Taking Clark's request literally, Eddie kidnaps Frank, who admits to canceling the Christmas bonuses but then reinstates them in the face of Clark's chastisement. He snaps and angrily wishes for Frank to be delivered to the house so he can insult him to his face. Instead of the bonus Clark expects, it is a membership in a jelly club. After a disastrous Christmas Eve dinner, during which Aunt Bethany's cat is electrocuted and Uncle Lewis accidentally burns down the Christmas tree while lighting his cigar, a courier delivers an envelope. Soon afterward, Clark's senile Aunt Bethany and cantankerous Uncle Lewis arrive.Ĭlark begins to wonder why his boss, Frank Shirley, has not given him his yearly bonus, which he desperately needs to pay for a new swimming pool. Clark offers to buy gifts for Eddie's kids so they can still enjoy Christmas. Eddie later admits they are living in the RV in which they arrived, as he went broke and had to sell their home and land. He covers the house's entire exterior with thousands of lights, which temporarily cause a citywide power shortage once he gets them to work properly.Įllen's cousin Catherine and her redneck husband Eddie arrive unannounced with two of their younger children, Rocky and Ruby Sue, and their pet Rottweiler, Snots. However, Clark maintains a positive attitude and remains undeterred in his plans. When both Clark's and Ellen's parents arrive for Christmas, their bickering quickly begins to annoy the family. Clark's holiday plans inadvertently cause steadily escalating chaos for the family's yuppie neighbors, Todd and Margo Chester. Realizing too late that they did not bring any tools to cut down the tree, they are forced to uproot it instead. He drives his wife Ellen and children Audrey and Rusty out to the country to find a tree, ultimately choosing the largest one they can find. It is now regarded as a classic Christmas film.Ĭhicago-area resident Clark Griswold intends to have a great Christmas with his entire family. The film performed well at the box office, grossing $73.3 million against a $25 million budget while receiving generally mixed reviews from critics. īased on Hughes' short story 'Christmas '59' that was published in National Lampoon, it tells the story of the Griswold family spending Christmas vacation at home with their relatives and the ensuing mayhem.

Marshall, Doris Roberts, Juliette Lewis, and Johnny Galecki, and special appearances by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nicholas Guest, Ellen Hamilton Latzen, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Natalia Nogulich. Chechik, written and co-produced by John Hughes, and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Randy Quaid with supporting roles by Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Diane Ladd, John Randolph, E.G. Christmas Vacation was directed by Jeremiah S. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in National Lampoon magazine's Vacation film series.

Christmas cousin eddie