History YMMV / NationalLampoonsVacation

* AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu6_0H4GKHM The lounge music that plays in the hotel bar scene.]]

* FirstIntallmentWins: Helped by intense {{Sequelitis}}, from which only ''Christmas Vacation'' is found to get a pass.

* {{Sequelitis}}: With a different director, no creative input from Creator/HaroldRamis or Creator/ChevyChase, completely different characterization for Russ & Audrey, and some of the better gags being telegraphed too far in advance, ''European Vacation'' is nowhere near as beloved as its predecessor or its follow-up ''Christmas Vacation''.
** The 2015 sequel/reboot is getting this reaction too with people who dislike the larger amounts of crude humor in comparison to the original, and how the film is essentially just a kinda-sorta remake of the original (with one of the film's own trailers lampshading this fact) with much more heavy-handed attempts at comedy; highlighted further by the fact the 2015 movie recreates almost shot for shot the famous "flirting with a hot woman on the highway" scene, only this one has her die violently in a head-on collision, making many viewers say "Not Funny"

* FunnyAneursymMoment: In the post-meltdown scene, Ellen reprimands Clark and tells him that she's afraid that he might kill the kids and/or hold up a McDonald's, the scene's become hard to laugh at over the years due to a real-life shooting at a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ysidro_McDonald%27s_massacre San Ysidro McDonald's]] less than a year later.

* IncestYayShipping: Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall as Audrey and Russ seem closer than a normal set of siblings would be, which led to speculation they had a off screen relationship.

* ValuesDissonance: The whole sequence in the black neighborhood was pushing things even at the time, and comes off as horrendously racist now (though it's actually ''toned down'' from the equivalent scene in the original short story). Even Creator/HaroldRamis regretted the scene.

** The 2015 sequel/reboot is getting this reaction too with people who dislike the larger amounts of crude humor in comparison to the original, and how the film is essentially just a kinda-sorta remake of the original (with one of the film's own trailers lampshading this fact) with much more heavy-handed attempts at comedy; highlighted further by the fact the 2015 movie recreates almost shot for shot the famous "flirting with a hot woman on the highway" scene, only this one has her die violently in a head-on collision, making many viewers say "DudeNotFunny"

* IncestYayShipping: Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall as Audrey and Russ seem closer than a normal set of siblings would be, which led to speculation they had a offscreen relationship.

* ValuesDissonance: The whole sequence in the black neighborhood was pushing things even at the time, and comes off as horrendously racist now (though it's actually ''toned down'' from the equivalent scene in the original short story).

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Clark Griswold is a psychopath with an uncontrollable temper. He commits several crimes in the film, including [[spoiler: holding amusement park employees hostage]] just so he and his family can have the trip he thinks they deserve and yet does not get arrested. He even points a fake gun at the cops! Clark [[spoiler: kills a dog]]--albeit on accident--and when his family suggests that they have suffered enough and collectively decide to go home, he lashes out at them and forces them on the trip against their wills. Clark usually has a violent outburst in his movies that is always followed by him breaking the law which makes one wonder if he is mentally ill and then makes you wonder what other things Ellen has witnessed him do over the years...

* HarsherInHindsight:
** The "they don't close Florida" line might qualify in light of the recent immigration incidents.
** Post-recession, it's rather harder to laugh at Eddie's money troubles.

** All those complaints against the idea of going to Wally World by car instead of by plane became funnier after the 2015 film revealed that Rusty became an airplane pilot.

* WhatAnIdiot: The whole mess of a vacation would have been avoided had Clark (or even the far more rational Ellen) made a simple phone call to Wally World to confirm it was open for the season; they would have learned it was "closed for repairs." (Then again, phone call equals no movie and no fun for us, the viewers.)
** Unless whatever happened to make Wally World need the repairs took place after the Griswolds departed or Clark decided to drive them somewhere else.

* HilariousInHindsight: Clark's line about how he'll wake up one day to find the kids are grown up is quite prophetic. Over three more films and fifteen years, the kids kept getting recast to stay roughly the same age, but then suddenly we get an adult Rusty going on his own vacation in the 2015 film.

** Also the "Pig In A Poke" theme song from ''European Vacation''.
* FunnyAneurysmMoment: In ''European Vacation'', Audrey appeared in an ImagineSpot where she ate all kinds of desserts until she was full, BalloonBelly and all. This was PlayedForLaughs. In RealLife, actress Dana Hill (who had been a diabetic since her early teens) died at age 32 of a stroke brought on by her condition.

