National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (HD DVD)

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So, we've got a film that could have been funnier and more family-friendly had it been trimmed of its cruder elements. Yet, true to form, it's a film that also has a surprising number of touching scenes amidst the chaos, like Clark's reminiscing in the attic over childhood home movies, or Clark's talk with Eddie's little girl about Santa Claus.

You'll either ignore the uncouth and clumsy parts, relish the funny bits, and think it's the best of the "Vacation" series, or like me you'll be too annoyed by the parts that don't work to fully appreciate the best things the movie has to offer. Well, at least the movie's got some funny parts. That's more than can be said about the "European" and "Vegas Vacation" entries, and maybe anything, no matter how small, is better than nothing. For some folks, I understand "Christmas Vacation" is a holiday institution in itself. For others, like me, one or two times is enough.

Video:
The standard-definition disc of "Christmas Vacation," issued a few years ago, looked pretty good, thanks to a healthy bit rate and an anamorphic picture. Needless to say, the HD-DVD transfer is even better, providing stronger, more vibrant hues, sharper definition, more-natural skin tones, and deeper color depth. The widescreen image continues to fill up a 16x9 television screen, and there is the same slight grittiness to the image that I noticed before, with a bit more grain than I would have expected, especially during the opening titles. Nevertheless, the high-definition picture is easy on the eyes and probably as good as the original print.

Audio:
The sound is carried via Dolby Digital Plus 2.0 stereo, which means you don't get much information from the rear speakers, but you do get a good left-to-right front-channel spread. The DD+ audio is an improvement over regular Dolby Digital in that it is not only well balanced but clear as a bell. I noticed in the earlier edition a small degree of high-end brightness that I didn't observe here, although there still isn't much serious deep bass involved. The main thing is that the front channels open up nicely, providing excellent stereo reproduction.

Extras:
Warner Bros. called their previous, standard-definition disc a "Special Edition" in bold type on the front of the keep case. In fact, there was little that was "special" about it, and this HD-DVD carries the same materials. The disc contains all of one "special" item, an audio commentary with Randy Quaid, Beverly D'Angelo, Johnny Galecki, Miriam Flynn, director Jeremiah Chechik, and producer Matty Simmons. Not even the star, Chevy Chase, participates in it, and for the few minutes I listened, it didn't seem worth spending much time on.

Beyond the commentary, there are twenty-nine scene selections; a widescreen theatrical trailer; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired. As always, Warner Bros. also provide pop-up menus, bookmarks, an indicator of elapsed time, a zoom-and-pan feature, and an Elite Red HD case.

Parting Shots:
"Christmas Vacation" is almost on a par with the first "Vacation" movie, missing it only in terms of the several pitfalls I've mentioned, yet miles ahead of the "European" and "Vegas Vacation" flicks. Still, for me personally the excesses of "Christmas Vacation" outweigh its blessings, so I did not enjoy it quite as much this time or last as I did my first time around on cable. Writer John Hughes can be a genius one minute and a washout the next, and within the context of "Christmas Vacation" we see both sides of him prominently on display. Well, at least the movie looks and sounds better than ever in high definition.

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