Overview: Everything is planned, packed – and about to go hilariously wrong. The Griswolds are going on vacation. In the driver’s seat is Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase), an Everyman eager to share the open road and the wonders of family togetherness.

Myriad mishaps, crude kin (Randy Quaid), encounters with a temptress (Christie Brinkley), financial woes, Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) on the roof, one security guard (John Candy) and 2,460 miles later, it’s a wonder the Griswolds are together.

There’s never been a family vacation like it. Except maybe yours. And that helps explain why National Lampoon’s Vacation remains so popular … and so very funny!

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the 40th Anniversary release of the much beloved National Lampoon’s Vacation in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this June 27th, 2023.

For my money, this National Lampoon’s Vacation [4K UHD+BR+Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is National Lampoon’s Vacation presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments is the hilarious It’s a bit nipply out scene! I mean, sure, it’s no highway encounter with Christie Brinkley, but this awkward interaction that Clark Griswold has with a lingerie associate named Mary (no s***?) is a classic. It’s scenes like this that show how charming a younger Chevy Chase could be, even when he was casually being adulterous and hitting on store clerks much young than himself!

Another that is now helped to glow fully in the afterglow of this 4K rendition, is the simply magnificent fifty stands of lights, 100 individual bulbs per strand, for a grand total of 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights lighting scene!

Drum roll, please, for this entire scene, from Clark’s dismembering of Santa’s sleigh and his reindeer to the glorious moment when the lights work is classic holiday fare, but my personal favorite moment comes when Clark goes down the line of family members and gets to Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be any more surprised than I am now. Bloody classic!

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, French: Dolby Digital 2.0 and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the story to hand, Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase) always wanted to have an great vacation with his wife (Beverly D’Angelo) and their two kids (Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron). Since Clark thinks that he doesn’t have any time with his family, he decides to take them in a vacation from Chicago to California.

So now Clark and his family are going to Wally World, a Disney-like theme park, but once they start on a road trip cross-country from their home, everything quickly turns into a complete disaster! Every state they cross it goes from bad to worse, especially when Clark is forced to drive his mean-spirited aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) to Phoenix, after visiting their odd-ball Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and their family!

The only thing that lifts Clark’s spirits is a mysterious young woman (Christie Brinkley) that Clark occasionally sees on the road, all whilst she drives a gorgeous red Ferrari.

Directed by Harold Ramis (Bedazzled, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, et al.), he most certainly made an enjoyable, silly comedy with a dark tint to it. Chase appears in one of his best roles as a naive family man, who does his best with his family to have a fun time in the film, but seems to always be fouling everything up.

I think we all know now that this was one of the most popular comedies of the 1980’s and it went on to have three sequels, of which, in my humble opinion, Christmas Vacation is still the best of the bunch.

That said, this Vacation still has some great comedic lines, especially the scene where Chase has an nervous breakdown in the car after the death of a key character in the movie! Oh, and the movie even gets the best out of Lindsey Buckingham’s Holiday Road in some scenes, and being that is one of my all-time favorite holiday songs, I am always so very happy to hear it on screen.

The leads are as good as you know them to be and Quaid is a hoot in a small, yet highly memorable role, as is Brinkley as the girl of Griswold’s dreams. Many familiar faces also appear in cameos, such as the late John Candy, the late Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Miriam Flynn, James Keach, Eugene Levy, Jane Krakowski and more. Trust me, this is a most terrible vacation NOT to be missed!

National Lampoon’s Vacation Ultra HD Blu-ray contains the following previously released special features:
1. Commentary with Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid, Matty Simmons, Harold Ramis, Anthony Michael Hall, and Dana Barron (98 Minutes)

National Lampoon’s Vacation, directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Digital on June 27. As Warner Bros celebrates its 100th anniversary, this film is highlighted as a studio gem on its 40th anniversary.

The 1983 classic comedy film from Warner Bros. Pictures was written by John Hughes and was based on his short story “Vacation ’58 which appeared in the publication “National Lampoon.” The film was produced by Matty Simmons and also stars Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron, and Christie Brinkley in her acting debut. National Lampoon’s Vacation also features special appearances by Eddie Bracken, Brian-Doyle Murray, James Keach, and Eugene Levy.

Ultra HD* showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before.

National Lampoon’s Vacation will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray for $33.99 SRP and includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature film in 4K with HDR and a Digital download of the film. Fans can also own National Lampoon’s Vacation in 4K Ultra HD via purchase from select digital retailers beginning on June 27th, 2023.

National Lampoon’s Vacation | Warner Bros. Entertainment [Official 4K UHD Trailer]