* MostAnnoyingSound: Pig in a fuckin' poke.

* WhatAnIdiot: The whole mess of a vacation would have been avoided had Clark (or even the far more rational Ellen) made a simple phone call to Wally World to confirm it was open for the season; they would have learned it was "closed for repairs." (Then again, phone call equals no movie and no fun for us, the viewer.)

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: After being typically antagonistic as brothers and sisters are, when Audrey freaks out about Aunt Edna's death, Rusty comforts her without a second thought.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: After being typically antagonistic as a brothers and sisters are, when Audrey freaks out about Aunt Edna's death, Rusty comforts her without a second thought.

* NauseaFuel: The family at one point stop off at a picnic area to have some lunch. As they're eating the sandwiches they notice they're soggy, And then it hit them that Aunt Edna's dog urinated on the food. The family is understandably disgusted but Edna just shrugs and continues eating. Ugh.

* {{Sequelitis}}: With a different director, no creative input from Harold Ramis or Chevy Chase, completely different characterization for Russ & Audrey, and some of the better gags being telegraphed too far in advance, ''European Vacation'' is nowhere near as beloved as its predecessor or its follow-up ''Christmas Vacation''.

* EarWorm: Lindsey Buckingham's "Holiday Road", which serves as the movie's theme song.

** The 2015 sequel/reboot is getting this reaction too with people who dislike the heavier amounts of crude humor in comparison to the original, and how the film is essentially just a kinda-sorta remake of the original (with one of the film's own trailers lampshading this fact) with much more heavy-handed attempts at comedy; highlighted further by the fact the 2015 movie recreates almost shot for shot the famous "flirting with a hot woman on the highway" scene, only this one has her die violently in a head-on collision, making many viewers say "DudeNotFunny"

** The 2015 sequel/reboot is getting this reaction too with people who dislike the heavier amounts of crude humor in comparison to the original, and how the film is essentially just a kinda-sorta remake of the original (with one of the film's own trailers lampshading this fact) with much more heavy-handed attempts at humor; highlighted further by the fact the 2015 movie recreates almost shot for shot the famous "flirting with a hot woman on the highway" scene, only this one has her die violently in a head-on collision, making many viewers say "DudeNotFunny"

** The 2015 sequel/reboot is getting this reaction too with people who dislike the heavier amounts of crude humor in comparison to the original, and how the film is essentially just a kinda-sorta remake of the original (with one of the film's own trailers lampshading this fact) with much more heavy-handed attempts at humor; highlighted further by the fact the 2015 movie recreates almost shot for shot the famous "flirting with a hot woman on the highway" scene, only this one has her die violently in a head-on collision, making many viewers day "DudeNotFunny"

** The 2015 sequel/reboot is getting this reaction too with people who dislike the heavier amounts of crude humor in comparison to the original, and how the film is essentially just a kinda-sorta remake of the original (with one of the film's own trailers lampshading this fact); highlighted further by the fact the 2015 movie recreates almost shot for shot the famous "flirting with a hot woman on the highway" scene, only this one has her die violently in a head-on collision.

** The 2015 sequel/reboot is getting this reaction too with people who dislike the heavier amounts of crude humor in comparison to the original, and how the film is essentially just a kinda-sorta remake of the original (with one of the film's own trailers lampshading this fact); highlighted further by the fact the 2015 movie recreates almost shot for shot the famous "flirting with a hot woman who gets hit by a truck" scene.

* HarsherInHindsight: The "they don't close Florida" line might qualify in light of the recent immigration incidents.

* DudeNotFunny: Dragging a dog to death just isn't funny. The cop who pulled Clark over for it was especially unamused.
** It ''was'' a horrible dog, at least.
** Well it more the circumstances of it that was funny. Clark was kinda distracted while packing up everything. And you gotta admit the scene with the cop was hilarious.
** At least they only showed the dog's collar. In the short story that the movie was based there is a very graphic description of Dinkie's remains, and he wasn't even a mean dog! Also there's a part where Clark [[spoiler:purposely kills another dog with a revolver.]]
** Averted at one part. It was originally planned for Aunt Edna to [[NotQuiteDead still be alive]] when she was on top of the Griswolds' car. It was [[KilledOffForReal later changed]] when it was considered too mean-spirited.
*** Who's to say she wasn't alive by the time Normy came back?