National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2

Last updated
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2
Christmas Vacation 2 cover.jpeg
Official DVD cover
GenreComedy
Written by Matty Simmons
Directed by Nick Marck
Starring Randy Quaid
Miriam Flynn
Dana Barron
Jake Thomas
Eric Idle
Fred Willard
Ed Asner
Music by Nathan Furst
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerMatty Simmons
ProducerElliot Friedgen
Cinematography Rohn Schmidt
EditorJoel Goodman
Running time83 minutes
Production companies National Lampoon Productions
Elliot Friedgen & Company
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseDecember 20, 2003 (2003-12-20)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2 (also known as National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure) is a 2003 American made-for-television comedy film. It is the only film in the Vacation franchise not to star Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold respectively. It premiered December 20, 2003 on NBC and stars Randy Quaid and Miriam Flynn reprising their roles as Cousin Eddie and Catherine, along with Dana Barron reprising her role as Audrey Griswold. It is a spin-off/sequel to the 1989 film, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation .

Contents

Plot

The story begins with Cousin Eddie at his latest workplace, a nuclear facility where he 'works' alongside a chimpanzee. When the chimpanzee outperforms him in every test (specifically mental agility), the decision is made to fire him. Upon finding out the news, the two get into an argument which results in the chimpanzee biting him.

With Christmas approaching, Eddie is worried about what this job loss will mean for him and his family and he decides to talk to his former boss. Although the thought never occurs to him, the nuclear company is convinced that he will sue. As a preemptive countermeasure, they offer him and his family (along with Audrey Griswold and his Uncle Nick) a free vacation to an island in the South Pacific. While on holiday they go on a boat ride. While Eddie attempts to catch a >shark, they get lost and eventually shipwrecked on an isolated island.

Eventually Eddie is able to prove himself a man by providing for his family and they all celebrate Christmas together on the island. Shortly after, they are rescued - although when the pilot becomes incapacitated, it is left to Eddie to land the rescue plane safely. Once landed, Eddie discovers he has been given his job back.

Cast

Production

In June 2003, it was announced Jake Thomas, Fred Willard and Ed Asner had joined the cast. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Bracken</span> American actor (1915–2002)

Edward Vincent Bracken was an American actor. Bracken came to Hollywood prominence for his comedic lead performances in the films Hail the Conquering Hero and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek both from 1944, both of which have been preserved by the National Film Registry. During this era, he also had success on Broadway, with performances in plays like Too Many Girls (1940).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Quaid</span> American actor (born 1950)

Randy Randall Rudy Quaid is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy.

<i>National Lampoons Vacation</i> 1983 US film by Harold Ramis

National Lampoon's Vacation, sometimes referred to as simply Vacation, is a 1983 American road trip black comedy directed by Harold Ramis starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Christie Brinkley in her acting debut with special appearances by Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Miriam Flynn, James Keach, Eugene Levy, and Frank McRae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mae Questel</span> American actress (1908–1998)

Mae Questel was an American actress. She was best known for providing the voices for the animated characters Betty Boop, Olive Oyl and numerous others.

Sung-Hi Lee (Korean:이승희) is a South Korean model and actress based in North America. She has been featured in Playboy magazine as well as in many other magazines and some commercial advertising.

Edward, Eddie or Ed Johnson may refer to:

<i>National Lampoons Christmas Vacation</i> 1989 film by Jeremiah S. Chechik

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in National Lampoon magazine's Vacation film series. Christmas Vacation was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written and co-produced by John Hughes, and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Randy Quaid with supporting roles by Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Diane Ladd, John Randolph, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Juliette Lewis, and Johnny Galecki.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Hickey (actor)</span> American actor (1927–1997)

William Edward Hickey was an American actor. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Don Corrado Prizzi in the John Huston film Prizzi's Honor (1985), as well as Uncle Lewis in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) and the voice of Dr. Finkelstein in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Hill</span> American actress (1964–1996)

Dana Hill was an American actress and voice actress. She was known for playing Audrey Griswold in National Lampoon's European Vacation, and also known for her roles in Shoot the Moon and Cross Creek. As a voice actress, she was known for her work as Max Goof in Goof Troop. Hill had diabetes that affected physical growth, which meant that she often played children into adolescence and beyond.

