Episode 18: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Weird. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Chasing Chevy Chase Podcast. I'm one of your host christas you have the Culture Cast, and I am joined still as always by my two good friends all the way from Cambridge and Shawn, Mark Begley. And why is the carpetal wet Todd? I don't know, Margo.

One of the best reaction lines in the entire movie. And the gentleman who I think this is why Mark Begley and I are here. Let's put it that way, your friend and mine. He's never seen this movie before. Folks, Mike White of the Projection both I think you mean burn rubber and eat my dust exactly.

Whatever rests. And yes, if you clicked on this episode of the Chasing Chevy Chase Podcast, you know that we're talking about the seminal Christmas classic, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, a film that, yes, our dear friend Mike White has not seen before, which I think is the one thing that would get me to talk about this movie on a podcast, because I'm not sure off hand I had much to offer about a movie I've seen every year for the last thirty five fucking years of my life. So I don't talk about movies like The Santa Claus very often either. And this is kind of in that camp of a movie. I've seen so much I can quote most of the at least the important scenes, as I'm sure maybe Mark Begley can as well.

But yes, on this episode of the Chasing Chevych's podcast, we're talking about nineteen nineteen eighty nine's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacition. So the film is written by God, damn. It, my eyes are fucking up right now. Hold on, yeah, this to my center screen old man eyes at the moment Hugh. Film is directed by Jeremiah s Checchick.

Is that how we're gonna say it? Is that how it's pronounced? Okay, Jeremiah as. Chechick, written by the one and only John Hughes, And it's based on characters by John Hughes, the characters that we've already seen played by Chevy Chase and Beverly DiAngelo in two prior National Lampoon's films. And the film does once again center on the Griswold family, headed up by chevy Chase's Clark Griswold, who wants to put on the ultimate family Christmas by having both his family and his wife's family in town for the holidays, and things go awry almost immediately.

So before we get two Mike's thoughts Mark Begley, what when? How? How many times? Even because it ain't just once? I wager yeah.

I don't know when I first saw this, have no recollection sometime and I don't even want to say the early nineties, because I was watching weird movies at that point. I had no interest in this when it came out because I hadn't liked European vacation, didn't generally go see Christmas movies in the theater. That's never been my thing, And probably caught it on cable or something in the late nineties and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was compared to the second film. Not so surprised if I compared to the first film, I guess, but it's not an annual staple. But I have watched it a good I'm sure ten or so times over the years, and it's one of my favorites of the Chevy Chase films that we have discussed thus far.

I thoroughly enjoy it. I think it's well made. It's paced well, and we've recovered from the disaster of European Vacation for sure. And I think that Chevy Chase is in fine form in this and still the main focus of the Vacation films. But we've got a lot of people to fill in the blank spots, I guess.

And it's nice to see so many wonderful faces in this. The supporting cast is fantastic, and it's just it's one of those good, solid John Hughes film For me, Yeah, I'd be inclined to agree with most of the objective statements about the film that you made, especially it's a good John Hughes movie, all right, Mike, I think at least I know. I'm curious. I'm sure market yea, what did you think of national influence Christmasization? Mike.

So it's interesting how much of this movie has made its way into my consciousness even without having ever seen it. It's one of those things where you know, it's like when people finally see Casa Blanca Casablanca and they're like, oh, okay, yeah, I know this line. Oh I've seen this before in another movie. Those kind of things. This is definitely one where I was like, oh, like when they bring the tree home for Christmas, I was like, I think there's a squirrel in that tree.

Right, there's a squirrel and it's not that tree, it's another tree. But I was like, okay, I know that. I had a coworker who came in when on Ugly Christmas Sweater day and his sweater said I don't know, Margo very big on it, and he was saying, yeah, my wife's got one that says, why is the floor all wet? Todd. So it's like there are all of these things.

Are like my family, my wife's family, every well almost every time they get together, there's always talk of Christmas vacation. There's this whole debate between my father in law and my I guess uncle law where they're going back and forth like oh, you're Eddie, No, you're Eddie, No, you're Eddie, and I'm like okay, yeah, Like these guys are definitely talking about Christmas vacation. They're not talking about the original vacation because Eddie's in that one, not in European vacation, which might have maybe made it better had Eddie come along with them and explored some of the on maybe like have some bad experiences with a bidet or something. I don't know, but it's yeah, it was just it was strange to be able to see all of this stuff and then see all of the pieces around it that I wasn't aware of whatsoever, So like the whole thing with the Christmas tree taking over the living room, or even who Todd Margo are.

But I have to say, I don't think it's very well put together, Like it feels like it's missing a lot of stuff. And I went through and I read the script, and the script is pretty much identical to what we ended up seeing in the movie, even with the whole advent calendar transition sequence that they have. It's very similar to that. But it's like, who are Todd and Margo have? We had experiences with Margo before the end of the movie seems incredibly rushed.

Once Brian dol Murray comes back into the film and then we have the whole thing with the sewer gas and all of that stuff. It just feels very very rushed towards the end of this movie. And that also might play because there are two scenes that are missing from the end of the film where there's more of a wrap up and they just kind of, you know, stop with Clark saying I did it and then that's it. And I never really got the sense that I never got Clark's motivation, like you're talking about Chris as far as like, oh, he wants to get these two families to come together. I don't think he really likes the families.

I think he likes his mom and dad. I don't want I mean literally, I meant literally come together, not I mean more than nothing, just literally because they do not get along, correct, right. But it's like I'm like, is he really super excited for the holidays? Like? And it's also he always overdes it.

They always overdoes it, and they do they do. I Mean that is the one thing I appreciate about this movie that the other movies kind of haven't mentioned, is that Clark has no ability to not be like I don't know, is it a perfectionist is kind of what they're getting at, or his expectations are always out of whack with what reality is going to be. I mean, we saw it a little bit in the Original Vacation where he goes ave shit at the end. We saw it in European Vacation where I mean, he drags his family to Europe and then I mean everything goes awry. I don't know if he's trying to get his family together, I don't know.

I guess, yeah, I don't know. I can get it a lot from those other movies, especially the Original Vacation, where it's just like, hey, we are going on this vacation. By the way, calling this movie Christmas vacation is pretty bad for him because the happening in here. I mean, well, it's Christmas vacation, and that that's the end of the year vacation we all get for Christmas. But that's like days for most people.

Now, yeah, most people get any time off like there, you know. Also being a corporate drone, I will tell you do not count on your Christmas bonus. Clark is such an whole for putting seven thousand dollars down, by the way, seven thousand dollars. This has to be an in ground pool, because an above ground pool these days, twenty twenty five, it's crossing about five grand to put that sucker together. Nice twelve by twenty four pool, but seven grand as a deposit for this pool.

And yeah, don't fucking ever count on your bonus, so briand Ol Murray was totally within his rights as a corporate overlord to keep that bonus out of the hands. I'll do liquors. Yeah, whoa so white everybody? What is gillea? If any of the people on my team at work said like, oh, yeah, I made this deposit because I'm counting on this bonus.

Oh You're fucking stupid. Yeah you're yeah, as some clown shit. I don't count on anything until I see it in you know what they say. There's no such thing as a sure thing. No, yeah, yeah, John Cusack will tell you that.

