Rating: 
Summary: The movie is great but the DVD falls short
Review: I love the National Lampoon's Vacation movie with Chevy Chase and the movie is wonderful and we all know that. My problem here is this 20th anniversary DVD Warner Bros put out First O.K the movie looks great the picture is wonderful and everything that's not the problem it is the real lack of special features that makes me rather dissapointed the best special feature the the commentary it is pretty entertaining there is alot of information that is useful but Harold Ramis who as you hear recorded his away from everyone else probably has the most useful information the others like Chevy Chase Dana Barron Anthony Michael Hall who is basically mute through out the whole darn thing and Randy Quaid and Matty Simmons once in a while come out with some good tidbits but they joke around too much. They talk about that alternate ending when they go to Roy Wally's Mansion instead make him and some people sing and dance for there dime's worth of entertainment and that is how the movie originally ended with no trip ever to Wally World with the Roller Coasters and such and no John Candy in the original ending and they tested the ending with a test audience and they laughed through out the whole film but got Strangly Quiet and never laughed again and just walked out sad. Guess What that alternate ending never made it on the DVD! You think after 20 years with so many loyal fans of this film they would release that ending for at least for interest just to see rare footage of this film. They just drive you nuts here on this DVD all of the special features except the Commentary which is cool everything else stinks. Where is the FEATURETTE? Where is the Making of...? Maybe some outtakes would have made this a bit more cooler and most of all for crying out loud release the alternate ending! What does Warner Bros got to lose! You also get on this DVD this family truckster gallery thing I don't know what else to call it you get this map of that ugly station wagon from the film and you pick highlighted things off of this picture of this wagon and just kind of guess what there going to talk about and it's not that great. I laugh because on that gallery they talk about 10 minutes in different galleries to Christie Brinkley? about her big scene and what she did on her SUMMER VACATION! Also talks to Dana Barron about "Why the heck she was missing from the other films"? also talks to the stunt guy who jumped that ugly station wagon in the desert and there some other stuff like the Theatrical Trailer OOH! and basically that's the movie your best here is the film itself and the commentary other than that it could have been a HECK of alot better maybe they redo the DVD and add better things because what is up with those bits of Chevy Chase Randy Quaid and Matty Simmons sitting with Atari sticks on the couch they act like they had to much to drink they don't make any sense.
Rating: 
Summary: Wally world
Review: Is it me or do the Griswalds have the worst of luck? Laugh at them while they are trying to gain a bit of peace and solidarity during the trip to WALLY WORLD
Rating:
Summary: Definately one of my all time favorites
Review: You ever fill out one of those questionnaires that ask "if you could have only 5 movies, which ones would you pick"? Well, this one is on my list. I can't even tell you how many times I've seen this movie. Even though I own it on DVD, when it aires on television, I still have to watch it. Chevy Chase it at his finest, reminding me of my dear 'ol Dad himself on vacation. Some may say that the humor is a little farfetched and over-the-top, but for me, that's what makes this the hysterical blockbuster that it is!
Rating: 
Summary: Funny
Review: Chevy Chase can get a laugh with just the look on his face. He does so several times throughout this classic movie. One of the things that makes this film so popular is that a lot of us relate to it for two reasons; it a family setting and cross country travel is involved.There's the usual comedic situations Chevy encounters such as getting lost in St. Louis and arriving at Wally World after it's been closed for cleaning. But there's also more. A nice mix exists whereby the comic rhythm is given an ebb and flow as small amounts of romance are inserted periodically. The downside is the treatment of the grandmother. That isn't a funny bit. It distracts from an otherwise very funny movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Tie this DVD to the bumper.....
Review: (Instead of reviewing a film you probably already know, I stick to the DVD special features). Those Extras: Commentary: Was ok. Chase tries to be funny on every line, Quaid is only in the film for five minutes so he's basically mute. DeAngelo is also missing. Producer Simmons and Director Ramis come off best with info, but is it just me, or does Ramis sound like he recorded his part seperate from every one else?? New Interviews: Pathetic. They embody some really silly features in the body of the family truckster: Audrey 1, Dana Barron, is actually glimpsed for a second, but isn't given much to do; some inane stuff involving singing moments from the film, accessed through the truckster radio; Producer Simmons is ok; lenghty talk with stunt coordinator Dick Ziker; and TONS of time spent talking to.....Brinkley??? Hall, Chase, DeAngelo, Quaid, et al are somewhere else. Introduction: Extremely weak. Chase, Simmons and Quaid sit on a couch for about thrity seconds, Chase cracking bad quips. Overall: No behind the scenes, and some particulary stupid choices for the things that come closest to it. Ramis and Simmons contributions make this barely worth a buy.
Rating:
Summary: hilarious
Review: although I'm 13 I don't know how to use a regular column. Having said that I just want to say that this movie is just flat out hilarious. If this isn't a Murphy's law comedy I don't know what is. If you havn't seen the orginal VACATION you havn't been to planet earth. If you didn't like it you just flat out don't have a sense of humor, plain and simple.
