Top 10 National Lampoon Movie Moments

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

The new take of National Lampoon’s classic VACATION is now playing in theaters. Despite not carrying the name of the iconic comedy magazine, the film aims to carry the tradition of humor to a new generation. Looking back at the history of National Lampoon films, we have compiled our list of the top ten moments from all of their movies. See if your favorite made the cut and, if not, feel free to let us know in the talk backs below.

#1 – Bluto’s Speech (NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE)

This is Belushi’s other great moment in ANIMAL HOUSE. The speech to end all speeches makes absolutely no sense and yet it pumps you up as if it does. There are few perfect movies out there but ANIMAL HOUSE definitely ranks at the top.

#2 – Ferarri (NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION)

The scene that has been copied a million times and yet never as good as the original. Christie Brinkley is the dream girl every man would fantasize about but no one would do it while driving after seeing this. The VACATION sequels over-used this scene and advertisers have copied it but this is the best one.

#3 – Christmas Dinner (NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION)

The entire dinner scene takes up about thirty minutes of the film and feels like everybody’s real family dinner during the holidays. With crazy relatives, accidents, and cooking mishaps, this scene is right on the money but with some great visual comedy from Chevy Chase and the rest of the cast.

#4 – Zit (NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE)

John Belushi will forever go down in comedy history for his work on Saturday Night Live and in ANIMAL HOUSE. While the movie is full of great moments of his, this is one of the best. Crass and gross and just perfectly executed.

#5 – Roundabout (NATIONAL LAMPOON’S EUROPEAN VACATION)

EUROPEAN VACATION failed to live up to the original film and recycled a lot of the jokes, but the brilliant idea of sending up American tourists in Europe is encapsulated perfectly in this scene of the Griswolds trying to drive under foreign traffic laws.

#6 – Walley World (NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION)

The whole journey led to this moment: a slow-motion run towards a park that was closed. Then, after ninety minutes of insanity, things take a turn. What a great comedy rollercoaster.

#7 – Squirrel (NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION)

CHRISTMAS VACATION may be my favorite of all the National Lampoon movies because it feels so sincere and wholesome while still having a dark and funny edge to it. But, in between the moments of actual family happiness you have absurd moments like this.

#8 – The Art of Seduction (NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VAN WILDER)

Ryan Reynolds seemed poised for superstardom with this college film that tried to be the 21st century ANIMAL HOUSE. While it was not as good as that film, VAN WILDER does have it’s moments, including this truly disgusting seduction scene.

#9 – Cousin Eddie (VEGAS VACATION)

Randy Quaid’s performance in many of the Lampoon films, including some awful spin-off films, is one of the most memorable parts of the franchise. In the only Vacation movie not to carry the National Lampoon name, the Griswolds get to visit Cousin Eddie and his family at their desert home. The rest is just perfect.

#10 – Crime Scene (NATIONAL LAMPOON’S LOADED WEAPON 1)

This spoof of buddy cop movies is often overlooked but is actually a pretty decent movie for fans of THE NAKED GUN. The format is very different than the other National Lampoon films but is exactly the same humor that made the magazine so iconic. Plus, Samuel L. Jackson is great in his role.

Source: JoBlo.com

About the Author

5873 Articles Published

Alex Maidy has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. A Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of Chicago Indie Critics, Alex has been JoBlo.com's primary TV critic and ran columns including Top Ten and The UnPopular Opinion. When not riling up fans with his hot takes, Alex is an avid reader and aspiring novelist.