National Lampoon’s Vacation is one of the most enduring comedy franchises of all time. What started out as a short story by John Hughes has turned into a series of films that are still being quoted and, in the case of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), played every year during the holidays.
That being said, the National Lampoon’s Vacation timeline can get a little confusing. There are four original films, a spinoff/sequel, and a reboot/sequel that are all considered to be canon. If you’re planning on revisiting the franchise, it’s best to consult our rundown before pressing play.
So the obvious starting point is National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983). The original film, scripted by John Hughes and directed by Harold Ramis, is a masterpiece of chaos and good intentions gone wrong. It sees the Griswold family embark on a road trip to Wally World, and details the various, hilarious setbacks they deal with along the way. Clark and Helen (Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo) are the ones leading the charge, but their children, Rusty and Audrey, prove to be just as bad as they get older.
The next two films are National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985) and the aforementioned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The former is a decent sequel but the latter is the best film in the entire franchise; making perfect use of the holiday setting and the love/hate dynamic between Clark and Cousin Eddie (Randy Quiad). They play out in the order they’re released, which makes binging the original trilogy a piece of cake in comparison to what follows.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2 (2003) is the monkey wrench that ruins the timeline. This made-for-TV movie was billed as a direct sequel to Christmas Vacation, despite being released after the fourth installment in the franchise, Vegas Vacation (1997). It makes no sense, and the subpar quality doesn’t help. Cousin Eddie takes center stage, and winds up stranded on a desert island after winning a free vacation in an accident. It’s not worth the time, but if you want to be a completist, it should be watched after Christmas Vacation.
Vegas Vacation comes next. It was the first installment not to have a writing credit by John Hughes or the National Lampoon’s moniker in the title, and truthfully, the absence of both does make a difference. That being said, it does have some worthwhile moments scattered throughout, and a surprisingly funny cameo by singer Wayne Newton. It seemed like Vegas Vacation would be the end of the line for the franchise, but it was given the soft reboot treatment with Vacation in 2015.
Vacation picks up with an adult Rusty (Ed Helms) deciding to take his family to Wally World, like his dad did in the original. The film adheres to the formula we’ve come to know and love, and it manages to wring some unexpected laughs out of it, whether it be through Rusty’s incompetence or his muscle-bound brother-in-law (Chris Hemsworth). Chase and D’Angelo also return as the Griswald parents.
So there you have it: a franchise that drags us through Europe, Chicago, and Las Vegas but ultimately starts and ends with Wally World. There’s a nice, full-circle structure to it all, so long as you ignore Cousin Eddie’s little sojourn in the South Pacific.