National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Page #6

Synopsis: It's Christmas time and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration, but things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going knowing that his Christmas bonus is due soon.
Genre: Comedy
Director(s): Jeremiah S. Chechik
Production: Warner Bros. Pictures
 
IMDB:
7.6
Metacritic:
49
Rotten Tomatoes:
64%
PG-13
Year:
1989
97 min
3,047 Views


You're fired.

Where's the phone? I'm calling the police.

Just hold your wad there, fella.

Clark had nothin' to do with this.

This here was my idea.

All right. He's still fired

and you are going to jail.

It was my fault.

I lost my temper when I got my bonus

and I said a few things I shouldn't have.

Bonus? How did you get a bonus?

I cut out bonuses this year.

Thanks for telling us.

I was expecting a check.

Instead I got enrolled in a jelly club.

In 17 years with the company, I've gotten

a bonus every year, but this one.

You don't want to give bonuses, fine!

When people count on them

as part of their salary...

What you did just plain...

Sucks.

Thank you, Russ.

My cousin-in-law,

whose heart is bigger than his brain...

I appreciate that.

...is innocent. I'll be more than happy

to take the rap on this...

...on behalf of myself and every other

employee you rear-ended this Christmas.

Sometimes things look good

on paper, but...

...lose their luster when you see

how it affects real folks.

A healthy bottom line

doesn't mean much if...

...to get it, you have to hurt

the ones you depend on.

It's people that make the difference.

Little people, like you.

So, Carl...

...whatever you got last year...

...add 20 percent.

Go away, Todd.

If you want to come in, you are gonna

have to break down the goddamn door!

Merry Christmas to all

and to all a good night!

Freeze!

Not you! Them!

This way, please.

I think you've made a terrible mistake.

I told you to freeze, mister.

May we blink?

- Thank God you're all right.

- I'm fine. I'm just fine.

There was a big

misunderstanding tonight.

Excuse me. Would you and Mrs. Shirley

like to step outside so we can finish here?

- Don't bother. I'm not pressing charges.

- What?

It was a mistake.

Mistake? Honey, you were kidnapped.

I did something I shouldn't have...

...and these people called me on it.

This is Clark Griswold and his family.

Welcome to our home.

What's left of it.

Release B Squad.

What's going on here?

Remember how I was toying with the

notion of suspending Christmas bonuses?

You didn't.

Of all the cheap,

lousy ways to save a buck!

That's pretty low, mister.

If I had a rubber hose...

I changed my mind.

I'm reinstating all the bonuses.

Look!

Look!

It's Santy Claus.

Uncle Clark, it's Santy Claus.

It's the Christmas star.

And that's all that matters tonight.

Not bonuses or gifts or turkeys or trees.

See, kids...

It means something different

to everybody.

Now I know what it means to me.

That ain't the frigging Christmas star.

It's the light

on the sewage treatment plant.

Sewer gas.

Don't drop that!

"And the rocket's red glare

"The bombs bursting in air

"Gave proof through the night

"That our flag was still there

"Oh, say does that

"Star-spangled banner yet wave

"O'er the land of the free

"And the home of the brave?"

Play ball!

Merry Christmas, Sparky.

Merry Christmas, honey.

I did it.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote

John Hughes

An American filmmaker. Beginning as an author of humorous essays and stories for National Lampoon, he went on to write, produce and sometimes direct some of the most successful live-action comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s. Most of Hughes's work is set in the Chicago metropolitan area. He is best known for his coming-of-age teen comedy films which often combined magic realism with honest depictions of suburban teenage life. more…

All John Hughes scripts | John Hughes Scripts

3 fans

Submitted on August 05, 2018

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/national_lampoon's_christmas_vacation_14600>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.


    Quiz

    Are you a screenwriting master?

    »
    What is "voiceover" in screenwriting?
    A A character’s voice heard over the scene
    B A character talking on screen
    C Dialogue between characters
    D The background music