37 - "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983)

     If you're ever having a down day and need a pick me up, it always helps to jump in the family truckster and take a trip down the holiday road with the Griswold family. Chevy Chase had decent success in films following his exit from Saturday Night Live, but his role as Clark W. Griswold really catapulted him to the top of the line of comedy stars in Hollywood at the time. All Clark wants to do is to have a nice family vacation with his wife and 2 children. He has everything planned out to the minute, but it isn't long before his schedule is shot and the trip across the country to Wally World is a disaster. Vacation is written by 80's icon John Hughes and directed by Harold Ramis, who also directed Caddyshack and Groundhog Day, two other films that have made my list. Chevy Chase is at his best in the role of the family patriarch, but kudos also to Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron, as the rest of the family. No write-up of Vacation would be complete without mentioning Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie. I'm not sure there is a funnier minor supporting role in any comedy film. His turns as Eddie in this movie and the second sequel, Christmas Vacation, provide some of the most hilarious and highly quotable lines of each film.
(Speaking of sequels, Christmas Vacation deserves a spot right next to this one on the list. A must see and a Christmas time staple for me. Two other sequels, European Vacation and Vegas Vacation have their moments but aren't in the same league as the first two I mentioned.)