Cousin Eddie was like the right amount of salt on a meal. You don't make an entrée out of salt.

The first Christmas Vacation is still to this day, one of the funniest movies I have ever seen.

I like how Movie Madness is advertised as "the first movie from National Lampoon since Animal House," completely ignoring Class Reunion ever existed.

It almost would’ve been funnier if cousin Eddie in his own movie didn’t appear until 20 some odd minutes in and only stuck around for the end. He caused Audrey and his daughter to get ship wrecked. He gets lost on the island trying to not upset Clark and ends up accidentally and inadvertently saving the day.

When you watch this video and you question if he snuck in some fake National Lampoon movies because a lot of them seem too ridiculous to be real films yet they are unfortunately.

Loaded weapon is hilarious so many quotable moments: Cop: c'mon give us names Bad guy: weren't your parents supposed to do that?

Man when you really think about it it's a minor miracle that Van Wilder turned out pretty decent. It's like they found a winning lottery ticket in the middle of all of those awful college movies.

Here's a bit of trivia: The 2000 film Meet the Parents was a remake of an 1992 indie film of the same name. Before the writers of that movie turned to Hollywood and remakes, they were trying to find distribution for their movie. After taking over Lampoon, J2 COmmunications was hoping to start a line of direct to video movies and was interested in making Meet the Parents their first project. A contract was signed, and the creators of the original Meet the Parents were eagerly awaiting the premiere of their movie on video when without a lot of warning, Lampoon pulled out of the deal, leaving the MTP creators high and dry. Considering where Lampoon wound up and where Meet the Parents wound up, it's probably fortunate for the creators of Meet the Parents that Lampoon did pull out of the deal

"Puzzled John Belushi" should always be a thing in your videos.

The national lampoons series definetly took a dive over the years, but imo christmas vacation the original is and always will be one of the greatest christmas movies of all time. The humor, the writing, the flow of it, was all done to pretty much perfection.

I'm glad you went over the history of the National Lampoon brand. Don't know about anyone else, but I spent YEARS wondering what constituted a National Lampoons movie. It felt like there was some connective thread in the early days. But growing up on movies like Loaded Weapon and Senior Trip, I had no idea what connected them.

Matty Simmons’ autobiography is fascinating, although he obviously didn’t have comedic chops himself. The man went from running the Diner’s Club, essentially the first credit card, to financing National Lampoon

After Chevey Chase stopped making the vacation movies, I think that's where Natonal Lampoon started dying off.

Vegas Vacation was a legitimate entry into the universe and very enjoyable. Definitely a "rental" but still a fun ride

I must have watched "Loaded Weapon" several hundred times. It was just hilarious!!!!!

Baby Huey’s great Easter adventure looks like a nightmare I had

Many years ago, my girlfriend and I went to a Blockbuster Video to rent Van Wilder. But since BB never showed the actual covers of any of the movies (everything was in that same generic BB wrap with the name of the movie printed in the basic font on the side), we accidentally rented one of the terrible sequels. When we realized our mistake at home, we thought we'd try to make the best of it by watching it anyway. Those fifteen minutes before turning it off is time stolen from my life that I will never get back and I'm still salty about it all these years later.

I worked at a video store from 2002-2006. You brought back so many memories with that list of awful direct-to-video Lampoon movies! I remember most of those sitting on the shelves. It felt like a new one came out every other week, and no one EVER rented them!

Dennis Quaid is a neighbor and is a fairly normal guy living a happy life. Randy’s situation is very sad considering how much joy his performances gave my childhood.

Using reaction shots from a superior Lampoons film was a brilliant way to highlight the downfall

Finding out that they were just licensing off the "National Lampoon" name to random movies, makes me wish someone had took them up on that offer for like, something entirely not a Raunchy Comedy. Like a Serious Grounded Sci-Fi Flick or just a Slasher.

Totally legit: When the clip of John Belushi popped up and he yells "food fight", I smiled just thinking of that entire movie, like one of those smiles that's just totally involuntary and you just can't help but do it... then literally the next scene the smile was gone...

Back in the 1970s, during the time of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, National Lampoon used to be a cult comedy magazine that represented baby boomers who took on the idiocy and humor of their generation with their dark comedy and political satire. Today, it's just an endless mountain of terrible movies with sexual innuendos, outdated humor, and cheesy plot lines going nowhere.

I have a proposition: after this video, we forget this film exists.

Am I the only one that unironically likes the idea of a comedy using the same set as a characters home and their "exotic" vacation. I think if it's done well it could be a really funny idea.

