This Scene...from Christmas Vacation: A Script Versus Movie Comparison

Happy Holidays! Happy Christmas! Happy everything because I’m sharing a scene from one of my favorite Christmas movies, CHRISTMAS VACATION. I wouldn’t say this is my favorite scene from the film, but I chose it because I wanted to look at the difference between what ended up on screen and what is on the page itself.

So yeah! I’m presenting a “script vs movie” comparison again, and specifically looking at how the scene direction compares to what we see on screen. It’s relatively surprising, really!

So while I of course want to lighten the mood with some fun holiday fare and laughs (and Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold is one of the best on screen characters ever created - I mean let’s just be honest), but I’m hiding the veggies a little here by comparing the pages to the scene itself. I hope you can learn a little something, and if you have questions or any comments at all, let’s get a discussion going.

In the meantime, I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving, and find your way grooving into the holiday season happy, healthy, and maybe with some laughs along the way.

Watch video here, or enjoy reading the transcript below:

MAX TIMM: Well, it is officially the Christmas season, and with the Christmas season, of course, especially in our worlds, come Christmas movies. And I'm going to show a scene from one of my regular staples. Every year I need to watch this movie, Christmas Vacation. You know, Chevy Chase and the whole Griswold family.

I am beyond a huge fan of this movie. I know pretty much every single line by heart. And there's one particular scene that I want to show you. Yes, of course, to make us laugh. You know, and to remind us that every year we have to deal with some form of a family member that may be a little off or different or someone that we may not necessarily want to sit down with for very long. We still love them. Maybe Clark doesn't love Eddie all that much, but he's trying to. And that's what I love so much about this movie and about Clark and his character.

He just means so well and he's trying so hard. But the reason I want to show this scene is not just because we love this movie and I want to make you laugh, but I'm going to show the actual pages from this scene.

And I want to identify something that I noticed while watching this and then comparing it to the pages. I never actually looked at the script of this before. I've watched this movie so many times. um and i wanted to see i wonder how they actually blocked this because you'll see a very stark difference in terms of what's on the page and what's actually shot and i mentioned some reasons why that might be in the recording so why don't we just go right into it you can watch that um and we'll just have some fun looking at the pages

It's maybe not my favorite scene in all of Christmas Vacation, but it just makes me laugh so hard every time I watch it. But what I wanted to do is take a look at what the pages looked like, and I'm astounded how accurate and specific the actual filming and the produced scene is compared to what's in the script. Granted, this could be an actual production script and therefore this is what was shot. I don't know if this was the original script or not. But nonetheless, what I really want to look at is how we have referenced here in the scene direction I'll just move my mouse over here.

Clark and Eddie are standing at the tree sipping eggnog. Really simple. Eddie's wearing a flannel shirt tucked into sweatpants and leather tie shoes. He's showered. His hair is combed back. Now, a lot of my writers ask me, how much do I need to detail when I'm presenting who's in the room? What do we see in the room?

What are they wearing? How much detail do I really need to put in there? And I always end up... telling them whatever is absolutely necessary for the tone of the scene, the meaning of the scene, something that we're supposed to be aware of as not only readers but viewers. Notice that they don't describe what Clark is wearing.

We've already met Clark and Eddie is relatively new in the movie here. He just was introduced in the prior scene but nonetheless he's wearing something different than the prior scene and it's important to note a flannel shirt tucked into sweatpants and leather tie shoes. Now granted in the produced version of this he's not wearing that at all.

But that's completely ridiculous. What he's wearing is completely absurd. That in and of itself informs the comedy of the scene and the fact that he's showered, his hair is combed back. It's all important to the character. So that type of detail is necessary because it means something.

And as we keep going, they have a pretty simple back and forth. This script is written, and this movie was released in 1989. They use a lot of these references, you know, close-up and all that stuff. Snots is the name of the dog. He's drinking the water out of the tree stand.

And then we come back to interior living room, Clark and Eddie, even though we're there. In, you know, present-day, current-day scripts, we probably wouldn't need to have a close-up. reference. We would just stay in the room and reference that, you know, the dogs drinking water under the tree. Living room.

