National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - Parents Guide Movie Rating

MPA: PG-13 BBFC: 12 Maturity Rating 13+

BBFC Reason: infrequent strong language, moderate sex references NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION is a comedy sequel, from 1990, in which a family's seasonal gathering is imperilled by unexpected events.

BBFC Ratings info: There is infrequent use of strong language ('f**k'), as well as milder terms such as 'Christ', 'God', 'shit', 'asshole', 'piss', 'hell', 'damn', 'crap', 'screw', 'bitch', 'Jesus', 'dick', 'cock' and 'frigging'. A man makes a middle-finger gesture. A man refers to a preacher 'screwing the hockey player'. Another ogles a shop assistant's body and imagines her removing her swimsuit, with partial breast nudity. A man suggests time alone with his wife, and asks her to fetch the 'rubber sheets and the gerbils'. There is mild innuendo. There is mild comic violence and threat. It is implied that a cat is accidentally killed by electrocution. Adults smoke tobacco.

Sex & Nudity

mild

A man talks to a female store clerk who he finds sexy and messes up when talking and says hooter instead of hotter and nippily instead of nippy. The scene where a husband wife lay in bed does not show her nipple through her nightgown. Please pay attention before you fill out the parents guide. The Griswald's neighbors make out and are seen with glasses of wine. A man tells his wife that he's going to take off his clothes and kiss every square inch of her body. There is a picture on the bedroom ceiling of the Griswald's house of a woman with skimpy clothing. A woman in a store shows Clark her very high underwear and it shows the side of her butt. The Christmas tree is shown with a bra as an ornament. It's meant to be funny and is non sexual. Ellen is shown grabbing Clark's crotch during the police officer scene where they tell the family to freeze. It is not in a sexual way. Later in the movie she then appears when Clark is imagining his future pool during the summer. She takes off her swimsuit and it shows a brief partial shot of her right breast. Not very much is shown.

Violence & Gore

mild

The violence is mostly meant to be funny: A man gets punched by his wife. He falls backwards off the couch and lands on his face. A man tumbles all the way down his stairs while holding wine glasses. The glasses are shattered. A block of ice from the rain gutter goes flying, crashes through the neighbor's window, and destroys their stereo. We literally see sparks fly when this happens, and a man falls off the roof and into a bush. He is not harmed. A cat is electrocuted under a chair and disintegrates into the carpet of a house. The shape of its body is seen on the carpet. A man is gagged and brought to a house against his will. He is also kicked in the butt at one point. A man is knocked to the ground by a ladder when he opens the attic. Then he is whacked in the face three times in a row by a wooden board. He also crashes through the attic when he is sitting on top of the door, and his wife opens it. A man drops a cigar and an outdoor explosion knocks a big group of people down in the snow. The police break down the doors at two different houses and have guns in their hands. A woman is attacked by a squirrel and a dog at the same time. In the next scene, she is shown with ripped clothes, she is limping, and her face and hair are all dirty. After a squirrel and a dog maul a woman she goes next door to her boyfriend and punches him in the face. A squirrel is found in a house, causing everyone to get upset. Two women faint, and Clark suggests trapping it in a coat and killing it with a hammer. A dog ends up chasing the squirrel throughout the house, knocking things over and causing a huge mess.

Profanity

moderate

1 use of f**kin Many uses of damn and hell. 10 uses of shit. Some used as bullshit. 3 uses of "goddamn" Several uses of ass, some as asshole. Several uses of shit and son of a bitch. 1 use of piss Clark calls his boss multiple names when he goes crazy, d*ckless is used.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

mild

Cousin Eddie tells Clark his daughter is in the clinic, getting cured off the wild turkey. A man drinks a beer early in the morning while standing outside. He burps twice. Clark drinks a lot of eggnog when he gets frustrated, implying that it has alcohol in it. One of the grandmothers is a heavy smoker and drinker. She is sometimes seen behaving erratically as a result, laughing and hiccuping mostly. Ellen smokes a cigarette when she is stressed out by her family. Ellen throws her alcoholic beverage into the bushes in one scene, while she is frustrated. Uncle Lewis smokes a cigar in two scenes. At one point, it causes the Christmas tree in the house to literally burn down. Clark asks where the Tylenol is after his fit he throws.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

none

It is implied that a cat is killed, may be upsetting to some viewers