Rating:
Summary: The Commentary is worth buying
Review: The DVD is pretty good it has the Commentary that you can choose from with people like Chevy Chase Randy Quaid and the director Harold Ramis and some other people talking about the film thats intresting. I don't really care for some of the other extras like that family truckster gallery thing is just a waste of time but the trailer is also intresting to. With a Remastered picture,audio commentary,and a trailer for the movie is is worth a buy and not badly priced either.
Rating:
Summary: 3.7 out of 5
Review: NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION - here we have a true comedy classic: one might even say it's a comedy landmark. It follows the misadventures of the wacky Griswolds (led by Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo) as they travel across the country to reach Walley World (the equivalent of Disney World). I'm sure many can know exactly how the family feels; I know it's happened to me many a time. Chase gives us one of his best and most hilarious performances as the father who always sees the good side of things (usually, anyway); D'Angelo is also good; and, of course, who could forget Randy Quaid as the cooky cousin Eddie? Harold Ramis directs the film well enough to show us every angle of the Griswold family's failed vacation; meanwhile, there's an extremely funny and entertaining script by John Hughes. Along with NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE, I'm sure many and most will agree that this is one of National Lampoon's two best (or should I say two good?). A must-see comedy flick that will you have laughing time after time after time.
Rating:
Summary: Special Edition? Not really.
Review: A funny movie and one of my favorites but the "special edition" seems to be lacking a lot of extras. I agree with the other reviews but still bought the DVD. The commentary describes all these scenes and alternate endings that they shot but -guess what- they are not on this DVD! No deleted scenes, no making of, just some lame-o snipets of interviews and a theatrical trailer. Another odd thing: the first scene with Christie Brinkley driving alongside Chevy Chase, the song is replaced with a different pointer sisters song BUT if you choose french or spanish audio, the song is the original which is "I'm So Excited"... that was kinda strange. Great movie, so-so special edition. If you buy this DVD, don't buy it for the extras that's for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Not Nearly What It Should Be...
Review: After all these years of waiting, I was very happy to see that Warner was finally going to give "National Lampoon's Vacation" the Special Edition DVD treatment I always felt it deserved. Now that it's finally here, I'm sorry to say that it isn't as "special" as I'd always hoped it would be. Although this time the film IS presented in widescreen, it is the type of 1.85:1 ratio that actually crops off some of the picture from top and bottom that the old standard VHS version had. That is always annoying to be sure, but since the DVD shows the movie the way it truly appeared in theaters we can't really complain about that. You have to look at it this way: VHS was just showing MORE than was seen in the theater. The special features leave much to be desired. The group commentary track with Director Harold Ramis, Producer Matty Simmons, Chevy Chase, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron and Randy Quaid was ok, but I've heard much better commentary on other films. With few exceptions, they really didn't say much that was very interesting or insightful, and there were several gaps during the film where no one seemed to say anything! And where was Beverly D'Angelo? I can't believe that she wouldn't have wanted to take part, especially since she appeared a few years ago on the TBS "Dinner & A Movie" with Paul and Annabelle to talk about the movie during commercial breaks with them! The "Interactive Truckster Gallery" was pretty much a bore, with the exception of the section where stunt co-ordinator Dick Ziker talked about his jump in the desert for the crash scene. Dana Barron also offered an explanation why she only appeared in the first film in the gallery as well. The rest of it was not anything really noteworthy. The new introduction to the film by Simmons, Chase and Quaid was just a short, silly little piece of nothing. The trailer is here, but I think the original DVD had it too so that isn't anything special. The other languages for audio are a nice touch. Try playing the scene where Clark had a temper tantrum in the car in French, Spanish or Portuguese for a laugh or two. My big complaint is about the special features that were NOT present, such as deleted scenes. In the shooting script, there are several scenes that could have been presented here, including an alternate ending. The fact that Aunt Edna didn't really die, the Kamp Komfort clerk dressing up as a moose for the "wildlife fun" (see the photo during the end credits of him in the moose outfit), Clark fearing the police are chasing him after he "robbed the hotel" and stopped for gas (where he got the sandwiches he mentioned shortly before discovering Aunt Edna's "death") and the alternate ending would have been good to see, but no dice. No true "special edition" should be without a deleted scenes gallery! My final complaint is the fact that the original soundtrack was not restored. Unlike the theater and original VHS versions, The Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited" was not present during the highway Ferrari scenes. Similar to the version now shown on cable and the first DVD, "Little Boy Sweet" replaces it. What makes that even more annoying is the fact that the end credits were NEVER changed. "I'm So Excited" is still listed as appearing in ALL cable and home video releases. That is almost like adding insult to injury. Why not restore the original soundtrack for the 20th anniversary? In summary, I give this DVD 3 stars, just middle ground. It's an improvement over the first one, but definitely not all that it could be. Die-hard fans of the movie might want to pick it up, since there might not be any better releases for the 25th or any other anniversary. If your opinion is that you can take it or leave it, I would advise you to just pay a couple of bucks to rent it and save the rest of your money for something better.
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