National Lampoon's Vacation

Clark Griswold dreams of a flawless cross country family vacation that ends at Walley World, the theme park everyone keeps talking about. He nails down a meticulous itinerary, packs with hopeful energy, and enlists Ellen and their teens for the big road trip. What follows is a string of misadventures that tests patience, money, and nerves at every stop. Detours veer off course, lodging falls short, and expectations collide with reality in a series of sight gags and near disasters. Along the way the Griswolds meet quirky relatives and encounter roadside oddities that push the trip further from reality. Through the chaos Clark clings to the belief that together they can salvage the dream and keep the family smiling together.

Directed by Harold Ramis from a screenplay by John Hughes, this 1983 comedy reimagines a vacation premise with a family on road odyssey. Chevy Chase leads the cast alongside Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, and Randy Quaid, budget 15 million.

Box office take totaled around 61,418,063 dollars worldwide, documenting a solid return on the 15 million dollar budget. The result helped anchor a profitable franchise and kept the film in rotation for home viewing and seasonal TV marathons over decades.

It helped shape a subgenre of family road trip comedies and turned the Griswolds into a shorthand for chaotic but endearing family adventures. The film influenced later Vacation installments and set a template for lampooning fantasies of the dream vacation. Chevy Chase became a defining comic presence of the era.

Critics at the time offered mixed responses, praising Chase's confidence and Hughes sharp dialogue while noting the film skews broad and relies on sight gags. Its core themes center on imperfect family bonds, the pressure to create a picture perfect vacation, and the humor found in everyday failure for audiences.