That movie was so bad that my ex-wife, who was a HUGE Christmas Vacation fan, asked if we could just cut it off at the point where the shark was dragging their boat. I happily obliged!

Just watching these curated clips is an endurance test in cringe. I can't imagine what it must've been like to actually watch the movies. Hats off to Hats Off Entertainment.

This is crazy, I didn’t even know they made a second Christmas vacation movie

I remember when the Red Letter Media guys talked about this on one of their Best of the Worst episodes. It truly made them all miserable.

One fact you forgot to mention, Eddie is depicted 20 times dumber here than in any of the other movies

I still love Loaded Weapon 1. Its aged surprisingly well

"I don't know why they call this stuff hamburger helper cause it does just fine by it self ....my favorite cousin Eddie line ever 😂

A better question is "How did it live for as long as it did?" or "What did it do right for a while?"

I keep forgetting that this movie wasn't just a fever dream I had back during middle school... Kinda wish it was, tbh.

A death so brutal, that not even the 2015 vacation revival could save it .

None of the Vacation films after Christmas Vacation 1 can match the lofty heights achieved by Harold Ramis and John Hughes.

I'm still stunned from learning they actually had the balls to make a live action baby huey movie.

Was recently wondering what happened to National Lampoon - it was a rebel icon growing up in the 70's and 80's, until, it wasn't. Thanks for this!

YES!!! I have been waiting for you to review this one, especially since you teased it in your lost Christmas Vacation video. It's one of those sequels I've been told is bad, but I've never seen a comprehensive review on it.

I remember this being the only film my parents threw into the shredder because of how bad it was

Poor Ed Asner and Fred Willard. I want to feed bad for Randy Quaid too but given his current condition helming a movie was probably the best thing that ever happened to him...

Your content is fantastic!

I introducted this to my kids as "hey, lets watch a really bad Christmas movie!" We were not disappointed. It was a great opportunity to discuss with them the reason why the jokes didnt land. Setup and payoff are completely missing. They tell us the dog stinks. Then people react to the dog stinking. In the original movies they would have had something happen earlier that led to the dogs problem, and we could all go OH I see whats coming... and see? I saw that coming. We love that in movies. The screenwriter didnt understand "show - dont tell". Worse still is how they keep cutting to the house flooding (a shallow reason to cut to snow remiding us this is a christmas movie), but never mention it when they return home. The punchines dont land because there is no setup/payoff. It's just slapstick gags that werent that funny to begin with.

I’ve only seen Animal House, Vacation and Christmas Vacation. I had no idea there were so many sequels and spin-offs.

Cousin Eddie is too much of a goofy slapstick character to be the star of his own movie a character like this only really works when he's opposite someone who plays it's straight

I'm glad to see Loaded Weapon 1 getting the respect it deserves.

It cracks me up. Back in 2005/2006, my roommate who had just graduated from college with a degree in film, got one of his first gigs working on a movie called (at the time) Homo Erectus, which he described as a Caveman comedy. It later turned into one of the really bad National Lampoon movies you mentioned here, The Stoned Age.

What’s weirdly not talked about at all in this video is National Lampoon Radio Hour which is really wonderful and swamped with talent

All those impostor Lampoons should be put in a box set and call it DUMPSTER FIRE.

Yet another example of Making a sequel or spin-off about the fan favorite side character and It never works.

Loaded Weapon is fucking hilarious, actual gold.

I loved Vegas Vacation... I know others don't. Please... PLEASE review it! Merry Christmas hats off!

So THIS was the movie that led Randy Quaid to go crazy and flee the country! XD

Nothing lasts forever. Great art is as much a sign of the times its created in, as the people who create it. The 70s and early 80s were a weird time. People made due and in some special cases, created something that stands the test of time. The sun has long set on that era, so best to start something new Hollywood! I wonder what the equivalent is today?

What a great video. It really explains the decline of National Lampoon. Mostly the movie division. There was a lot of overlap between National Lampoon, early Saturday night live and Second City. They all recruited from the same place and poached the same talent.

Eric Idle is one of the few things I do remember from European Vacation. Him, Pig in a Poke and Lederhosen dancing/brawling.

Van Wilder is the only post-1990s National Lampoon movie I'd ever heard of, I had no idea they made so many more movies that went direct to video.

I was today years old when I found out that national lampoon was a magazine. As a kid I thought it was Chevy Chase's name.

Belushi’s look at 10:01 sums it all up.

I remember looking at the dvd at my library than texting my parents just knowing this was going to be crap

In 1983, my 14-year-old self somehow tricked my mother into letting me subscribe to National Lampoon Magazine with her Publisher's Clearing House entry form. Thus, I graduated from the Mad Magazine school of satirical comedy to a subversive new world... jokes, with nudity!

