Reviews

I remember watching this movie for the first time, and I hated it. I didn't make it through the whole thing before I turned it off. What a disappointment. I am a true fan of everything Chevy Chase, and then this disaster. Well a few years later, while working at an undisclosed laboratory a few weeks before Christmas, I along with the other employees were greeted with a message that the Christmas Bonuses for that year would not be coming. My boss decided that the lab needed a little cheering up, so he set up a big cookout party for all of the employees. There was food everywhere, placed on a table with a TV/vcr set up right at the head of the table. Guess what we would be viewing that day? Yep, we watched Christmas Vacation. We all stood around the table with our paper plates in our hands, allowing the owner to sit directly in front of the TV screen. It was a perfect setup, we all talked and carried on, with the movie being no more than a minor distraction, but as if on cue, right at the moment where Clark receives his jelly of the month club subscription you could have heard a pin drop. A moment that will be etched in my memory from now on.

Worthy of adding to your personal collection. Burt Reynolds plays the part of the Bandit, a heart-throb for all white-trash trailer dwelling women, to a tee. Jackie Gleason does an impeccable job of bringing to life the role of the backwards southern sheriff, one of the finest performances of his great career. The soundtrack was an instant classic, combining folk, bluegrass and country, and leaving the viewer with an urge to recite the lyrics for days after. A must see for all serious movie watchers. Sally Field portrays a talented dancer who bails out on a marriage to the son of the stereotypical "southern" sheriff. The sheriff takes this as a personal insult and a dishonor to his authority. He then treks across the south in "hot pursuit" of the runaway bride and along the way encounters his arch-nemesis, The Bandit, resulting in non-stop laughs throughout the movie. This film combines sexuality (two of the hottest stars of the '70s and '80s), laughter (Jackie Gleason, need I say more), and a great feel-good script. I almost forgot this movie's greatest contribution to humanity, the introduction of a natural star, Fred the dog.