<i>National Lampoons European Vacation</i> 1985 film by Amy Heckerling

National Lampoon's European Vacation is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Robert Klane based on characters created by John Hughes. The second film in National Lampoon's Vacation film series, it stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Hill, Jason Lively, Victor Lanoux, and Eric Idle with special appearances by John Astin, Paul Bartel, Maureen Lipman, Willy Millowitsch, Mel Smith, and Moon Zappa. It tells the story of the Griswold family when they win an all-expense-paid trip to Europe as chaos of all sorts occur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Barron</span> American actress

Dana Barron is an American actress who is best known for her role as the original Audrey Griswold in the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation which she reprised in 2003's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure for NBC television.

<i>Vegas Vacation</i> 1997 family comedy film by Stephen Kessler

Vegas Vacation is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Stephen Kessler in his feature directorial debut. It is the fourth installment in National Lampoon’s Vacation film series, and was written by Elisa Bell, based on a story by Bell and Bob Ducsay. The film stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Wayne Newton, Ethan Embry, and Wallace Shawn. It tells the story of Clark Griswold taking his family to Las Vegas to renew his vows to Ellen as the series' usual hilarity occurs. The film opened at #4 at the box office and grossed over $36.4 million domestically. Vegas Vacation is the first theatrical Vacation film not to carry the National Lampoon label or a screenwriting credit from John Hughes. Also, this is the only National Lampoon film to be released in the 1990s and the final film released before National Lampoon magazine folded. this was also the last Vacation movie to be released until New Line Cinema, a production company of Warner Bros, produced a reboot that was released 18 years later in 2015.

Miriam Flynn is an American voice and character actress. She is best known as Cousin Catherine in the National Lampoon's Vacation and Grandma Longneck in The Land Before Time franchises. She has acted in other films and in several television series, the latter including a recurring role as Sister Helen on the Fox/WB sitcom Grounded for Life.

<i>The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper</i> American TV series or program

The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper is an American animated television spin-off series and a sequel of the feature film Casper, which, in turn, was based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character of Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Nick Marck is an American television director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Here Comes Santa Claus</span> 1947 song by Oakley Haldeman and Gene Autry

"Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" is a popular Christmas song written and originally performed by Gene Autry, with music composed by Oakley Haldeman. Autry's original recording (in which he pronounces Santa Claus as "Santy Claus") was a top-10 hit on the pop and country charts; the song would go on to be covered many times in the subsequent decades.

<i>National Lampoons Vacation</i> (film series) 1983 American film

National Lampoon's Vacation film series is a comedy film series initially based on John Hughes' short story "Vacation '58" that was originally published by National Lampoon magazine. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of five main films, two of which are not sponsored by National Lampoon, and one spin-off. In recent years, the series has been the inspiration for various advertising campaigns featuring some of the original cast members. The series portrays the misadventures of the Griswold family, whose attempts to enjoy vacations and holidays are plagued with continual disasters and strangely embarrassing predicaments.

<i>Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh</i> 2008 television film based on Drake & Josh directed by Michael Grossman

Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh is a 2008 American Christmas comedy television film based on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh. Drake Bell, Josh Peck, Miranda Cosgrove, Nancy Sullivan, and Jonathan Goldstein reappear as their respective characters, with several recurring characters from the TV series also reappearing. The movie aired on Nickelodeon a year after the show's original end in 2007. The film premiered on December 5, 2008, as a Nickelodeon Original Movie. It was the third most viewed TV movie on cable behind High School Musical 2 and Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, both owned by Disney Channel.

<i>Vacation</i> (2015 film) 2015 American family comedy film

Vacation is a 2015 American road comedy film written and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. It stars Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Beverly D'Angelo, Chris Hemsworth, and Chevy Chase. It is the fifth and final theatrical installment of the Vacation film series, serving as a standalone sequel to Vegas Vacation (1997). It is also the second not to carry the National Lampoon name after Vegas Vacation.

References

  1. "Jake Thomas, Fred Willard, Ed Asner". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2022.