But yeah, the it's interesting how this movie doesn't really fit together for me with some of this and just how quickly some things result, and yeah, it just feels kind of kind of thrown together, even though when I was reading the script, I was like, Okay, yeah, this is pretty good, and like they really stuck to the script like a lot, Like I said, just maybe a little bit. There's oh it's uh, it's Clark is singing. At one point he's he finally actually sorry, he does the whole and not singing, but he does the Night Before Christmas poem because they're talking about that and he doesn't. I don't think he actually says it in this version of the movie that we see, but there is that in the script, and he eventually looks outside and then he starts to turn Night before Christmas into my you know cousin Eddie is here with my boss wearing a chain and a bow and all this kind of stuff.

And I mean, that was interesting that Eddie does that for Clark. But yeah, it's just it's a it's a strange movie to me, and there are some great parts, and I will agree with you completely Mark that I think this is probably the best chevvy chase thing that we've seen thus far. I think this really nails it, and he gives probably his best performance. I mean that freak out that he had in the first movie when they couldn't go to Wally World was fantastic. But him given that whole little rant after he finds out that he's enrolled in the Jelly of the Month club, that is fucking classic.

And of course I've heard that many times before, the whole Hallelujah, where's the taielen all? Thing? That is awesome. Well, that that rant and then the second rant about you know bing Crosby dancing with Danny fucking Kay, that's my favorite line from the movie. You have to wait till the end of the film to get to it.

But he seems more present in this than the last two or three things we've watched, at least, And you know, the connection that he and Beverly DeAngelo have as these two characters is always enjoyable. And her I don't know how to properly you know this, this is what she married, and she's she loves him, and it's all good. But you know, at one point she's drinking the eggng there towards the end of the movie, she just throws the whole glass into the into the bushes, and I'm like, that kind of sums it up perfectly for me. Their relationship, and you know, whatever, he's going to do, whatever he's going to do, and go overboard. As Chris mentioned, everything he has to overdo.

When have I ever overdone anything? Russ He says at some point, And yeah, I mean, I guess it's it's oddly structured, and I think that comes with the idea of the ensemble and having so many people in this one. And we're still forever to realize that Diane Ladd was even in this movie. She's like so backgrounded for so long. It wasn't until the flashback and I was like, that looks the Diane Ladd when she's in Wild at Heart and yeah, and playing Lu's mom, you know, like the same thing that I was like, Oh wait, that is like John Randolph I got right away.

E. G. Marshall, Robert, Doris Roberts, you know, yeah, great, of course, Winning Hickey and then even you know, was it Betty who was yeah, Betty Boop totally yeah, but yeah, I was like, who is that woman? Then finally I was like, oh, okay, and dude, you're married to Beverly D'Angelo, who, in my book is ten hundred times maybe like, not to disparage Nicolette Scorsese, who I had to look up no relation to Martin Swiss. She's attractive, but she's not that attractive.

She's nowhere near Beverly diangelod Angelo is one of the hottest women that's ever lived. Yeah, I think we every time we watch one of these we come to the same conclusion as like, why would he be goofin with other women when you know. And you got that at home? Well, I'll tell you the final vacation film of the original ones finally does something I think a little bit more interesting and different with that. I think at times this movie is very successful and at other times this movie feels like an al Jaffy like sketch like collection of like sketches, like vignettes.

And that was that was the thing. I kind of again again this time watching it, because yes, I've seen this a lot, I mean almost every year at this point. The lack of connective tissue between a lot of the scenes hurts this movie because you could just watch a lot of it completely out of order, like just you know, this scene takes place chronologically after the scene and ties up what happens in this prior scene. But in terms of the overall narrative, it does nothing. It could be placed literally anywhere.

And they even have like a kind of like a pseudo framing device with the days before Christmas as a way to kind of explain or get you the audience to come along with the filmmakers. I mean, it's a good movie. It's a comedy from the eighties, so I don't expect much. However, to Mike's point and to your point, Mark. It's a movie that I as like kind of seared itself into at least the public conscious or the pop cultures.

I geist of a fair amount of people. It's not a small amount of people. It's not as much as he used to be. I don't know how much this movie is being brought along by people my age and younger, because that's the requirement, is you know, people either y'all's age or my age, continuing to get movies like this to be watched and not replaced by other Christmas movies. And I'm not saying other Christmas movies aren't better.

This is just, you know, a Christmas movie for a certain age of person. Like again, like, I'm not sure how this movie would play with someone in their like teens other than like the family of it all, which I get, and like that's kind of what this movie traffics in, is, like the holidays are fucked because families tend to be overwhelming, and like, I think that's probably where the lasting appeal of the movie is, is that kind of easy equation because they get a lot of mileage out of it. But ah, I disagree with y'all. I understand where you're coming from. Though I think that for me, Fletch is still the better chevy Chase performance in terms of the Vacation movies.

This is the best performance that he gives of the Vacation movie. I don't know. I still I still walk away from Fletch going I believe this. I mean, I believe him more in Fletch and in this movie. Again it's a little bit of a put on, Like chevy Chase is an asshole in Fletch, and it works in this movie.

Like I just have a hard time buying him as an asshole other than this like self inflicted assholeery, which is seemingly what's going on and has been going on in all these movies. Because again to Mike's point, why are you fucking around a Beverly di'angelo bozo? Like, what the hell? Well, he never he never fucks around a crop. So he goes my wife's divorced and dead.

He says it, I mean, it says it in the subside. Just to be clear, I didn't I didn't mean to say if it came out that way, that this is the best chevy Chase thing we've seen, just that for the last four or five films that we've watched. This is by far and one of the for me, one of the more enjoyable films that we've watched for the show. I definitely don't think it's better than the first National Lampoons Vacation. I don't necessarily think it's better in Caddyshack.

There are a lot that it's better than. But for enjoyment, for me, I could I could easily watch this every year. Half of the films that we've watched for this show I will never watch again, oh, regardless of regardless of Chevy Chase's performance in them, even it's just some of them are really awful movies despite or because of him, doesn't really matter. But you know, I about halfway through the movie, I'm like, what is this? What is this reminding me of this whole scenario of these two sides of the family and the house grandparents specifically.

I was like, Oh, yeah, this is pretty in pink times vacation. Well almost as the Sandals too, with the I mean sixteen candles, not pretty in pink, That's what I meant. Sixteen candles. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the fam both sides of the family coming in, taking over the kids rooms, sleeping in the kids' beds for for this big event, you know, and the two different kinds of families that they are, you know, ones always kind of trashy and the other is classy. And you don't get some get that from this Well we get it from Eddie, but that's it.

Yeah, we definitely we get it from Cousin Eddi. But Cousin Eddie's trashy to beget with. Like Cousin Eddie is is unto himself, his own thing, you know, Like he shows up, you know, almost halfway through the movie. His appearance is perfect though. That's one of my favorite parts, the.

Best part of the movie. Yeah, So that's the That's and I was gonna say, and that is my problem with this movie is this is for me much more. This is my one of my favorite Randy Quaid performances. And that's coming from someone who considers Freak to be one of his favorite movies. A performance that in that movie is I mean, I mean everything about that performance and Freaked is is wild.

But Cousin Eddie in this movie, every line that he has for the most part, or the mannerisms. There's head scene where they're drinking the eggnock together and he's just in chevy Chase's space, like up in his face, and you can just tell the chevy Chase like, get out of my fucking space. Not obviously is the actor, but as the character and one of my favorite. Lines in the movies. You know, I would be even more surprised if I woke up tomorrow my head was sewed to the carpet, which again perfectly encapsulates how someone like Cousin Eddie makes you feel at the holidays, which is like, oh my god, what what is this like psychotic person capable of I have no idea, but I am unfortunately now in their orbit for a small period of time, and that is cousin Eddie.