Clark shoes the dog out from under the tree. Get out of there. Eddie's saying his back and forth. Really straightforward. We're not over directing anything. The dog saunters out of the living room. And then it's all just straight dialogue here. Now this is probably something that

isn't necessary changes the subject because what's in the dialogue I just can't believe you're actually standing here in my living room I would never never thought the day would come he is just by what he's saying he's changing the subject so I would argue the parenthetical isn't necessary and then he keeps going and then he says I got the daughter in the clinic to get cured off the wild turkey and the older boy bless his soul preparing for his career at a college carnival What you notice when you watch the scene is that, compared to the script, these two characters are just standing here talking to each other.

But when you see the scene, what they add to it is the blocking, and the character's actually moving through the scene. Eddie's pouring himself some more eggnog. Clark is fixing this little Christmas decoration that Eddie accidentally broke, which again you'll see in the scene. And so they're having this dialogue back and forth while they're doing, they're physically doing these things. A lot of dialogue back and forth. "Bighorn's grown right above her ears, ugly as sin, but a real sweet gal, hell of a good cook." And then again, change of the subject.

"Can I refill your eggnog, get you something to eat, drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?" That's one of my favorite lines of the whole movie. It doesn't catch the insult. I'm doing fine, Clark. And then there's a little cut in my recording that you'll see, but when did you get the tenement on wheels? And that's just how the scene ends.

But what you're going to notice is just how much movement there is in the scene. And it's something that we can consider when we're writing, that we don't want to over-direct and over-explain or present the blocking. But if... There was probably something either the actors came up with as they were in the scene or the director on the spot said, you know what, why don't you do this? And they didn't put it in the script itself. But when you're writing the scene, whatever action the characters take, it can add to the scene. And that's why I wanted to show this scene from Christmas Vacation.

Let's dive in and take a look. So it's pretty cool, you know, seeing the difference. And there are a lot of potential reasons as to why the script looks a little different than what ended up on screen. The wardrobe is a little bit different compared to what's described.

I also think it's fabulous that there is no reference in the page that Clark and Eddie's face are about this close to each other when they're talking. I guarantee you that was an actor's choice. Okay, I can't say guarantee you. I don't know. But I just love seeing the difference.

I love seeing a scene come together so well. Now let's actually watch the scene because why not? It's Christmas. It's Christmas vacation. It's Chevy Chase and Clark Griswold. Let's just have some fun and happy holidays, everybody.

EDDIE: That's a honey of a tree, Clark.

CLARK: You real? Yeah. I dug it out of the ground myself.

EDDIE: Is that a fact? Hey, hey, get out of there! Snod! No! Don't worry about it, Clark. Little tree water ain't gonna hurt him. Before we left, he drank a half a quart of Pennzoil. Boy, when he lifted his leg the next morning.

CLARK: Eddie, if he drinks the water out of there, the tree's gonna dry up. Come on, out of there.

EDDIE: Snod! Ow, ow, ow! You get out of there. Get in the kitchen now. Get in the kitchen there and get you something to eat. Go on. He's cute, ain't he? Only problem is he's got a little bit of Mississippi leg out in him. If the mood catches him right, he'll grab your leg and just go to town.

EDDIE: You don't want him around if you wear his short pants, if you know what I mean. A word of warning, though, if he does lay into you, it's best to just let him finish.

CLARK: Can't believe you're actually standing here in my living room, Eddie. Never thought the day would come.

EDDIE: Yeah, I'm excited about it, too. It's a crying shame the older kids couldn't make it.

CLARK: I'll get that. Don't worry about it.

EDDIE: Yeah, I got the daughter in the clinic getting cured off the wild turkey. And the older boy, bless his soul, is preparing for his career. College? Carnival. You gotta be proud. Oh, yeah. Yeah, last season he was a pixie dust spreader on the Tilted Whirl.

EDDIE: He thinks that maybe next year he'll be guessing people's weight or barking for the yak woman. You ever see her? No. Yeah, she's got these big horns growing right out above her ear. It's ugly as sin, but a sweet gal and a hell of a good cook.

CLARK: Can I refill your eggnog for you, get you something to eat, drive you out to the middle of nowhere, leave you for dead? No, I'm doing just fine, Clark. So, when did you get the tenement on wheels?

EDDIE: Oh, that there, that's an RV. Yeah, yeah, I barred it off a buddy of mine. He took my house, I took the RV. It's a good-looking vehicle, ain't it?

CLARK: Yeah, it's so nice parked in the driveway.

EDDIE: Yeah, it sure does.

EDDIE: But don't you go fall in love with it now, because we're taking it with us when we leave here next month. Boom!

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