Rating: 
Summary: Great film, but a bad dvd
Review: This is in my top comedies list, but this is a poor dvd transfer. Since I've worn out two vhs versions, and dvd doesn't deteriorate, and it's fairly cheap, I am happy I bought this disc. Sort of.Video: 2/5:Although it is better than vhs (slightly), the grain is too excessive at times.
Audio: 1/5: Needs serious restoration. Awful fidelity, and too strident. And the mono sound is not my cup of tea.
Special Features: 1/5 Really noting, unless you like trailers and still photos.
DVD: 4/15 total. Needs to be re-released, and where are those missing scenes? Some are chooped up, so the dvd runs like a tv version. A great film to see, but watch the unedited one on tape. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and God Bless America!
Rating: 
Summary: great comedy movie, but poor transfer to DVD
Review: The tranfer to DVD is mediocre. If you already have this in VHS, don't waste your money.
Rating:
Summary: Comedy Classic--Chevy Chase at his best!
Review: First of the Vacation movies is by far the best. Truly original and very funny. I was laughing so hard the first time I saw this I hurt myself. Film chronicles the summer vacation of Clark Griswald and family on their sojourn from Chicago--the Windy City--to WallyWorld, California--a ficticious amusement park, sort of a cross between Disneyland and 6 Flags Magic Mountain (where the park sequences were filmed). The hard working and earnest Clark decides to take his family in the "family truckster" to California, making the pilgrimage to everyone's favorite amusement park, WallyWorld. Every calamity imaginable happens along the way, e.g., wife Bev Dangelo loses her suitcase containing birth control devices, an aunt dies, the aunt's poor dog is left tied to the back of the car, the car is wrecked. However, along the way we get to see Bev Dangelo naked in the shower, Clark's fling with Christie Brinkley, and many historic and amusing sites along the way. John Candy has a great cameo at the end of the film. Film is funny from beginning to end.
Rating:
Summary: Just Like Then....
Review: I laughed until I cried. Just like it was my first time veiwing this movie. This is my favorite of the vacations movies. Chevy Chase is just delightful. When he will stop at nothing to show his family a good time. DVD quality is excelent too. Great Buy.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect summer, road trip movie
Review: The first of the "Vacation" movies and probably the funniest of the bunch. Chevy Chase stars in this movie about a family of four who decide to take a mid summer, cross country drive from Chicago to LA to the Wally World amusement park(which is really Six Flags Magic Mountain). Along the way they encounter all sorts of bad luck and irate people which at the same time makes this movie so funny. The farther they get the wackier Griswold acts. Written by John Hughes and casted very well, there are a lot of great actors in this movie including Christie Brinkley,Anthony Micheal Hall, Beverly DeAngelo, Randy Quaid, and more. One think I've found dissappointing with this is the lack of extras with the DVD. If you've ever driven across country or been on Vacation with your family you'll love this movie. Even if you've lived in an Igloo your whole life, you'll probably still love this movie.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT Film....The DVD Is Disappointing...
Review: Who hasn't heard of Vacation? The funny, humerous, slapstick comedy that proves that you just can't have the perfect family road trip without running into problems. This movie focuses on the Griswolds, led by Clark, a father of two and a husband to a beautiful but nagging wife, Ellen. Summer fever has just hit, and the family is ready to go on a marathon trip all across America to Wally World...a funpark in California. Clark has the whole trip planned out--he ordered a new car, made a map of the EXACT routes they were to take, and even timed events for watching scenery. The first problem occurs when Clark orders the new car, but the car wasn't ordered, so he's forced to take another car (after his current car gets destroyed for parts right after he drops it off), named the "Super Sportswagon, the family roadster" instead of the metallic blue sporster vehicle that he ordered. "I'm no fool," he says....HA! Wait until he gets going on the trip! Vacation, in a nutshell, is a hilarious disaster waiting to happen. One thing that disappointed me though, was the DVD version of this film. The DVD has almost NO options...a language selection, a chapter selection, and a theatrical trailer were the only options that I could find on this DVD. Also, may I say that the Audio and the visual aspects of this DVD are not up to par; the audio only puts out sound through the center speakers, and the DVD only has a Full-Screen version...no widescreen like most of us would want. Warner Bros. has let alot of their good fans down by releasing poor-produced DVDs. It's almost like they just took the original film, slapped it onto a disc, created a menu that took 5 minutes to make, put it in their annoying 'snap case' (which most of us hate...it looks cheap), labeled the front and back cover, patened the DVD and case with the "Warner Bros." symbol, and then threw it on the shelves to be sold to consumers. If you're looking for a spectacular version of this film, you're not going to find it here. Hopefully in a few years they'll release a 20th Anniversary Edition like they did with Caddyshack that actually has an interactive menu and widescreen format.
