Comedy  •  1989  •  97 min  •  Teen (13+)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation poster

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Political: Center
Diversity: Low
Christianity: Positive

Viewer Rating
6.7

Overview

It's Christmastime, and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration. But things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen, and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going, knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon.


Starring Cast

Chevy Chase  •   Beverly D'Angelo  •   Juliette Lewis


Where to watch

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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Traditional

Primary

Political: Center
Confidence: High

The film primarily explores universal themes of family, holiday stress, and the pursuit of an idealized Christmas, critiquing consumerism and corporate stinginess without advocating for specific political solutions, ultimately emphasizing the importance of human connection over material perfection.

Diversity: Low
Confidence: High

The movie features traditional casting with a predominantly white ensemble and does not include intentional race or gender swaps of established roles. Its narrative centers on the comedic challenges of a traditional family holiday, presenting traditional identities in a neutral or positive light without explicit critique.

Secondary

Christianity: Positive
Confidence: High

The film, while satirizing the commercialism and stress of modern Christmas, ultimately affirms the holiday's underlying positive values of family, goodwill, and togetherness. The 'spirit of Christmas' that Clark Griswold desperately seeks, rooted in Christian tradition, is eventually found amidst the chaos, without critiquing the faith itself.

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or themes. The narrative centers entirely on the traditional, heterosexual Griswold family's holiday mishaps, resulting in no depiction of queer identity.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a holiday comedy centered on the Griswold family's chaotic Christmas. The film does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes, nor does it address gender identity in its narrative.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

This film features established characters from the 'Vacation' series. While some roles were recast, the gender of each character remained consistent with their prior portrayals. No characters were depicted with a different gender than previously established in the franchise.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

This film is a sequel within an established movie series. All returning legacy characters maintain their previously established racial portrayals, and no new characters contradict any prior canonical or historical racial depictions from source material.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

6.7

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
7.5
The Movie Database logo
7.2

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
7.2
Metacritic logo
4.9

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