4 = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MOVIES
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2002
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN =
Cozy up by the fire with some wacky holiday classics
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, and that's all that matters to Clark W. Griswold. Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, looking out for his beloved family once again, wants to make sure this is the best Christmas the family has had yet. Instead of traveling, Clark and Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) have family come to visit their
suburban Chicago home.
In America, it is traditional to want to spend the holiday times with family and loved ones. Clark, being the family man he is, wants the whole nine yards. He is willing to overcome the obstacles of fighting in-laws, the 125,000 lights on the house not working and small
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Warner Brothers Starring: Chevy Chase
animal mishaps to carry out the best Griswold Christmas. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation makes viewers realize how normal their families are.
John Hughes did an effective job writing the script, but the actors seemed out of place in certain situations. When Ellen and Clark's parents show up at the house, there is immediate tension between the two sets of parents as they are heard bickering on the front porch. The parents seem useful only when imitating what is thought of as typical in-laws. The four characters don't add to the plot of the story and act more like extras than actual cast members.
Through all of the Lampoon Vacation movies, different people played the children. When the Griswolds were vacationing in Europe in 1985, Jason Lively played Rusty and Dana Hill played Audrey. During Christmas Johnny Galecki was Rusty and Juliette Lewis was Audrey. In 1997, the Griswold family traveled to Las Vegas and Ethan Embry played Rusty and Marisol
Nichols played Audrey. All the cast changes for the children made them noncharacters. Rusty and Audrey became noncharacters when they were substituted with others. This also lacks credibility when Chase and D'Angelo always play Clark and Ellen.
Though the extended family may be a backdrop, and Rusty and Audrey are cast differently, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation has something everyone can attest to during the holiday season.
Meredith Carr
Home for the Holidavs
Home for the Holidays delivers family dysfunction with sympathy and laughter. The Larson family is in a Thanksgiving from hell. The movie is a mixture of comedy and drama, which may represent many family reunions. Viewers may find this comfortably or uncomfortably familiar.
Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) loses her job when her teenager daughter, Kitt. (Claire Danes) informs her she was ready to lose her virginity. Claudia's mother, Adele, (Anne Bancroft) also keeps reminding
Claudia how much she needs a husband.
Henry Larson, the father, (Charles Durning) is a retired airport maintenance worker who spends his time eating. In one scene, he tries to sneak a bite in the pumpkin pie without leaving evidence. Adele spends most of her time making food in the kitchen and
ignoring family problems. They are two lovable characters but are oblivious to the chaos in the lives of their kids.
Home for the Holidays MGM Starring: Holly Hunter, Anne Bancroft, and Charles Durning
Claudia's gay brother, Tommy (Robert Downey Jr.) comes home with his friend, Loo, (Dylan McDermott), who may or may
not be gay. The next day Claudia and her brother pick up Aunt Glady (Geraldine Chaplin), an old spinster who has 210 plants in her house and an eternal crush on their father, Henry. Claudia's sister, Joanne (Cynthia Stevenson), comes on the scene with a perfectionist attitude and high morals. She has contempt for everyone in the family, especially her brother. Her husband's (Steve Gutenberg) character may remind viewers of Family Ties' Alex P. Keaton. At the dinner table he talked about the importance of investing in the stock market and family values. When this dysfunctional family sits down for a meal the turkey flies, literally. All family secrets are revealed and no one leaves the house unscathed.
What works in the film is that all of the characters act like they have experienced these events before. When Aunt Glady stands up before the turkey carving and recounts her memory of the time Henry kissed her on the lips, it only stops the conversation for a second. It seems like Glady's affection for Adele's husband has been said before.
Hunter is adequate as Claudia in the film. She often plays a strong, resilient woman without a husband. She was fiercest in the 1987 Broadcast News and more subdued in the 1998 movie Living Out Loud. Hunter takes full advantage of her harried look and squeaky voice throughout the movie.
5
It seems Claudia should be the star character, but, Home for the Holidays, gains most of its emotional weight from Tommy. He is obnoxious and takes stinging jabs at Cynthia's prissiness, yet remains emotionally available for Claudia. Downey brings out the complexities of a character who uses a quick wit to keep the world's hurts at arm's length. Downey is a versatile actor and can play a lead character in Chaplin, for which he was nominated for an Oscar, and still add to a movie as a supporting character in this movie.
Foster's directing sometimes is uneven. Claudia begins the movie with a bad head cold, but loses it suddenly without explanation. In a scene with Claudia and Joanne, Foster helps the actors reveal the differences and misunderstandings between sisters and shows the complexities of family problems. In the scene, Joanne tells Claudia, "If I wasn't related to you and you gave me your phone number, I'd throw it away." After Claudia leaves the room, Joanne breaks down in tears, wishing somehow it could be different.
The film also reveals what viewers may wish was the true spirit of family gatherings. Tommy comes home so he can comfort his sister in her time of need. The father, reminisces in one scene about the time he took
fulfill
his family to stand on an airport tarmac and watch planes takeoff. He said it was the best 10 seconds of his life. The underlying theme of the movie is the importance for families to hold together, despite the troubled circumstances of their lives.
— Todd Smith
A Christmas Story
There are only so many times one can watch It's a Wonderful Life, the seminal feel-good film that repeats incessantly during the holiday season on cable. For those craving a little sour with their sweet there's A Christmas Story.
This movie is a classic. At nearly 20 years old, A Christmas Story hasn't lost its charm and sense of humor. Sure, it may not be the coolest flick to admit to loving, but who cares? This movie is great — cool or not.
Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) wants
nothing more for Christmas than a Red Ryder BB gun. His whole future happiness depends on his getting this extra-cool BB gun. Alas, his parents (Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon) don't exactly agree. In fact, they are vehemently against buying their son, or having Santa deliver, a gun, citing of course, the classic reason: you'll shoot your eye out.
A Christmas Story
Warner Brothers
Starring: Darren
McGavin, Melinda
Dillon, Peter Billingsley
The movie is full of other classic catch phrases and scenes: a kid sticking his tongue on a frozen flagpole; the pink bunny suit Ralphie is doomed to don; and the beatup the bully fight scene. The main actors, along with a plethora of supporting characters, pull off the wacky acts with ease. The colorful cast is perfect in every way.
But what really makes this film special is the magic of childhood. The director, the writers and the actors all tap into the wonder, the disappointment and the frustration of youth. The film is based on the memoirs of Jean Shepherd — that's why the film rings so true to life. Shepherd even goes so far as to narrate the movie himself. It's these small touches and the little inside jokes, observations and gags, that also add to the delight of the movie.
A Christmas Story is a holiday must-see. It will take even the most hardened of viewers back to the good old days of childhood. Many movies deserve the designation "classic" but this one definitely does.
— Lauren Beatty