Rating:
Summary: Loaded With Fun and Laughs
Review: This great movie is very funny and set the stage for a great run of successful sequels. The film centers around the Griswold family from Chicago. Clark (Chevy Chase), Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), Russ (Anthony Michael Hall), and Audrey (Dana Barron) set off on a cross-country trip to visit the fictional Wally World, an amusement park in Los Angeles. One after another funny mishap happens, but they finally reach their destination, only to find that Wally World has been closed for maintenance. Clark finally takes matters into his own hands to see that his family's trip was not wasted. The performances of the actors in this film are excellent. Chase's portrayal of Clark is first-rate, as is John Candy's cameo as the Wally World security guard. Imogene Cocoa gives a wonderful performance as Aunt Edna, while Dennis Quaid's portrayal of Cousin Eddie is well-done, too. Of course, there's Christie Brinkley flying by in her little red Ferrari to keep everyone interested. This is a first-rate comedy that will surely leave you laughing.
Rating:
Summary: It's Better Then You Think
Review: I have enjoyed this movie ever since it's release to the theaters.I do agree that this movie should have been released in widescreen format for DVD.Warner Brothers has screwed up many of their movies by releasing them in the fullscreen format.Whoever oversees this discision needs to wake up and realize that the public wants to see all movies as they were shown in the theaters.Running On Empty is a great example of their stupidity.That movie was also released with sound coming only from the center speaker and in the fullscreen format.I will admit just hearing out of the center speaker is disappointing.I did find something that helped me though.If you turm off the dolby digital it will help.Just turn on one of your DSP modes.I watch it with Theater 1 and it sounds much better.You can then hear sound from all 5 or 6 speakers.It's not directional sound but compared to center speaker only I think it's an improvement.
Rating:
Summary: one of the funniest movies of all time.
Review: National Lampoon's Vacation is one of the funniest movie I have ever seen. it was the first movie in the Griswold family saga, and what a great introduction to the Griswolds this is. it's about Clark W. Griswold, a man who just wants to spend time with his family so he plans a cross country trip from Chicago to Wally World in California. Everything bad seems to happen to the Griswolds along the way though. Randy Quaid is really funny in this for the short time he's in the movie. The allstar cast of this movie consists of Chevy Chase(in his best performance in my opinion), Beverly D'angelo, Randy Quaid and Imogene Coca. The Griswolds have to be the most unlucky family in the world... They get lost in the Desert, Aunt Edna is annoying them the whole way through, the dog pees on their sandwiches, and when they finally get to Wally World...THE PARK IS CLOSED. Well Clark solves the problem very nicely, he pulls a gun on the security guard. All Clark wants is his family to have family fun... This cemented Chevy Chase's signature role as Clark Griswold. A wonderfully funny, fun movie.
Rating:
Summary: A wacky comedy!
Review: National Lampoon's Vacation is indeed a funny movie. The only reason I give it four instead of five is because of Randy Quaid, who is always boring and acts like a mental alcoholic. Other than that, the movie is great probably because it has Chevy Chase (Funny Farm, Fletch) and is directed by Harold Ramis (directed Groundhog Day, acted in Stripes). Beverly D'Angelo (who I'd never heard of before this) was cast perfectly as Chevy Chase's wife and Anthony Michael Hall and Dane Barron were okay. Vacation tells the story of Clark Griswald (Chase) and his wife (D'Angelo) and children (Anthony Michael Hall as Rusty and Dane Barron as Audrey). This family decides to take a trip across the county to Wally Land. But it will be hard to get there. Because this dysfunctional family will keep making more and more mistakes and getting themelves in much more trouble than they had expected. The original is surely the best in the series. It is entertaining, funny, and a bit gross. It's forever going to be a classic comedy but Randy Quiad should not have been put in. Rated R for crude humor, language, and some scenes of brief nudity (which National Lampoon's movie doesn't have nudity).
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