He was not invited, so that you know, it's true. He wasn't trying to get the whole family together to have this Griswold family Christmas. But you know, here he is. I love that they he mentions their older kids. He's which, well, since we have it's two new kids here, yeah it's Riswolds.

Yeah. So that kind of reinforces my thought that it's sort of a gag to have, you know, the swapping out of the kids all the time, I guess, and until we get to Vegas Vacation. I mean, does it the original Audrey return for that? No, no, no, no, it's the one it's two more people. It's Ethan Embury and I forget what the other actresses name.

She does return, though, for the one that I think is just solely Randy Quaid Death Noation too. Yeah, yes, Hawaiian Island Adventures. Yes she she returns for that. But by the way, we we did not, we did not require as a watch for this because we're not including that. So don't get any bright ideas, because well, here's the thing.

It doesn't have Chevy Chases, right, there's there's. That's the problem. Like it is. It is the best example of the worst kind of movie being made around the early two thousands, which is a quote comedy sequel unquote to a movie that a comedy that nobody asked for a sequel to. Because I don't know what what is left to be said with this movie that the next movie doesn't say is the funnier part because there's another movie in between now and then, Like with cousin Eddie and Chevy Chase and everything.

It's and it's with the actress from Vegas vacation who plays Audrey in that movie. So it's it's so bizarre, it's it makes zero sense. Well, you know, it's the whole thing. You have to see the scene where Fred Willard is injecting Randy Quaid with what was it like, a toxic waste to see how he fares against the monkey playing tic tac toe, which I'm curious if that's a nod to modern problems. I was curious if the all the sledge coming out of the sewer here is a nod to modern problems as well.

As soon as I saw the green sludge, I was like, oh, you better be careful. You might get psychic abilities if that gets on you. But to go back to what you're saying before, and just to also clarify, I don't think this is the best Chevy chase. Okay, so I misinterpreted, y'all. I just think that his performance is really fully formed, and I can see where you're coming from.

Like, I like Fletch as a character and as a movie a lot better than this. I will definitely watch Fletch again before I watch this movie, which much the chagrin of my in laws, apparently because they like to watch this one, and they also watch Home Alone. I was getting a lot of home Alone vibes from this twelve weeks because of John Hughes Angle, I guess and Chicago, even though this is fake, Chicago. Is fake, isn't it? My god?

So is the snow. You know, the snow is as fake as you can possibly get in this. Movie except in the opening scene. Oh you mean the animated sequence. No, no, no, no, the tree.

Yeah, I was, hey, didn't we talk what did we talk about? An animated sequence for last Funny Money? Oh? Funny Yeah, Yeah, this is great. Yeah.

You watch this movie and you think or I think about Funny Money, and I'm just like, oh my god, because it's kind of the same thing. It's a house where there's a lot of people running around. That one again felt so much like a play, and the outside felt so much like, you know, the backlock kind of thing. But this is so much better, and you're like, oh, just thinking about relief lunacy of like you know, the wife getting droke and the mob. Let's not stop stop reminding me.

He's so much happier with this, and I'm glad, like you know, Nicholas guests didn't turn out to be a secret mobster or some horseshit like that and said, he's just an asshole, that's all he is. There just you know, they're just a foil for his Oh yeah, they're there to put a pin on his dude. Margaret Dumal to his Marx brothers. Yeah, and do we need to know their history? Not?

Not really, It's obvious that they've lived there for a while and know that he's a goon, and they're straight laced and uptight and that's just what you have to deal with when you live around other people, unfortunately Herbs of nineteen eighties. Yeah, that opening, see, this is the thing for me. There are talking about the Christmas tree hunt. This Christmas tree weird opening. Scene and attack them come.

Yeah, that stunt just always blows me away. I love it when he pls under that semi truck. And there are moments in this movie that are so perfectly comedically time that I appreciate, and they come, you know, every ten minutes or so. There's one. So that's the first one for me.

And of course they're kind of recreation of the famous crash and the desert that they do in the first one, but they end up in the right spot this time, luckily, And you know, the whole thing of getting the tree and walking through the actual real snow in Colorado for that scene. But the other one that involves the snow is this never fails to get huge laugh out of me. Is the sled and you know this, it's shit. You know it's gonna go fast. But the way that they did that is so perfectly ridiculously fast, just a splits like a I don't even know one point in zero zero zeros are a one percent of a second and he's just gone.

And it gets me every time. And so those little, those little nuggets throughout the film, his performance being spot on in this one, and I I am, I gotta disagree. On a personal level, he will always be Griz Clark Griswold to me, the fletch stuff is not what I grew up with watching or whatever. And I know it's I get I always understand what you're saying, Chris, is that this fits his personality more the fletch stuff, the person of Chevy. You don't you don't buy him as a dad.

But I for me, that's the whole point of the Griswold family. Is that he's not a good dad, and he's not necessarily a good hush. He's not awful, he's not you know, he doesn't beat these people or anything like that, but he's he's out of his element and and overdoes it. And I think that's kind of why he overdoes it, is because this is not who he really is, and that, to me works. He's sort of the perfect guy to not be a good dad, right because you don't see Chevy Chase, and as I discussed on one of the episodes, apparently he is though a girl dad.

You know, he's got like three girls. He's been married to his wife for decades. And that's always a surprise to me to think about, Like, you don't hearing all these awful stories about Chevy Chase from just about everybody that he's worked with, and you're like, he must be just horrendous at home, and apparently he's not so. But those little touches throughout the film that the cat blowing up is just again, so it's like perfectly time, the woosh of the fire, when uncle the uncle sets off, the stories to Christmas Tree. That stuff tickles me.

And why I think I like this as much as I do. Well. Apparently Chris Columbus was supposed to direct this. It's just like I had such a bad time when I met Chevy Chase. I don't want anything to do with them.

Can you guys tell me a little bit about the attic stuff, because I think there were two addicts scenes in the script, and that might just be one addict script or one addict scene in the movie. He finds all those old gifts? Did he forget those up there? Is that what we're supposed to gather? Yeah?

Yeah, like when he did this, he's done this before, hiding, and he's hid them so well that he hasn't remembered to go back and get them. Yeah, all right. I was very confused by that. I was just like, why are these Mother's Day gifts up here? Why hasn't he given those to Beverly D'Angelo.

Yeah, And that's that's my understanding of it, is that he does this and then oh, then he doesn't remember to go get the gifts or he can't find them because he's hid them so well. All he has to do is has to do is walk up the steps and put them up there. I mean, no one else is going to be going up in the attic, right, so why he has to find a little crevice to shove them in. And that's really the only scene where we get the typical slapstick humor from him with the boards and I don't mind that scene so much. Well there's that.

There's a ladder scene as well. Well, yeah, looked very much like a certain friend of mine who recently had in it. Yeah that uh right, when he pulled that out, I was like, oh, yeah, there's ladder play in this, and I wasn't on that kind of it. I wasn't on that kind of ladder, but uh and not quite that high but just about when I had my little accident. So it was actually kind of giving me anxiety watching those scenes.

Wow, which I totally believe. That attic scene is also where we get to see Clark kind of reconnecting with his past with those home movies and everything. But again it's just like, well, Okay, you know, it's weird because I don't know, maybe it is the assholeishness of chevy Chase that's keeping me from really connecting with him as far as being like very into Christmas, because there are some people that are really into Christmas. Like, yeah, I've got a coworker who it's like October first, and she'll be like, Okay, it's now so and so many days to Christmas. It's like, lady, you need to wait.

