights, all add to the film’s Christmas mood, amplify Clark’s joy (though I never was a big fan of the sledding scene).
Like other contemporary masterpieces such as Home Alone, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation has become a Christmas tradition. As families gather for the holidays, they also visit the Griswolds to observe how they enjoy the season, something Clark would have appreciated.
4. A Trip to Vegas (1997)
Simply put, the Griswolds haven’t learnt their lesson. The Griswolds are heading to Las Vegas, after prior failures at family fun… Then there’s Cousin Eddie and his family to meet. Clark wishes to be a major celebrity. Wayne Newton has a crush on Ellen.
Rusty knows he could be the luckiest man on the planet. Audrey likes spending time with her cousin Vicki, who is a dancer. The Griswolds have arrived in Vegas, and Vegas has returned the favor!
The movie The movie National Lampoon’s Vacation was hilarious. National Lampoon’s European Vacation wasn’t quite that…but it had its moments. Once again, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was wonderful… The weakest of the six turned out to be Vegas Vacation.
In Vegas Vacation, I had a hard time finding anything entertaining. The writing is subpar at best, clumsy at worst, and uninspired. The only successful joke was a throwback to the original Vacation, with Christie Brinkley reprising her role as the “sexy lady” from that film.
Chevy Chase’s comic talents haven’t aged well, but Beverly D’Angelo as his angry wife remains one of my favorites. Ethan Embry and Marisol Nichols were recast as Rusty and Audrey, as they had been in previous Vacations.
Wayne Newton plays himself, and the film features Sid Caesar’s last film appearance (in an appearance that mirrors his comedy partner Imogene Coca in the original Vacation). Randy Quaid had exhausted me, and Cousin Eddie’s return was unnecessary (though it made perfect sense Eddie would end up in Vegas).
The film Vegas Vacation is a poor attempt to cash in on a brand. Connections with National Lampoon and John Hughes were lost as a result of the film… It’s unlikely that it would have made a difference. The failure of the film basically put an end to the series.
5. Christmas Vacation 2 (National Lampoon’s) (2003)
With Christmas coming, Cousin Eddie Johnson from National Lampoon’s Christmas Trip (1989) gets an all-inclusive vacation to a beautiful tropical island in the South Pacific.
Following a seemingly innocent boat trip, Eddie’s family, together with Audrey Griswold, Uncle Nick, and the lovely guide Muka Laka Miki, find themselves marooned on a lonely islet in the middle of nowhere. Eddie is now in the spotlight. Can he conjure up the perfect Christmas from thin air?
The movie is just horrible. The narrative is oppressive, it isn’t funny, and it drags on and on. As a consequence of their adventure, the family will earn a free vacation to Hawaii (they are staying with Audrey Griswold so naturally, she comes along with old Uncle Nick).
The film adopts a Gilligan’s Island approach, with the whole group, including their tour guide, getting stranded on an isolated island (that isn’t deserted, of course). Almost all of the characters have their own stories to tell, yet none of them develop in any way.
It would be one thing if the film looked acceptable, but it also seems to be a disaster. The slapstick comedy is atrocious and overdone, and there are a lot of nasty blue-screen, CGI, and poorly created graphics throughout the movie.
You may argue that shifting the scene to Hawaii detracts from the film’s “Christmas picture,” but the film has already lost its Christmas feel long before the crew gets in Hawaii.
6. Take a vacation (2015)
Rusty Griswold, the industrious family man, wants to spend time with his wife, Debbie, and their two sons, Kevin and James, following in the footsteps of his father, Clark Griswold, the visionary in National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983).
Rusty intends to surprise his family with his proposal for an unbelievable excursion across the country in their rented Albanian SUV, since the idea of going to the wonderful Walley World, the setting of his vivid childhood recollections, keeps coming to mind.
When the Griswolds hit the road for some real family bonding, however, this proves to be easier said than done, as disaster after disaster seems to derail Rusty’s romantic dreams. Can Rusty’s plans for the perfect family vacation be derailed by a few little setbacks?
Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley directed and wrote Vacation, a comedy “soft relaunch/reimagining” of the original National Lampoon’s Vacation from 1983.
Despite having a low budget, the picture garnered mainly negative reviews and did well at the box office. Chevy Chase was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor for his short cameo (along with his appearance in Hot Tub Time Machine 2)
National Lampoon’s Vacation was one of my favorite comedies as a kid. Even though it was R-rated, we were allowed to see it because there was something beneficial about it.
Despite the poor reviews, I found myself laughing for the most of the movie thanks to well-timed (though predictable) comebacks and quips.
The storyline of the film is largely identical to that of all Vacation movies. The enraged and dissatisfied family is compelled to spend quality time together as a family and travels across the nation.
The film mocks the idea that everything has already been done, and that “remakes” of previous events aren’t necessarily as good as the original. True, but it was still enjoyable, and it ended up being the series’ third best Vacation (since European Vacation is pretty weak and Vegas Vacation is awful).
Vacation isn’t the best movie, but it was entertaining to me. They could have utilized more of America as a setting if they had seen more of it, but the film is about laughs, not how it looks.
In terms of remakes and reboots, I believe it did a better job of distinguishing itself from the source material while staying essentially a Vacation film. Much of the best humor was in the trailer, but I laughed the whole time.
Is it necessary to see all of National Lampoon’s Vacation films in order?
All of the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies have their own stories and can be seen alone; however, viewing them in sequence will help you better understand the Griswold family’s story and history. Vacation movies are related in terms of character continuity. National Lampoon’s Vacation Movies tells the story of what occurs when the Griswold family goes on vacation, and although the premise is different, the characters are the same.
Will More National Lampoon’s Vacation Movies Be Made?
According to Variety, The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki is revamping National Lampoon’s Vacation as a TV program for HBO Max, which might mean more National Lampoon Vacation movies. The Griswolds will reacquaint fans with the fictional family lead by Clark Griswold and his wife Ellen in this new show. Hopefully, the wacky cousin Eddie will make an appearance in the show, which will follow the group as they go about their daily lives in the Chicago suburbs.
The “national lampoon movies ranked” is a list of all the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies in order.
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