IMDb >
Vacation (1983)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsVacation (1983) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 32 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
29 July 1983 (USA) moreTagline:
Every summer Chevy Chase takes his family on a little trip. This year he went too far.Plot:
The Griswold family's cross-country drive to the Walley World theme park proves to be much more arduous than they ever anticipated. full summary | add synopsisNewsDesk:
(23 articles)
Harold Ramis Interview: A Lifetime of Achievements With a Chicago Look at ‘Year One’ (From HollywoodChicago.com. 19 June 2009, 3:21 PM, PDT)
In A Time Before ‘Year One’: Harold Ramis, The Director
(From MTV Movies Blog. 19 June 2009, 1:26 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
How To Make A Timeless, Original, Hysterical, Satirical Comedy. moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Chevy Chase | ... | Clark Griswold | |
| Beverly D'Angelo | ... | Ellen Griswold | |
| Imogene Coca | ... | Aunt Edna | |
| Randy Quaid | ... | Cousin Eddie | |
| Anthony Michael Hall | ... | Russell 'Rusty' Griswold | |
| Dana Barron | ... | Audrey Griswold | |
| Eddie Bracken | ... | Roy Walley | |
| Brian Doyle-Murray | ... | Kamp Komfort Clerk | |
| Miriam Flynn | ... | Cousin Catherine | |
| James Keach | ... | Motorcycle Cop | |
| Eugene Levy | ... | Car Salesman | |
| Frank McRae | ... | Grover | |
| John Candy | ... | Lasky, Guard at Walleyworld | |
| Christie Brinkley | ... | The Girl in the Ferrari | |
| Jane Krakowski | ... | Cousin Vicki |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
National Lampoon's Vacation (UK) (USA) (complete title)American Vacation (Europe: English title) (video title)
more
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
98 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Iceland:L | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Germany:16 | Finland:K-7 (2006) (DVD) | Finland:S (1983) | Netherlands:AL | Australia:M | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | West Germany:6 | USA:R (certificate number 27018)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Exterior filming of the Griswolds "on the road" took a greater part of three months, crossing numerous states. moreGoofs:
Continuity: After the accident in the desert when the axles on the car are bent, we see the family driving down the road, yet when the camera pulls back for a full view of the car only the driver is present. moreQuotes:
Ellen Griswold: Don't just blurt it out to Normie about Edna dying.Clark Griswald: How about I ask him to play 20 Questions?
[Clark knocks on the front door of Normie's house and rings the doorbell, but no anwser]
Clark Griswald: Oh, for chrissakes, he isn't even home!
Ellen Griswold: Maybe the neighbors know where he is.
Clark Griswald: The moron knows we're coming and he isn't home.
Ellen Griswold: Normie's always been flakey.
Clark Griswald: He's always been a jackoff...
Ellen Griswold: Would you watch your mouth!
more
Soundtrack:
I'M SO EXCITED moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Vacation (1983) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| European Vacation | Christmas Vacation | Little Miss Sunshine | Vegas Vacation | City of Shoulders and Noses |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Adventure section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |












Every summer Chevy Chase takes his family on a little trip. This year he went too far.
Chevy Chase stars as Clark Griswold, the typical American businessman. Well, almost a basic businessman. He works in food preservatives. Beverly D'Angelo plays his wife, Anthony Michael Hall plays Rusty, his teenage son, and Dana Barron plays his daughter Audrey . This summer, Clark has decided to go all out and take a vacation with his family to "Walley World," a theme park spoof on Disney World, owned by "Roy Walley".
Basically, this film starts out strong and ends strong. There are many gut grabbing scenes, and the film never resorts to gross out humor. The biggest gross out is when Clark bites into a sandwich a dog leaked on, but that's a different story.
Along the way to Walley World, everything and everything that can go wrong does, and Clark ends up with Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca), who adds more fun to this wallop of a comedy.
The laughter just escalates more and more as we see Clark's dreams flush down the toilet farther and farther, and I can't tell you how much I laughed at some of the scenes.
"Vacation" isn't typical National Lampoon fare.
Chevy Chase gives by far his best performance (akthough he acts just as well in "Christmas Vacation") as Clark, a real optimist, go get'm kind of guy, who completely snaps toward the end of the film. The rest of the cast does well, and Beverly D'Angelo does surprisingly well as a house wife. The two children, Audrey and Rusy, squawk at each other, but not to the point of obnoxious, which is another good thing about this film.
Is it no surprise that John Hughes, the king writer/director of the 80's comedy films wrote this, or that Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters, Striped, Analyze This) directed the film?
With cameos by the likes of John Candy, Eugene Levy, Brian Doyle Murray (who played Clark's boss in "Christmas Vacation"), and more, "Vacation" is a comedic triumph of the eighties that is now an icon of how to make a good comedy.
4.5/5 stars --
John Ulmer