We haven't even hit Halloween yet. We are nowhere near Thanksgiving. Like maybe we till November first, But even with the local radio stations around here, when they, you know, start pumping out their Christmas music, it's literally the November first. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, day after Thanksgiving then you are allowed, but not one minute beforehand. Yeah, it's not even that.

It's not even that. We don't even get the sense of that with Chevy Chase like that, I think, Mike, to your point, maybe my biggest missed opportunity is of all the things. And places for them to go. This is what you just say, Yeah, stay in her home. Yeah, stay at home.

I mean, like again, I get it, there is plenty to be mined at home. I'm not saying there isn't like we barely see their home life in any of the other movies, you know, two for Jack, you know, you know, one for Clark. We saw that in European Vacation, and then we saw a little bit of their home life in you know, the first movie when they were going to buy the car from Eugene Levy in actual Chicago in that movie, not fake Chicago in this movie. I think that's probably my one of my biggest kind of peeves about this movie is, like you said, the vacation of it all, it does kind of almost feel like it should have just been its own thing. But then, what do you call it when you've got you know, Chevy Chase to do it?

Yeah? Exactly. Yeah, I mean again. You're stuck with the title. I mean, there's no going around this.

Yeah, stuck with the title. And yeah, it almost it almost makes yeah to your point, both your points, Like it makes me wish that Eddie had been in European Vacation because it might have salvaged that movie, which I mean, again, I enjoyed it more than y'all, but even having Randy Quaid in it a little bit would have been great. And they clearly understand that because they brought him back for this movie. And this is only the third vacation, so he's in two of the three so far, and he's in the next one, so he's in three of the four, So European Vacation ends up being aside from the new remake, which is the one I'm leaving out, He's in three of the four Vacation movies, so his his not being in the European Vacation film does hurt that film overall one percent.

Because again, I think the best lines in this movie are Cousin Eddi's. I think the best characterization is Cousin Eddi because I believe that character, like that is Randy. That's just Randy Quaid, like like you said, Mark with the with the sledding where he's just like bingo, like you get some real nice clark like shit like that those lines you warned them. Yeah, like those those lines and that performance from Randy Quaid is just it's it's fantastic. But there is a issue again of this movie just kind of not feeling like a movie but more just like a bunch of vignettes because like, yeah, they go sled aging and they go they go like what Christmas boxes?

Can we check? Let's check them? Is kind of what this movie feels like, which I mean, you know, you know, you know, there are episodes of The Simpsons where they go to other countries and we have the same problem. Same with the vacation movies. It's like, at what point are we hewing to the formula?

No pun intended, there's no, it's not a story. It's not a three act structured film, these these movies, and I'm fine with that. I don't have to have that in every movie I watch. It's a vibe. Movie is a vibe more than anything else, right, And.

They throw in the bonus thing as are whatever. It's not a red herring, but. It's the through line of the movie definitely. As much as there is the pool. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, which sorry real quick, don't mean to interrupt you, Mark, But when he is looking out at the pool area and starts to have fantasies about that, and then the Mary from the store, uh, the Scorsese character comes back again in that fantasy totally like Phoebe Kates from Pep Kates, Oh shit, what's her name?

From Fast Time's a Richmond Hot? And then Klein's wife. Yeah, it's so reminded me of that scene. But when that little girl is downstairs and surprises him, I really expected him to turn away from that window and somehow for us to know that he's got a massive erection. I mean, totally inappropriate, but just like I really was expecting that, Like he's pressed up against that window.

I was just like, man, he's probably fucking that wall right now, think about brad Chick. But no, you know, and that SAME's the sweetest scene of the movie, is him with that little girl. Yeah, and I was thinking the same thing. And there is one point when her eyeline kind of goes down and I and I was expecting like a shocked face and I'm glad they didn't do that because wildly inappropriated with a child that age in the scene. But at one point it does look like she looks that way, and I was like, oh, and then it cuts like super fast.

I'm like, maybe they shot something weird and decided not to use it. I don't know, but yeah, that that would have been interesting for whatever. I don't even know what this film is rated. They get an effort in so on, assuming it's PG. Thirteen.

We don't get bever lea'angelo's tits in this one, so it's not our Oh I. Didn't give Beverlely d' angelo's tits and last one either. It was only the. First we did. It was just an implied tittage.

Yeah, it was the nurishing in the video, but we don't actually see it. Yeah, right, and there were the naked gals in the club that they go to. But I still think that one was was not our either, if I'm not mistaken. It was though, just the first one. Those breasts from air plane too.

It's still pugy fine. Yeah, but by eighty nine, I think if they had had four pairils of boobs in this, they would have been pushing it. Through two Reagan administrations wearing yestration. Now. Yeah, and hey, you know what we're all so, you know, some how in one day talking about a movie where they have Julia Louis Dreyfus as the villain.

Like wise, yeah, that is interesting. Sure, I guess, Well she's I mean again, like that's the asterisk. I mean again, like that's the that's the trailer. That's the only trailer that I'd see. The dey trailer I saw is that she's in the movie.

So she doesn't see that she is a person and she's a marvel villain, isn't. I mean the stuff that I've seen her in so far the show I can't remember what show she's in, Captain America the and. Winter Soldier Winter Soldier, yeah, or Falcon in Winter Soldier whatever it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then she shows up at the end of Black Widow and I think she's in a couple other things and it's like, yeah, what, I don't know what her motivation is.

I don't know who her character is, but yeah, it's so. I mean, this is pre Seinfeld Juli right, she's me snl oh, She's fantastic. Yeah, she's great. I mean like, I like, mean, like more to the point again, not to ruin anything, Like I like Melouis Drif's, Like, she's really good when they let her just be mean. She plays bitchy really really really well.

I didn't realize that Christopher Guest had a brother, and now I like, can't unsee it. I looked at it. I realize that everyone in a while. I see it on the face, but not that much like he's the look. On his IMDb page though, because that's how I realized.

And I'm like, Nicholas Guest as as Tony as Todd, and I'm like, who's this? I was. I hadn't watched the movie yet. And I'm like, well, he sure looks like Christopher Guest and sure enough, and it's in this it's hard to tell. Was it a Walter Hill movie that where it's like all the guys playing, yes, all the brothers.

Yeah, see in that too, was. It the Yeah, and Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid as well, the Carroting the Carroting brothers. And I remember seeing that on TV years ago on elemon It it's probably horse crap, but I loved it. Then I'm like, oh, they got all the brothers together anyway, Yeah, yeah, they look a lot alike in certain angle. At certain angles, it's like, oh yeah, I totally see it now.

Yeah. I wouldn't ever guess that in a million years. So just watching the. Movie, and I love the uh ice missile. It's one of my favorite gettings and all that's another one I will know.

Timing on those things is just like is perfect that thing just bazooka is out of there and credits through the window. I love it. Yeah. Yeah, even this. Movie that are just you know, it's we've it's it's part of the pop like the little the Wally World glasses that's like a thing now I mean you can buy that in ear rings, you can buy that as an ornament, you can buy it like literally to have like that.

