Merry Christmas

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Movie
German title Merry Christmas
Original title National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1989
length 93 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Jeremiah S. Chechik
script John Hughes
production John Hughes,
Tom Jacobson ,
Matty Simmons
music Angelo Badalamenti
camera Thomas E. Ackerman
cut Gerald B. Greenberg ,
Michael A. Stevenson
occupation
chronology

←  Predecessor
Help, the Americans are coming

Successor  →
The shrill four in Las Vegas

Nice Christmas presents (Original title: Christmas Vacation , alternative title: Help, it's Christmas , National Lampoon 's Christmas Vacation , National Lampoon's Winter Holiday ) is an American comedy film from 1989 . Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik , the screenplay was written by John Hughes . The main roles were played by Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo .

The film is a continuation of the comedies Die schrillen Vier auf Fahrt from 1983 and Help, the Americans are coming from 1985. In 1997, Die schrillen Vier in Las Vegas , another part of the Griswold series, followed in 2003, as well as Schöne Bescherung 2 - Eddie goes swimming , in which, however, the Griswolds do not participate and instead cousin Eddie is the protagonist. Vacation was born in 2015 - We are the Griswolds .

action

Clark Griswold, his wife Ellen and their two children Audrey and Rusty are looking for a suitable, large Christmas tree , which they eventually find in a forest. Since Clark forgot to take a saw with him, the tree is dug up without further ado. When it is placed in the house, some panes will break due to its size. Days later, Clark decorates the house with numerous fairy lights made from 25,000 imported Italian lightbulbs, but the attempt to turn the fairy lights on initially fails. Later the lighting is switched on accidentally by a light switch actually intended for room lighting; A second reactor must be switched on immediately in the supplying nuclear power plant. The glaring light blinds a snobbish couple living in the neighborhood .

While the family is still more or less enthusiastic looking at the fully illuminated house, Clark's cousin Eddie Johnson comes as a surprise with his wife, their two children and a sick Rottweiler . You arrived in a dilapidated motorhome to spend Christmas with the Griswolds without being invited. Eddie is considered uneducated and uncivilized, which he confirms by his behavior and his statements.

Clark expects a high Christmas bonus from his company and would like to use it to build a swimming pool in his garden and has already taken out a large loan for this. He also visits his boss, Frank Shirley, with a small gift. The company manager merely instructs Clark to put it with the others , who are all the same shape despite different packaging.

Now the rest of the family arrives at the Griswolds and also causes some destruction. For example, Aunt Bethany's cat is barbecued by a short circuit and the Christmas tree burns down. It turns out that Clark only receives a symbolic gratuity from his boss: instead of the expected check, a messenger brings a voucher for a one-year course on "fat-free cooking". Clark is very angry, but now wants to give his family a "real" Christmas and unceremoniously drops a tree in the neighborhood as a replacement, which also damages his neighbors' house. After setting it up, a squirrel still living in the tree chases the residents through the apartment and then, meanwhile pursued by the Rottweiler "Rotzi", jumps through the entrance door, behind which the neighbor is waiting, wanted to complain about the damage to her house. She is knocked down by the squirrel and the dog.

Eddie Johnson kidnaps, due to a request previously expressed by Clark, but not seriously meant, his boss Shirley from his villa and brings him to the house of the Griswolds. The house is then surrounded by the police, who finally storm it. However, when the operations manager learns that Shirley has cut his employees' gratuities, he is equally upset. The boss's wife, who has now been added, reacts similarly. This regretfully promises to pay out a bonus. Finally, when Uncle Lewis throws a burning match into Clark's septic tank and the flame creates an explosion, everyone looks up at the small flying sleigh with the plastic reindeer harnessed in front of it, which was in the garden as a decoration and was thrown into the sky by the explosion.

Reviews

source rating
Rotten tomatoes
critic
audience
Metacritic
critic
audience
IMDb

The film received mostly mixed to positive reviews. At Rotten Tomatoes , the film was able to convince 65% of the film critics, based on 37 reviews, and 86% the audience with around 222,000 votes. At Metacritic , a Metascore of 49, based on 18 reviews, could be achieved. At IMDb , the film received 7.6 out of a possible 10 stars with around 137,000 votes. (As of December 10, 2019)

James Berardinelli wrote on ReelViews that the film contained too many elements familiar from its predecessors. The comedy works, however, because it shows situations that are known to most families. Berardinelli praised some actors - including Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki - but criticized the portrayal of Randy Quaid as "uncomfortable".

