‘Christmas Vacation’ reunion: New holiday movie to premiere in Central NY

A new movie featuring a highly-anticipated “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” reunion is set to premiere in Central New York.
“The Christmas Letter,” which was shot in the Mohawk Valley area this past winter, will make its debut Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Stanley Theatre in Utica. The screening event will begin at 6 p.m.
Tickets will be $5 and go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 10:30 a.m. in person at the Stanley box office or by phone at 315-724-4000 (will call only). It’s unclear if any tickets will also be available online.
“The Christmas Letter,” directed by Tori Hunter and written by Ilion, N.Y., native Michael Cunningham, centers on an everyday man (played by Angus Benfield) who decides to top his wealthy friend’s annual Christmas letter by cashing out his 401K and takes his family on a year-long series of crazy adventures to create “the Christmas Letter to rival all Christmas Letters.”
The cast notably includes three actors who appeared in 1989′s “Christmas Vacation”: Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid (in his first movie in 6 years) and Brian Doyle-Murray. The holiday classic, written by John Hughes, starred Chase as family man Clark Griswold opposite Quaid as his Cousin Eddie and Doyle-Murray as his boss (who Eddie kidnaps when Clark complains about his holiday bonus).
Scenes for “The Christmas Letter” were shot in January throughout CNY, including a home and church in Clinton, Utica’s City Hall, the Valley View Golf Course, the Woods Valley ski area in Westernville, Thrive Athletic Center in New Hartford, and The Stanley Theatre in Utica. Chase filmed scenes at the Fort Schuyler Club in Utica while Quaid separately filmed his role in Vermont, though Quaid still made a virtual appearance in Utica for a video call with Chase’s character that will appear in the film.
“I was born and raised in Ilion and had always dreamed of bringing something back to the valley in some way,” Cunningham said in a statement. “And while I didn’t build a factory, I did create a story which was built on my life here, so it only made sense to film here. The Utica/Rome/Mohawk Valley region has so much to offer filmmakers. There is a vast palette of unique landscapes and buildings imbued with character and history, and the people are the best.”
“I don’t think it really hit me that this was all happening until I heard Brian Doyle-Murray deliver one of my lines for the first time,” Cunningham added. “It was magical. And then having the likes of Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid add their legendary comedic talents just made the whole experience even more surreal.”
Cunningham, who now lives in the Rochester area, is listed as a producer alongside Benfield, who a produces the film through his company LAMA Entertainment.
The project is Quaid’s first since 2018, according to his IMDb page. The Oscar-nominated actor had memorable roles in the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” franchise, “Independence Day,” “Kingpin,” “Freaked,” “Major League II,” “Brokeback Mountain” and the “Elvis” TV miniseries, but fled to Canada in 2010 while facing criminal charges in California over vandalized property at a home he once owned. Quaid, 74, was arrested in Vermont upon returning to the U.S. in 2015, but as of 2021 the case in California was reportedly still active.
Chase, 81, is an Emmy-winning actor who was an original cast member on “Saturday Night Live” and starred in “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Caddyshack,” “Fletch,” “Three Amigos,” “Community,” and the Syracuse-set “Snow Day.” He previously visited Syracuse in 2019 and Utica in 2021 for screenings of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
Doyle-Murray, the older brother of Bill Murray, has appeared in more than 160 movies and TV shows, including “Groundhog Day,” “Caddyshack,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Wayne’s World,” “JFK,” “Scrooged,” “Veep” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Doyle-Murray, 78, also had a role in 1983′s “National Lampoon’s Vacation” alongside Chase and Quaid.
“The Christmas Letter” cast also includes Brian Posehn (“The Big Bang Theory”), Kristoffer Polaha (“Jurassic World: Dominion”), Sean O’Bryan (“The Princess Diaries”), Regina Schneider (“The Blacklist”) and Chevy Chase’s daughter, Caley Chase.
A widespread release date for “The Christmas Letter” has not been announced.
See more photos from the production: