Synopsis for
Christmas Vacation (1989) More at IMDbPro »

The Griswold family has yet another family adventure from hell and this movie has all the clichés. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) desperately wants to have the greatest Christmas ever and hosts his extended dysfunctional and quirky family in an attempt to share the holiday spirit. He expends considerable effort on the Christmas lighting for his house but can't seem to get it to work. As he desperately tries to get the lights working, his wife's (Beverly DAngelo) idiot cousin Eddy (Randy Quaid) and his bizarre family -- including their pet dog, Snots -- show up uninvited and unexpected. Things go from bad to worse in a hurry. Clark's secret Christmas present to the family is a swimming pool which he intends to pay for using his Christmas bonus from his employer but he's financially overextended because he had to put down a huge deposit. When the bonus turns out not to be the financial blessing he expected, the stress becomes too much and he goes nuts (and gives us one of the all-time classic movie monologues).

(No matter how many times I see this movie, I still roll off the sofa laughing.) I'm not giving away the plot when I say that, in the end, everything works out. The classic Christmas songs in the sound track are a plus. My only regret is that this movie isn't available in widescreen or HD as of December, 2007.