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times on December 1, 1989 that the film changed the formula of the comedy series by not taking the Griswold family away. He praised the performances of Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo and Randy Quaid, who tried to make the best of his “ungrateful” role. Ebert criticized the direction by Jeremiah S. Chechik.

Rita Kempley wrote in the Washington Post on December 1, 1989 that producer and screenwriter John Hughes had found an "irresistible" formula for comedy. The film is "uneven" but "affable".

The lexicon of international films describes the film as a "[more] burlesque" National Lampoon "comedy that soon ran out of satirical powder and took refuge in cheap eye rolls".

background

  • The film was shot from March 27, 1989 to June 30, 1989 in Illinois , Colorado and California .
  • In Germany and Austria, Schöne Bescherung was initially very well known under the title Help, Christmas is coming . This title was based on its predecessor Help, the Americans come and was used for the first time by Austrian television.
  • The box office in the cinemas of the United States amounted to 71.32 million US dollars .
  • In Germany and Austria, the film did not originally come to the cinema, but was released directly on video in October 1990. Through the annual television broadcasts, it developed into a cult film here too. In December 2015, the film was shown in selected cinemas in Germany and Austria - in Germany it was the cinema premiere, more than 25 years after it was made.
  • A mistake has crept in in the German dubbing: In fact, Catherine is the cousin of Clark's wife and Eddie is just married.
  • The televised movie that son Rusty is watching when the visitor arrives is Isn't Life Beautiful? from 1946.
  • The scene in which Clark cuts off the post of the stairs with a chainsaw is a nod to Isn't Life Beautiful? , in which George Bailey ( James Stewart ) holds the wobbly head of the post in his hands several times.
  • Second assistant director took over Frank Capra III, grandson of Frank Capra ( Isn't life beautiful? ).
  • The song that is played while Chevy Chase is watching the old movies in the attic is by Ray Charles and is called "Spirit of Christmas".
  • The poster hanging on the ceiling above Rusty's bed shows Carré Otis .
  • The cover of People magazine , which Clark reads in bed, shows director Jeremiah S. Chechik .
  • Aunt Bethany is portrayed by Mae Questel , who became known as the voice of the cartoon character Betty Boop .
  • In the film, Eddie Clark asks, “ Hasn't your company recently poisoned all the poor guys in India? ". This is a reference to the actual Bhopal disaster of the Union Carbide company in 1984.
  • The house next to the Griswolds has been used in all Lethal Weapon films. There it was the home of police officer Roger Murtaugh ( Danny Glover ).
  • There are several references to this film in the animated series The Simpsons , including:
    • avoiding the snow plow on the roadside with the car with the subsequent flight to the lower-lying Christmas tree sales;
    • connecting the house's Christmas lights to electricity.

Sequels

synchronization

The dialogue script and direction are from Arne Elsholtz .

figure actor Voice actor
Clark Griswold Chevy Chase Michael Brennicke
Ellen Griswold Beverly D'Angelo Dagmar Heller
Eddie Johnson Randy Quaid Thomas Danneberg
Russell Griswold Johnny Galecki Dirk Meyer
Audrey Griswold Juliette Lewis Claudia Lössl
Art Smith EG Marshall Heinz Engelmann
Bill Sam McMurray Ekkehardt Belle
Frances Smith Doris Roberts Marianne Wischmann
Margo Chester Julia Louis-Dreyfus Madeleine proud
Mary Nicolette Scorsese Carin C. Tietze
Mr. Shirley Brian Doyle-Murray Hartmut Reck
Mrs. Helen Shirley Natalija Nogulich Katharina Lopinski
Nora Griswold Diane Ladd Alice Franz
Uncle Lewis William Hickey Leo Bardischewski
Ruby Sue Johnson Ellen Hamilton bibs Sabine Bohlmann
SWAT officer Alexander Folk Manfred Erdmann
Aunt Bethany Mae Questel Monika John
Todd Chester Nicholas Guest Arne Elsholtz
Macy's Parade host Doug Llewelyn Christian Tramitz

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Lampoon at rotten tomatoes (English) Template: Rotten Tomatoes / Maintenance / "imported from" is missing, retrieved on December 10, 2019
  2. ↑ a b c Beautiful presents at Metacritic (English), accessed on December 10, 2019
  3. ↑ a b Lampoon in the Internet Movie Database (English) retrieved on December 10, 2019
  4. ↑ Film review by James Berardinelli
  5. ^ Film review by Roger Ebert
  6. ↑ Film review by Rita Kempley
  7. ↑ Nice presents. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  8. ↑ Filming locations for Schöne Bescherung
  9. ↑ Box office / business for nice presents
  10. ↑ dubbing , German dubbing index