You know, I have a pair of Clark Griswold Christmas vacation socks like and and one foot is him with like the Santa Alfan on and the other one is that like jacket that he's wearing with the pajamas that have the dinosaurs on them. Like that's again like this is a movie that has kind of again, parts of it have transcended the movie itself, like beyond what the what the movie ever could have anticipated? Oh you know, you know, I had no idea, Like I listened to We Hate Movies the podcast, and there are so many times where Andrew Jupin says bend. Over and I'll show you and I'm yeah, which I say, well, yeah, exactly, say that fairly often as well. And there's there's a line I'm like, oh, okay.

I say, yeah, but it has nothing to do with this movie. Yeah yeah. And I really even like the reveal of cousin Eddie that they get the the lights all lit up and then that great thing going around and everybody they's so happy about stuff, and then they like comes over and it says hello to Ed and he's got Catherine there with them. I think that's her name. His wife barely in the movie, but I think the daughter is in the movie more than she is.

Yeah, I mean, what could possibly ruin this moment for him? Right right? And there he had, Yes, he's had his moment of playoff. Yeah, he finally got it. Well, he didn't finally get it to work.

He thinks he finally got it to work. And it's beautiful. And I mean, I think Homer Simpson definitely owes a lot to Clark Griswold because the moment of him lighting up the tree, I mean it's basically like I mean, for Homer though his like display is absolute garbage, you know. And then you like look next door to the Flanders and there's Flanders with like, you know, crazy amounts and they probably are all synced up to music and all that kind of stuff. I'd the owle neighbor like that kind of stuff.

And it's like, but so Clark being able to succeed, But yeah, it is like one of his few moments of triumph, Like he does actually have a few in this movie, which is surprising that he gets his bonus, or is supposed to get his bonus, that he the lights actually do come on, that it ends up being a decent Christmas for him. I mean, it's very I don't think it's mistake that they're playing It's a Wonderful Life on TV at the beginning, because it's kind of that moment towards the end, you know, with Zuzu's pedals and all that stuff, where it's like, all right, God bless us all of it, you know, and the whole thing of like him at the end, like the final line I did it, Like he has succeeded. This is like the one time where Clark was wolved, like really comes out on top.

This is the summer of Clark. Yeah, he does. And it's nice to have that in, you know. I mean, it's fun when everything goes wrong and blah blah blah. But and that might be why they cut the final scene that I was talking about.

There's two final scenes after his moment of triumph. Everyone's going to bed and everyone everything's good, you know, having visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads and all that stuff, and then he ends up seeing what's the dog's name Snots and Not gives him a very let's say, longing look and ends up humping his legs where the end and he basically just accepts it. Clark is just like, okay, letting it, let it ride out. Yeah, you gotta let him finish, you know, come on. That's what because of Eddie said when it started.

Just let him finish. And then there is a post credit scene. I recently watched a video on YouTube about post credit scenes, and you know how Marvel's ruining the world because of post credit scenes. Oh my god, you know, call the police. There was supposed to be a post credit scene where, you know, the way I think it's in the movie, the way that the explosion Jennisons up the sleigh and reindeer and you see them up in the sky burning and everything.

Well you get to see when they come down and they come crashing down on Todd Marco's bedroom of course, wishing each other Merry Christmas and holding each other. So, yes, it does. I was, and Nick Fury showed out there at the end. Exactly, Yes, we're gonna put you in vacation to cousin Eddie's Island or whatever that is. Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure.

Island Adventure. Yeah, it is, it is. Yeah, it's an affront to what one would consider Again, I mean, you know, comedies in the mid two thousands were I don't know, with the advent of DVD, from changing the vhs to DVD, a lot of things that really had no right in being as popular as they are got really popular. So there was a. Possibility that Christmas Vacation two might just, you know, stumble into being a fun movie.

That's not what happened, though. Like you know, I think of a movie like Grandma's Boy that came out literally nobody saw it in theaters, but it had a massive life like lifespan on DVD because of the advent of DVD, and I think that's what they were trying to do with that movie. I watched some clips from it, I have seen it. I actually own it on DVD, which is again like not a thing anyone else should be doing. But I bought it from I was like, they're a blockbuster Hollywood video that was closing because it's in the packaging of one of those stores like that, like certain plastic slipcover and when you open the box, it's like I said, it's either Hollywood Video or Blockbuster, but it's.

Not a good movie. And again, like this movie, I don't know how you would make a sequel to this movie without just doing the same thing again and just calling it vacation Vegas vacation. So that's why I don't even understand why why did you? Why did the world meet? A Christmas Vacation sequel that has nothing to do with Christmas that's then set on an island and it isn't f Clark Griswold right exactly?

Is it because Rusty always says we should have gone to Hawaii? Is that why they do it? No? I know, I think he says that in the first movie and says it in this one. I think, to Mike's point, it's probably just the money, money, money of it all.

Yeah, it's I mean, it looks like I was made for about a dollar fifty eight, so it's very very cheap looking. Yeah. It kind of reminds me of another National Lampoon property that was a club dress. No, that's not club, that's not that's not that's. Another like there's another National Lampoon island vacation one though, isn't there.

Well, there's all there. There's a lot of those like again, like in the mid two thousands, they were just making all kinds of movies and throwing the National Lampoon's name and Wilder wild Man. Wilder's fun. Then Wilder too, wild. By Wilder is very fun.

I will completely with that, right. It's like it's like one of the best things Ryan Reynolds did at that time, Like I in a lot of ways, you know, he's been he's been playing that character since, like oh boy. But there were a lot of a lot of National Lampoon stuff that came out in those like two thousands, like the twentousands to the twenty ten's. Like that were just awful. Like no, like Orpoons the Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell from two thousand and six.

I wish that was a real movie. It is a real movie that I'm making. It sounds like you put it into chat GPT because of the specific line from Christmas Vacation the Threshold of Hell line. Oh yeah, no. No.

There's also there's a great thing called National Lampoon Presents Robodoc. That's robo doc, which should not be confused with the documentary about RoboCop. This is about a robot doctor. So yes, right, one came up quite a blightful Yes, yeah. National Lampoons everybody making quality films since when the hut off is Christmas Vacation, Animal House?

Yeah, Animal House to. Christmas Vacation maybe yeah, well I mean again, I why actually I take it back loaded, weapon isn't there? Yeah? Yeah, I was gonna say, I was I say, I like at least parts of Vegas Vacation. It does check a box more than this movie does, which is we go somewhere and boy, the vibe of nineties Vegas is strong with that movie, which was the every family must go to Vegas families are Welcome in Vegas, which was like the strangest thing ever.

Yeah. So again, like I would say, probably the National Lampoons movies stopped being good after Vegas Vacation, which is the last oh unquote mainline vacation movie before we get that again reboot that just calls itself vacation, not National Lampoons vacation, just vacation. So yeah, you know, I I don't know if twenty years from now we'll still be talking about Christmas Vacation as much we will, you think, so, I think the other I think that No, I think that other things will replace it, like I think things like Elf, things like I don't know, other contemporary things come out that I think people are more interested in, and like the anachronisms in this movie are going to kind of fall even further out of like favor.

You know, people aren't gonna remember what SAS magazine has very much. But I mean looking into it spoking cigarettes indoors. I yeah, I remember Assassin Magazine. I never looked at it with the flashlight undercovers. I did try that that's sexy wasn't a maxim because Saxy and SAS was pretty good and did some good journalism.

But yeah, I think you're right because unfortunately, Uncle Joe and David aren't getting any younger. They're kind of like the people that I know that love this movie. So yeah, maybe once this older generation passes away. Yeah, I mean, but I'm still holding out for like, you know, the U A Christmas story, like that's my Christmas movie. Yeah, it comes to these, you know, but I know christmasification.

