MovieChat Forums > National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) Discussion > The Attic scene always bugged me as a ki...

The Attic scene always bugged me as a kid and it still bugs me now

posted 10 years ago by agenericperson
50 replies | jump to latest

I am rewatching this classic but it always bugged me how Clark stayed in the attic after he fell through the ceiling. sure he landed on a bunk bed but he could have crawled through. if he really wanted to watch movies he could have gone back up to the attic and got them.

sure I get why he stayed there from a humor perspective. it was so when the door to the attic was opened he would fall again. it seems like they were just trying to have their cake and eat it too and give us both gags instead of settling on one. it's a bit of a nitpick really but it's never made much sense.

[–] ck100 10 years ago

Maybe he didn't want to make an even bigger hole in his ceiling.

[–] Candyhearts27 10 years ago

SPOILERS

What drove me nuts was how Ellen listened to Art without making sure that Clark was okay or where he was.

[–] bing-57 8 years ago

> What drove me nuts was how Ellen listened to Art without making sure that Clark was okay or where he was.

That's just the way the family is. Remember that Eddie disappeared for probably a few hours (to kidnap Clark's boss) and no one even noticed that he was missing.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] GabbyLane67 7 years ago

SPOILERS

What drove me nuts was how Ellen listened to Art without making sure that Clark was okay or where he was.

YES! I say this every year that I watch it! I wouldn't leave my husband behind like that. My family had a conversation this year watching it saying these days she could just text him to hurry up and come on. But, if he is like my husband he keeps his phone on silent and rarely checks it.

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop & look around once in awhile you could miss it - Ferris

[–] Faridah (1325) 5 years ago

I can laugh at this now but at the age of 15 I ran away for about 14-16 hours and my family never noticed! I left very early that morning while everyone slept. It was around thanksgiving time and we had family visiting so the house was full. I walked around for hours, tried to hitchhike and wasn’t picked up thankfully, hung out at McDonalds for hours to warm up and eat then eventually went home. It was late around 9 or 10pm. I walked in embarrassed wondering how I’d explain myself. I was mostly worried how my grandmother would react. I walked in the front door and an aunt said “We thought you’ve been in your room all day.” Really? Not one person checked to see if I was in there or not.

My point is sadly some family over looks the black sheep.

[–] mlp57 10 years ago

His feet went through... Would there be enough room for his whole body to fit between the beam? I think they are 12-16 inches apart

[–] oldsalt61 10 years ago

16" centers are standard. He could probably squeeze through if he made a larger hole.

[–] helloleland 10 years ago

Making a bigger hole wouldn't have mattered. He'd have needed to replace an entire sheet of drywall anyway.

[–] JR541 10 years ago

This is basically a live action cartoon so don't look for logic.

He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?

[–] zoe-butler51 10 years ago

I was waiting for someone to say that! I mean, some of the things in this film - like the explosion blowing the sleigh into space, the bit with the saucer sledge, the business with the tree lights - are so far fetched that to quibble about details like the one in this post is straining at the gnat but swallowing the camel! It amazes me how some people cannot just sit back and enjoy a bit of Christmas craziness! I mean, lots of things go wrong in our lives, but not all at once as with the Griswolds, and even if they did, they'd be killed! And honestly, look at some of the films on release at the moment!

[–] PaladinNJ (20307) 5 years ago

Exactly

[–] MaximRecoil (4043) 6 years ago

It wasn't drywall, it was lath and plaster - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lath_and_plaster

Also, holes in drywall can be patched without replacing the whole sheet anyway.

[–] Lord Rake (3747) 5 years ago

I saw no lath, only drywall and even if it was he could have broke more out for a bigger hole. Once you have to repair a hole of that size making it a little bigger doesn't make a difference in work.

[–] MaximRecoil (4043) 5 years ago

"I saw no lath, only drywall"

Then you need to watch it again. You can clearly see the laths on the attic floor between the joists. Here's a screenshot:

https://i.imgur.com/STFwfwQ.jpg

[–] Lord Rake (3747) 5 years ago

I stand corrected, I still don't see why he wouldn't break a few more out to get down but obviously they wanted to keep him in the attic.

[–] Mattfinbell 10 years ago

yeah that didnt make sense

[–] hisloverisolde 10 years ago

It wasn't the hole in ceiling that bugged me, it was the reason he was in the attic in the first place.

Why was he hiding presents up there anyway? Why not just put them with all the others under the tree? And hiding the red present in the chimney breast (or whatever it was) is a bit extreme isn't it?

I realise it was just a device for getting him up there but it seemed kinda dumb, they could've just had him go up there to get a box of decorations or something.

[–] Utpe (658) 6 years ago

I think it was just Clark being Clark. The guy is obviously not the brightest bulb in the box. Of course he's going to hide presents in the attic, even if his relatives were already putting them underneath the tree.

If the guy had a lick of common sense, he'd at least attempt to push the bunk bed out of the way and figure out how to land safely in the bedroom without causing too much damage. At his height, it wouldn't have been that much of a fall. Instead, he dresses up in women's clothing to keep warm and watches old films.

I can see why some people are a bit perturbed by the attic scene. Realistically, he could have broken his legs if it weren't for the beds being right underneath him. He also could have possibly suffered from hypothermia or severely injure his wife when she opened the door.

But, since this a comedy, it's purely written for laughs.

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 10 years ago

It's not my favorite scene. I always skip it each time I watch this film.

~~
JimHutton (1934-79) & ElleryQueen

[–] MuggySphere 10 years ago

Just on that is the floor in the Attick strong enough to walk on, so how did he manage to make a hole in the first place? And the weight of all that junk up there?

If it were real wouldn't there have to be some more boards up there to make a proper floor you could use?

[–] kevjj0425 10 years ago

it was kind of a cool scene. I liked when he first opened the attic door or whatever that was, and the ladder hits him in the head. Then as he's walking up there he keeps stepping on the boards and getting hit. Too bad the other lampoon movies, although still good, weren't as funny as this one.

[–] MuggySphere 10 years ago

This was a very funny movie.

[–] bing-57 8 years ago

> Just on that is the floor in the Attick strong enough to walk on, so how did he manage to make a hole in the first place? And the weight of all that junk up there?

Typically, people with attics will lay or nail boards across the beams to store stuff and to walk around on. Putting heavy weights between the beams will, indeed, have the risk of falling through the ceiling. My grandma once fell through her ceiling like that.

> If it were real wouldn't there have to be some more boards up there to make a proper floor you could use?

It depends on how much you intend to use the attic. If you are going up there once a day, then it's worth it to make a proper floor. If you go up five or six times a year to get the holiday decorations, it's not worth the effort and expense. Just lay a few boards across the beams and be careful.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] billkwando 10 years ago

The attic is just one of the dumb gags that doesn't work in this movie...

[–] straw_hat_boy_luffy 10 years ago

I think the entire point is that Clark is a bit of a dodohead?

__
Writing is my favorite hobby. Writing something that many can enjoy is my favorite dream.

[–] PhineasAppleby 9 years ago

I know it's mostly a plot device, but the way Clark's mother-in-law closes the attic without even checking to see if anyone is up there bugs me.