Christmas Comedy Collection

"[Story] Here is a movie to treasure, to throw your arms around and hug.  Chicago Daily Herald
"[Elf] It's not a little movie. It's big, giant-sized, family fun!  Joel Siegel, Good Morning America
"[Vacation] ...a roller-coaster ride of hilarity, poignancy, vulgarity...  John J. Puccio, DVD Town
"[Vacation] The best of the four "Vacation" movies.  Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
"[Story] The cast is wonderful...the laughs nonstop and the whole thing deserves to become a Christmastime classic. A must see.  Motion Picture Guide
"[Elf] ...has a heart, a brain and a wicked sense of humor, and it charms the socks right off the mantelpiece.  Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Editor's Note NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION, A CHRISTMAS STORY, and ELF are the three Christmas-themed movies contained on this collection.

	Beverly D'Angelo
	Bob Newhart
	Chevy Chase
	Darren McGavin
	Ian Petrella
	James Caan
	Johnny Galecki
	Juliette Lewis
	Melinda Dillon
	Peter Billingsley
	Will Ferrell
	Zooey Deschanel
	Bob Clark - [Story] Director
	Jeremiah S. Chechik - [Vacation] Director
	Jon Favreau - [Elf] Director

Variety 8 of 10
[Vacation] Solid family fare with plenty of yocks, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is Chevy Chase and brood doing what they do best. Despite the title, which links it to previous pics in the rambling Vacation series, this third entry is firmly rooted at the Griswold family homestead, where Clark Griswold (Chase) is engaged in a typical over-reaching attempt to give his family a perfect, old-fashioned Christmas...Acidic contrast to his fanatical focus on family comes from next-door neighbors Todd and Margot (Nicholas Guest and Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as a pair of suave young urbanites repelled by Chase's behavior. Script gets off some zingers at their lifestyles, too...A group piece in which the ensemble keeps growing as relatives arrive, pic really gains momentum when Randy Quaid shows up as redneck ne'er-do-well cousin, Eddie, driving an RV that looks like a septic tank on wheels...For the most part, helmer Jeremiah Chechik makes an adept debut, injecting plenty of energy and spirit.

ReelViews 7 of 10
[Elf] Elf is being hailed in some quarters as the next great Christmas classic. The people making such a pronouncement must have seen a different cut of the movie than the one shown to me. Elf is a feather-light motion picture that embraces the Christmas spirit, but, in the process, forgets that it's trying to be a comedy. Maybe the problem is that Will Ferrell, as outrageous a comedian as there is, is neutered beyond his ability to be funny by the family friendly PG rating. Or maybe it's that the screenplay is pitched at a third grade level. Regardless, Elf is more likely to end up on the snow pile of forgettable Christmas-themed movies than in the vault of memorable ones...There's a difference between family movies and kids' movies. Titles in the former category are typically well-rounded motion pictures that offer genuine entertainment value to viewers of all ages. Films in the latter group will entertain those whose age remains in the single digits while hopefully not making their parents wish they were somewhere else. Elf wants to be thought of as a family film, but the reality is that it's a kids' picture. The best age for viewers of Elf is about seven or eight. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
[Story] There are many small but perfect moments in "A Christmas Story," and one of the best comes after the Lifebouy is finally removed from Ralphie's mouth and he is sent off to bed. His mother studies the bar, thinks for a moment, and then sticks it in her own mouth, just to see what it tastes like. Moments like that are why some people watch "A Christmas Story" every holiday season. There is a real knowledge of human nature beneath the comedy...In a poignant way, "A Christmas Story" records a world that no longer quite exists in America. Kids are no longer left unattended in the line for Santa. The innocence of kids' radio programs has been replaced by slick, ironic children's programming on TV. - Roger Ebert