There's a lot of other people's Christmas movie. But yeah, to your point, Chris, I don't know if young people are watching this one as much. Maybe I just don't you know, connect with that. Yeah, you know, I wondered that as well. I ask, you know, during the holiday time.

I think we talked about it last year when we did some of Richard's stuff, like what are holiday movies that people care about? And I would always kind of ask the people in my life that last year, and this movie came up a lot. I mean, this is not just a movie that I've watched a lot, and it's not just a movie that Mark has seen a fair amount of times. It's a movie that a lot of I mean again, has a cottage industry surrounding it really does of like things that you can buy, you know, merchandizing T shirts, you know, all kinds of stuff and like it not, you know, not just at the holiday time. I mean, you know, there's there are just some movies from the eighties and nineties that are merchandized to hell, and this is one of them, just like Ghostbusters, just like Caddy Shack.

I'm trying to think they're like a couple other movies that are just like merchandise to hell. Even now, like Where's the Airplane merchandise, right, Like, where's the naked gun merchandise? But I can tell you all the Christmas acation merchandise that I'll see at Marshals and Home Goods at the holiday time because they're gonna have a fuck ton of it because they always do, and that's the Christmas of it all. And I think maybe that's where this like has the the chance to stick it out is because it is a Christmas movie. So the argument against can also be the argument for.

Uh, but you know this movie, Like I could also see people just being like, I'm sick of this fucking movie because I see it every year and I'm bombarded with constant stuff, even in twenty twenty five from this movie, Like you said, Mike, like you hadn't seen it until now. Yeah, my wife is so not happy with me watching this movie. She's like, I was like, what did David and Joe show it too much during the holidays? No, I've seen I've seen it before. I'm like how many times?

Oh once, I'm like oh wow, And you're niece. Like, okay, it's not a perennial classic like Home Alone, maybe since that was the very next year. They're very close and you know, time as far as when they were made, and it wouldn't it. I don't think it is stuck like that as far as people's annual viewings. Maybe, but yeah, I mean Chris has a good point.

You do you don't see Home alone merch, do you. I mean there's there's been bobbleheads and. There's like yeah, and there's like a Lego set. There's a Lego set of the house. But I mean, like nobody else socks.

Yeah, we're moving there from that? Is that walling World cups or whatever. There's that cameo in the second one, and I think that guy in the cameo ended up being like doing other stuff. There was a guy with the orange hair. The kid asked some directions, is.

The best actor in the second movie? I heard he's in the best in the greatest saying the only scene worth watching an entire vim? Could I talk real quick about the music for this movie? Howay? No?

How surprised it was by Angelo? By the Lamente. Yeah, I had probably already started working with Links at this point. If now it was very soon, Okay, he he did, that's right, right. I really think of the renaissance of you know, Twin Peaks and industrial symphony and hotel room and those kind of things.

But yeah, that's right. You'd done the score for Blue Velvet and then pretty good music here though, the music when Clark is sledding, I'm just like, what the fuck is this? It was like the weirdest music for I was like, this doesn't really fit. But and I have to say, I never thought I'd be sing this out loud, but I kind of miss Lindsey Buckingham like that. Yeah, a Staples song wherever it is from the beginning and end, I'm just like, this really isn't hit me.

I mean, I'm sure this is hitting it for somebody. This probably works for someone, but not me. Yeah, it's all right. I think they were really pushing for that Christmas you know, anthem type thing that would would be perennial for people. I like the Ray Charles song in there.

That is good. Yeah, And I was a prim like oh yeah. When they started playing, I was like, oh yeah, I remember always enjoying this when it comes on. I mean I don't I don't think i've heard the song any at any other point, but yeah, angel little bit, didn't he do Chris am I mistaken. Didn't he do the score for Parenthood?

I think so sounds yeah yeah, because. I think that movie I would send forever. But I remember like kind of a lot. Yeah yeah, Chris and I did an episode on it for my show a while back. Yeah, fantastic.

Speaking of Randy Quaid, I mean, if you want to have Randy Quaid as a lead, that's how you go. Man, one fuck up, one fucked up? Weirdo? Wait, parent, no tring about parents? Parents?

I was not to say, like, wait a second, no parents? Yeah? Parents? Yeah. Yeah, I'm like, we're uh what the second?

Yeah yeah, sorry, no. No, that's fine, Okay, Now I have to look up who did Parenthood the soundtrack? But yeah, yeah, yeah, there's a good movie to Parents. Yeah. Parents.

I was talking about Parents, But Parenthood is a fun movie too. But Parents is a good Randy Quaid performance as well. But I think again, like it's more of like the sinister that this lacks. And I think in a lot of ways like that's you know, I don't know, Randy Quaid's kind of been playing this character since the last Picture show. Like again, just like a good.

Old boy, but to what level of good old boy? Yeah? Common Clay, you know, a moron, man, He's kind of that in the last detail even. Yeah, I mean one of the only things he's not is the freaked He's like, he's literally the ring master in Freak but he's still kind of an idiot in FREAKD. Like, you know, I don't know Randy wid hashend stay too.

Yeah, well, oh god, yeah. So much of my online like life has been tied to the name that I use online to play video games, which is Eagle twenty Fox two, which comes from a scene with Randy Quaid in Independence Day. Like, I don't know something about Randy Quaid. His performances are so I would say naturalistic is probably the word I would use. I just don't know if he's ever playing a character, if he's just not playing himself, and you know, yeah, good or bad.

I don't know. He used to do on Twitter as Ourfucker's baby, Oh my god, I remember those Those were some while I've never thought I want to see Randy Quaid's ass, and I've seen it, old man, Randy Quaid's ass. Yeah, yeah, yeah, give me the last details Randy Quaid's ass, but not this one. Oo. Yeah, and that big fucking beard that he's wearing.

It just looks like a homeless prophet, just like Jesus Mike. That just reminds me of the other thing that tickles me is when he touches that I don't know what that whirlingig thing is that mobile and it just amragingly falls. A lot, honestly for me in touch. The thing that we haven't talked about enough. I feel like, is U is great?

Gregs guy years fucking William Hickey is just Unhe in this movie so good? He's always so good. Yeah, yeah, uh oh he's in a movie with is he in that movie Peter Fonda? And is it ninety two degrees in the Shade? Is he am?

I thinking of that movie? It could be Yeah, and he and like even back then that was I think in the seventies. It's like, oh man, he's been old forever. He's been Oh yeah, we talked about him. I think he's a wise blood the youhn Houston fell.

Oh maybe That's what I'm thinking of. Yeah, and he looks so incredibly old in that even though Yeah, and then he's like what they say I was reading in the Trivia's like twenty years younger than the woman that played Betty Boop, the grandmother or the aunt I should say, and it it's like, oh, well, sure doesn't look it. I mean, especially if he's got the bald cap and the the toupee and everything. I was like, that's that's nice. I'm trying to remember.

There's one line that makes me laugh a lot. I think it's when they're having dinner. And it's not the line of you know, working on a bone or whatever, which I've heard of I don't know how many times. Oh yeah, yacking on a bone. So yacking out a bone.

Thank you, yacking on a bone. I was just yacking on a bone. Clark was is he talking about like aliens or something? And then Eddie's like, really Clark, And like just Clark's reaction to that is great, I mean pretty Again, I think the movie for me really succeeds when it's Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid on screen together, you know, And obviously, I mean it's the it's the dichotomy between the two characters. And obviously also I mean again, Shitter's full stuff like that, you know, the snobs versus snobs of the movie.