Thank you so much for reviewing this! I've always been so curious about Christmas Vacation 2 but couldn't bring myself to sit through it. You're doing the Lord's work!

I knew of animal house and the vacation movies and van wilder. But I had no idea those other flops existed. Until I found Christmas Vacation 2 in the $5 bin. I watched it once and forced myself to finish it.

this is what essentially what happened with cars 2. they made the comic relief character the main character when they were never meant to be the lead

Animal House will always be a classic.

That repeated shot of Bluto looking unamused had me rolling.

Highly recommend “A futile and stupid gesture” for a really great look at national lampoon

Christmas Vacation 1 is a big family tradition movie. Once Christmas comes around it's played quite often.

“Cheap, rushed soulless representations of something beloved.” My man, you’ve described almost every movie in the past 10 years…

Speaking of National Lampoon, I really enjoyed Will Forte as Doug Kenney in A Futile and Stupid Gesture. Does a good job there. I like Will Forte when he’s not playing Shaggy in SCOOB. Badly miscast there. But if you want to give an opinion on A Futile and Stupid Gesture, it’s on Netflix[in the US].

omg the Comic Sans thing hahaha Joe I burst out laughing!

You're one of the best things on KZfaq man. I hope you're making a living from this because you make the most delightful content. Merry Christmas and keep up the awesome work.

For some reason, your videos feel like they last way longer then their 20 minute run time but are also super entertaining to watch. It must be all the great information and examples you put into it.

Aside from Vacation, Van Wilder, and Loaded Weapon 1, there is 1 other National Lampoon's movie that contains a gem. I believe it was made for Showtime and called Favorite Deadly Sins. It's mostly forgettable, but there's a skit that basically takes Andrew Dice Clay's mid 90s comedy routine and turns it into a short film. It's probably my favorite thing Dice was in.

Man, I can't believe they actually made a solo movie about a character that I hated the most in those vacation movies. Cousin Eddie.

Vacation, Christmas vacation and European vacation are the best ones

you know... i actually chuckled with the shower scene and bryan cranston... he's just such a good actor with great comedic timing. it lands

Am I the only one who enjoys Loaded Weapon 1?

One of your best. Fantastic video.

Loaded Weapon 1 was a great movie! Needs a blu-ray release.

National Lampoons Loaded Weapon is one of my all time favorite films! Glad to see it get mentioned in a positive light.

Red Letter Media loved the Milwaukee joke

Bravo. I didn't think you could get any better, and then you do!

Great video man! I think National Lampoons Senior Trip should be included as well. Thank you for this!

Shout out to me for recognizing Luscious Lopez in a one-second appearance in some crappy movie I've never heard of

i have an uncle who's similar to cousin eddie, it's actually quite sad and annoying

Always a pleasure to watch your videos!

You should do MAD Magazine's "Up the Academy"

I watched this movie when it debuted on NBC in 2003. It came on right after they aired Christmas Vacation back then in the early 2000's Christmas Vacation only aired once or twice on NBC and could not be seen on any other network at the time. Now Christmas Vacation is seen 50 times on t.v every holiday season. This weird sequel was boring, stupid and forgettable. Never viewed it again and it was just now while watching this video on KZfaq I recall it.

It's seriously crazy what happened to this brand. Animal House was one of my dad's favorite films, and I used to watch it all the time with him before he died. Loaded Weapon was one of the first parody films that I got to appreciate cause I was old enough to get the jokes. How did it become a vehicle for off-brand raunch films?

I've known for years this review was coming. & it was every bit I expected for better or worse

Really happy you made a video about this franchise and this film. I always felt a little ill whenever I saw the cover for CV:II in Blockbuster and never once thought "I should rent this". Thanks for confirming my fears!

Back when Randy Quade only acted crazy in movies.

Eventually you should tackle National Lampoon's Last Resort (or Scuba School as it is sometimes called) with the two Coreys, or Loaded Weapon or Men In White.

Well done as always Joe!

Dana Barron is, to date, the only one to reprise their role as one of the Griswold kids as she did in Christmas Vacation 2.

Never saw this sequel, but would like to thank this analysis for introducing me to the talents of Lee Sung Hi. Good Lord.😳

Edit: I have watched a National Lampoon 's Christmas Vacation and this is why John Hughes is the heart of the Franchise as well as what made it a Holiday Comedy Smash. The Sequal is just garbage.

Killer video, as always! Thanks.

without John Hughes and Howard Ramis, National Lampoon was nothing. Change my mind.