National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

The perfect family vacation rarely goes according to plan, but the disasters often make the best memories. Harold Ramis' "National Lampoon's Vacation," written by John Hughes, stars Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, a well-meaning, relentlessly upbeat dad who insists on driving, not flying, to give his family a real adventure. He loads his reluctant wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), and kids, Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) and Audrey (Dana Barron), into the Wagon Queen Family Truckster, a gaudy, pea-green station wagon forced on him by a slippery car salesman (Eugene Levy), and sets off cross-country from Chicago to Walley World, a Southern California theme park. Along the way, they get lost in a rough part of St. Louis, where their car is stripped, stay with Ellen's loud, dim-witted Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) in Kansas, and get stuck giving his cranky Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) a ride, with unexpected consequences. Clark wrecks the car in the desert, the family's money disappears and their visit to the Grand Canyon lasts about two seconds. Clark is also distracted by a mysterious blonde (Christie Brinkley) in a red Ferrari. When they finally reach Walley World, it's closed for repairs, and the desperate dad takes a security guard (John Candy) hostage with a BB gun so his family can ride the rides. Lindsey Buckingham's "Holiday Road" became a classic.