I do appreciate. Yeah, like I'm glad that there is some of that caddy shack niss to the movie of having you know, kind of you know, you have cousin Eddie back and like that you can have a built in like pressure point there. Yeah, I I this might I was controversial, but I think this is probably my favorite vacation movie. I for me. Don't you think that's controversial.

Yeah, I like a lot of people's favor I. Yeah, but I but the problem is, like the original Vacation is also really good. So it's like, you know, like I don't know if I like it more in the first one or not. Oh boy, that's tough. But see it's you know, the first one's really good.

It's like they are parts of that first movie. You know, was quoting it as recently as yesterday. He kept up for about twenty five miles, and then his little legs gave out, Like I quoted that movie as recently as yesterday, Like you know, they I don't know, Like the problem with these vacation movies, at least this one, in the original one, is I think they almost both make a case for like needing like this is a one A this is the one B to that movie's one A and then Vegas and European are kind of like the you know, offhand ones like, oh, you like Vegas vacation maybe, or you like European vacation. But I think the original and this one are the only ones where it's like, I think you could make a case that these are like, you know, comedies that will continue, hopefully to stand the test of time maybe because again, traveling with your family on in the summer and traveling to be with your family over the holidays are two things that people are still doing up until now, so you know, until they take that away too.

I mean that is a real I like, the ess of these Christmas movies is the we're going to visit my family, but it's usually the protect agonist is the son or the daughter, We're going to visit my family for Christmas kind of thing. So this idea of people coming to them is kind of different, and you don't see that all the time. So yeah, I mean, yeah, I can complain and be like, oh, well they shouldn't have called a vacation blah blah blah, but I mean it's different the vacation for someone Well, I think that's how way better than some other Christmas movies like Mixed Nuts. I think that's probably one of my least favorite of all time. Or what was that one with Ooh Robert Towny Junior.

We were in Jody Foster. Do you remember that one? Isn't it like a dark, dark comedy one? Kind of yeah? I like the edge of the first film, I think more than there's no real edge in this one.

No, that's going back backtracking to that point, like I like. I like that it's a little launchy and stuff. So it was directed by Jodie Foster. It was Holly Hunter as the main character. I'm with you, Begley.

I think that that the first movie's edge, I think is what this movie is lacking. But I also think it's probably allowed to not have it because it's a family thing. But I wish it. It's a holiday film, you. Know, it can't be as mean, I guess, which seems I don't know.

That's kind of a bummer in my mind, kind of a missed opportunity because they kind of pull back on Chevy Chase. I mean again, they pull back on him being as bad as he is in vacation, Like he's bad in vacation. Right, he's a he's an idiot, and I was. I just wanted to point it out. I was correct about William Hickey being in ninety two Degrees in the Shade And if you haven't seen that movie, you should fucking see it.

It's crazy. I got a direct that movie. I think I own it, but I haven't ever watched. That directed by the guy that wrote Rancho Deluxe, which is another amazing movie with Jeff Bridges and who's his partner and that the guy from Law and Order Terry orbut no, no, no, no, Sam Waterston, Harry Dean Stanton and uh yeah, ninety two Degrees in the Shade though it was crazy and wily Mickey's great and then Bridges Marit of the Senate and Warren Oates just a wacko movie. Fucking great.

Anyway, real quick, I wanted to say the whole thing with the crazy ant and the wrap it upper Cat or Jello Bowles. She wrapped it from danagechat. Yeah, it is a great line. I mean it kind of reminds me of some of my relatives where it's like, for years I was getting used books from one of my relatives and it's like, quit giving me your garbage, you know, like I appreciate the idea of giving books, but also it was like, hey, listen, I've known you for twenty years now, maybe you should know my taste and stuff. The stuff you're giving me is just looks like cast offs from the bargain table at the library.

I really don't need this in my life, Thank you very much. Like you can't give me used books as your main gift to me. That's more of a here's a brown paper bag. I'm bringing it with me to Christmas. Go through it and pick out any books you might like.

That's how you do it. You don't give used books as a Christmas gift. I'm just putting that out there. If your family's listening, some backed up you know trauma there right. Yeah, Jesus, I've gotten I've gotten stuff where it's like, yeah, I know you got this last year from somebody and you've just had it in your house for a year and now you're giving it to me.

So thank you. Thank you for the remote caddie that doesn't fit on our couch. Dad. Wow, another oddly specific thing, Jesus, Christ guys, send me a. VHS rewinder all how grateful I am, thank you.

Wow. Do you guys have a lot of unresolved trauma we're dealing with right here on this episode of the show. Lots of Christmas gifts that were kissing people off. Oh god, yeah, yeah, well, I mean that's I mean, isn't that the whole thing about this movie? Like that's the whole point of the movie, Like the holidays are just yet another opportunity to be disappointed.

Oh yeah, I mean it's like Clark into that turkey, you know, I mean, how disappointing is I hope. It tastes half as good as it looks. And then it's another one of those beats that kills me every time. Just perfect, just perfect. Oh yeah.

And it's just the way it opens. The disgusting prop I've ever seen in my life. Just the yeah, the shit inside that looks like almost spider webs or something. Yeah, the cy this and then everybody, yeah, the. Wristle and French crunch.

Chevy Chase's face and he's like, like, I don't know what, he's swishing the turkey around in his mouth or swishing water around his mouth get rid of the taste of they. Like, yeah, and then when he eats the Joe that's got the cat food in us. Yes, we get some pretty good we get some good Chevy Chase mugging in this movie. A couple good momentary mugging moments for sure with mister Cheffi Chase. Like I said, I think it's probably his best performance.

And of all these movies we've watched, I'm like, Okay, yeah, you're really you're nailing this role. And I appreciate that he is. He is present. I think you I think, yeah, Begley, you said it best, Like he really is more present here than he has been in fucking most things we've seen. And you know, some of the things I.

Can't exactly blame him for not being present for, like Caddish to. Money or and you know this, however, like I'm glad he showed up for this, because this is worth showing up for. This is that good. I mean, it has its problems, but I think that, you know, I think that the quotability outweighs what problems this movie might have overall. And I think the movie has kind of shown it, you know, it's it has escaped the gravity of you know, the National Lampoon's name.

And I think it's become a Christmas movie now, which I think is more important for it in terms of longevity, would be for it to be seen as a Christmas movie less a National Lampoons movie. Oh yeah, it's not the National Lampoon Isn't. Isn't front and center even on the posters release kind of. Know what even calls a national input It is called Christmas Vacation, You know what I mean. It's it's in between the poster, at least the main poster with him being electrocuted.

It's in between his name and the title of the movie. So it's kind of like, you know, it's it's not that important the other ones that's right on top of the title, right, National Lapoon's Vacation, National Lampoons, European Vacation. It's not on there at all for Vegas vacation. So what I the line that I was talking about before it was Wendy says, I heard on the news that a pilot spotted Sanda sled on its way from New York really Clark, Yeah, where Randy Quay That's just like what yeah? And then he likes out of my fucking really man like for him him trying to figure out how to fold his hands.

Oh yeah, they're gonna say that for Yeah. I love those little things like oh I'm putting in a pool, I can't swim, Clark, I know, Eddie, I know. Yeah, he has the best, like the Throwaways are the best. And you know, we we we went, we mentioned him, but we didn't really talk about him a whole lot. Juliet Lewis and Johnny Galecki.

