He's a great actor but his appeal sadly declined in the 90s when he refused to evolve into more serious roles like Bill Murray did. What stops it from being just another generic Christmas movie is a brilliant script by John Hughes packed full of hilarious set-pieces and perfect comic timing from Chevy Chase. He didn't bargain on bickering family members (including the voice of Betty Boop, Mae Questel, as a senile old aunt), a house covered in non-working Christmas lights, a seriously over-cooked turkey, snotty Yuppie neighbors making fun of him or Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his hickabilly family turning up unannounced to sponge some Christmas cheer off him. He's an anti-Scrooge and if you're having a Christmas crisis then you need to watch this movie. His enthusiasm for the holidays manages to infect the audience and you'll be rooting for him the whole way. Ever! But now Clark just wants to stay at home in the snowy Chicago suburbs for a 'fun, old-fashioned, family Christmas' and he's going to let nothing stop him. The long-suffering kids, Russ and Audrey (Johnny Galecki and a very young Juliette Lewis) have turned into the living embodiment of pure cynicism, but there's no talking any sense into Clark Griswold. His wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) is the voice of reason, who keeps the family rooted in reality and responds with frequent deadpan bewilderment to his constant disasters. He sets high standards for holiday events that no one can live up to and is notorious for dragging his grudging family along on every painstaking detail of every scheme. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Griswolds, Clark is food additives expert who works for a company that doesn't appreciate him.

Then they went across Europe and met similar, albeit much less funny, results. First time around he went across America in a metallic pea Station Wagon and it ended in disaster.

Poor Clark Griswold, no matter how optimistic he is, his family vacations always seem to go severely wrong.

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