Chevy chase as a human is a drunk racist. If you start relating to this man you need to take a hard look at your life.
This man owns a two story home in the Chicago suburbs with an attic and a basement. The conflict of the story is how he won’t be able to add a pool to this palace. He lusts after some random girl at the mall when Beverly DiAngelo is right there.
I will never relate to this man.
The story is about how his capitalist boss cut his wages so he couldn’t afford to give his family a Christmas gift. Now can you relate?
He’s an upper middle senior lower upper management type who is looking for a bonus payment (just for himself, not for his team) so he can improve his already outlandish standard of personal living.
What’s not to empathize with? I mean, we’ve all been there.
He has a great job, but still overspends because he wants to be seen as someone more than he is, and the only way he knows to prove his worth is by purchasing things. He can’t afford what he already has, and is relying on an uncertain bonus just to cover what he already spent.
The only time he really gets mad, is when his stuff gets broken or laughed at.
I just assume that is what middle class life looked like back then.
When I was a kid, I thought people who lived like that were just on TV. Middle class existence was as relevant to my experience as robot maids and talking cars.
Honestly I’m still a little suspicious. Hollywood contrivances are a history of how we think of ourselves, not of how we are.
Die hard and home alone 1/2 are the objectively superior Christmas movies
Elaine and her husband were the real sympathetic characters.
Because it’s a 1980s movie the fact they were a childless couple with a more modern home decor taste they were considered acceptable targets for comeuppance, despite having done nothing to anyone.
Clark is a self centered jerk. All of his action for the family were really more about keeping up appearances or being personally validated. He’s awful.
They kidnap an exec though. At least a few bonus points for that.
Cousin Eddy did that all on his own. Clark was too busy screaming at his family about not being able to pay for a pool.
Every time we watch this, my husband and I agree that doing the holidays with our families feels exactly like this.