Yeah, Big Bang Theory's. Own oh ship that is okay? Yeah? Yeah, literally the fucking what whatever? I forget Leonard from Big Bang Theory.

He never has to work again, you know what I mean? Forever? Yeah, right, good for him. I'm on a commercial though last night with her. They're on a commercial together acting like their husband and wife, and I'm like.

Oh, hey, I just watched I just watch him and Juliet Lewis. No, no, no, him and the girl from Big Bang Theory. It was kind of Hailee Kwako Yeah Kaylee Quaker Iowa No, I don't remember what he I mean. But Adam Juliet Lewis NEPO baby, but probably one of the better NEPO babies. I mean, coming from you would know, I mean, how many people even know she's a NEPO baby, right, who knows always Lewis LUs lives, who knows Jeffrey Lewis in this in this world?

You know? It was like, I mean, I know the three of us do, but I think by. The time big thing for her, I mean like before yeah, like, yeah, she was in Meet the Allow Heads and my stepmother is an alien, but like nineteen eighty nine, I mean she she was kind of up there with like Parker Posey as far as like queen of the Indies, you know, and like queen of the mainstream stuff too, like National Natural Born Killers and California. I mean, she used to be in some of My Fear. Oh yeah, what's edon Gilbert Great?

Yeah, Hate Fear was really put her on the map hole shit. Yeah, I mean that was two years after this. I mean, and I I know that I had seen all those movies you just mentioned before I saw this because I was surprised when I saw her. Introduction for me was Cape Fear, And then I saw California theater. I saw Natural Morren Killers in the theater.

Yep, what's eton Gilbert Grape. I didn't see that in the theater, but I saw it, you know, when it came out on video, and so I had stuff. I was seeing California Romeo's Bleeding. I didn't see Husbands and Wives. She's fantastic in Husbands and Wives too.

What was the other I even saw? I mentioned Mixed Nuts earlier. She was in Mixed Nuts and I saw at the fucking theater. How was I able to go see all these movies during the nineties when I was in college. I guess it was because I was working at a movie theater.

Hey, yeah, and yeah, so he's from Dustill Dawn. Fuck and then oh, sorry, from dust Till Dawn, Jesus. From Magnum Opus the other sister, Oh that happens open up. You know. I had seen her in all those before I ever saw this, because I was like, oh, my god, she's in this.

This must have been one of her firsts or whatever. And then him I didn't recognize until years later seeing it and going, oh, you know, it's a big bang theory kid. But at the time that I saw it, I don't think I knew who he was. But yeah, that just I think reinforces my personal theory that it's just kind of a goof that they do that. They constantly recast the kids, especially with Randy Quaid mentioning his kids from the first film being older.

Tessays I'm the best kisser. Yeah, yeah, I always get Johnny Galachi and okay, uh, do you guys remember Men in Black three? Did anybody watch? Yeah, the space Alien that Knows the Future? Wow?

So the guy from A Serious Man, A Serious. Man, Michael shool. School barg Yeah, he's a doctor Strange's friend in the MCU movies or he like his Matt, He's like mad at him. And remember in Multiverse of Badness, like sitting in the audience together, he's like, both of my cats died and he's like, oh yeah, I lost people too, like, which was a really weird scene. So you get Michael Stolebargain.

Johnny Galleci confused, I do. They kind of looked like one another. Yeah, I think shape of their jawline or something. So yeah, I don't. I don't know why that is.

But when I was watching Men in Black three, I was like, Oh, it's that dude from uh from The Big Bang Theory. Yeah, yeah, no, Johnny Galecki, Baby, yeah, I love that. I think I mean, is fantastic. Yeah, I see him and he's always so good. I don't know Johnny Galecky for anything other than this, you know what I mean, Like it's this and Big Bang Theory and that's it.

He also reminds me a little bit of Dan Levy for some reason. Maybe see eyebrows. Ah, yeah that I can see. Yeah yeah, no, But I'm kind of I kind of want to keep talking about this movie just in order to delay us having to watch the next movie we're going to be talking about, because I'm I'm dreading the next episode. I was, I was actually looking forward to seeing National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation just because it is so much the part of the popular culture.

But nothing but trouble. Fuck me, that's what. Fuck you, fuck me, fuck all of us, because it's I've already done an episode on it, guys, It's good boy, I've worked. I'm going I'm very curious about it. And no my my my co host on Cambridge and with Sean Is.

He keeps asking when I'm like, dude, we haven't even recorded it yet, and once we recorded, it's going to be another six months before it comes out. So he's he is and anticipating it the Cambridge to you with Sean, Yes, right, which one of us is? Which? All right? Yeah, give me a badge and you and yeah, he can't wait.

So we got at least one person anticipating that episode. No, we're going to be joined by Father Malone on that episode, who will probably spend part of his time defending the film. I'm sure he will. I'm looking forward to finally watching it. But I have a feeling this is gonna be one that I chunk up over a week.

I think here, it's gonna be one where when we get back on the next episode and we talk about nineteen ninety one's Nothing but Trouble, Mark's gonna go. I don't want to record with you guys anymore. I'm done. I'm done. I'm not just done.

I'm fucking done, thank you very much. But we will be joined. I'm close a couple of times. We know that's we keep tempting the man. Send for the man, don't tempt him, don't tempt him.

Oh my god. But uh yeah, until then, until we come back and talk about nineteen ninety one's nothing but trouble, where can people find you? And the things that you work on Mark Begley. You can find my two shows Wikipivy and Cambridge with Sean Over on Weirdingwaynewedia dot com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. Mike White, writer of The White Lotus.

Where can people find you? Well, you can find most of my work on HBO, which is now called Max. We've changed our color scheme now from blue and white to kind of a gray, which is really out catching that Roku screen. Yeah yeah, I mean I mentioned Parker Posey. Parker and I have had a great time shooting that last season.

So yeah, just check me out there. Don't forget that Chuck and Buck is still available on DVD. And if you want to check out what the other Mike White does, he does a podcast called the Projection Booth Podcast. The guy that you're often confused for Mike White, the guy who does the podcast. Oh yeah, we're all confused me.

You can find me at Weirdingwaymedia dot com, where all the podcasts I work on can be found. But more importantly, the shows that I don't appear on can be found, like adestv Ladies like Projection Booth, like Cameron je and Mashan Wake Up Heavy Midnight viewing. I could continue, but you should take the opportunity to just go over there and look and listen to some episodes of weirding Way Media's audio offer because it is something that a lot of us spend a lot of time doing, and we're here for you. We make the content for you. It's not like we don't enjoy watching movies.

That's the secret. We hate. We actually hate watching movies. So that's the we're letting you in on. It's you stuck around to the end of this episode.

Now you know the truth. So you know, I kid, I kid. We'd be doing this even if nobody listened, which is, you know, possibly also the case. I mean, I don't think they have too many listeners for this one. Well, you know, I don't want to be doing pretty good.

Yeah, it's doing pretty well. Yeah, All of a sudden, Mike White is the Richard HadAM of this show where nobody. Listens to this thing? God, where have I heard that before? And yeah, as always, like rate and review this show on iTunes, like rate and review any content you get.

Interact with content creators, be it either on Patreon or on iTunes or YouTube, wherever you get your content interact with the content creators because they appreciate it, and uh yeah, they being us because we're part of that group of people. So yeah, well, we'll be back next month to talk about nothing but trouble and around the bend on the last kind of handful of movies for the Chasing Chevy Chase podcast. Thank