Whether he’s playing a bumbling fool who lets his temper get the best of him in the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies or a straight-up menace on Community, Chevy Chase has long had the uncanny ability to play the biggest jerk in the room. Not including his supposed off-screen issues in the past, the former Saturday Night Live star and perennial funnyman has given us some of the most cringe-inducing, awkward, and downright mean moments over the years. Here are 32 of the funniest examples…
The Time Clark Griswold Left Aunt Edna’s Corpse In Her Son’s Backyard (National Lampoon’s Vacation)
Clark Griswold does a lot in National Lampoon’s Vacation, setting the tone for what was to follow in the years to come for Chevy Chase’s most famous character. One of the most jerkish things he did in this quintessential ‘80s movie was leave Aunt Edna’s corpse at her son’s house. But instead of handing the corpse over to a loving family member, Clark just left her in the backyard… in the rain.
movie you can watch over and over, is filled top to bottom with great characters, including Chevy Chase’s Ty Webb. However, there’s no denying that the smug golfer and son of the Bushwood Country Club owner is a jerk more times than not. This is seen multiple times in the interactions between Ty and Danny Noonan, the young caddy helping him on the course. I mean, the “Be the ball” lesson is a total crock, right?
Stephen King novel. He has good reason for wanting to leave town, but this is too much.
best John Carpenter movies, Memoirs of an Invisible Man is still a wild time. One of Chevy Chase’s least talked about roles, his take on company man Nick Halloway after being involved in a life-changing accident, is up there with the rest of his work. This is especially true when it comes to being a jerk after he uses his new powers to do some rather troublesome stuff.
The Whole 20,000 Christmas Lights Situation (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation)
I know, I know, Christmas is pretty much Clark Griswold’s thing, and he likes to go all out. However, it’s kind of a jerk move to use 20,000 lights on your house for the holidays. The town had to go to auxiliary power, his neighbors were blinded, and the impact on birds had to be deadly.
Max Fiedler Uses Telekinesis To Win Back His Girl (Modern Problems)
Modern Problems is a Chevy Chase movie that doesn’t seem to come up in conversation all that often, which might be because of his unlikable Max Fiedler. After gaining telekinetic powers, Max uses his gift to do all kinds of things, like give a guy a nosebleed in an attempt to win back his girl.
When Mitch Carroll Tried To Abandon His Son After Being Arrested (Law & Order)
Mitch Carroll, Chevy Chase’s racist, anti-semantic, and incredibly famous character from Law & Order, was going to let his son go to prison after a brutal murder and attempt to wash his hands of the mess. Pretty much responsible for his son’s role in the homicide, Mitch would later be charged and convicted of proxy murder before being sent to the slammer.
Clark Griswold Sprays A Man Using The Bathroom (Vacation)
There’s a short scene in Vacation where Clark Griswold talks to Rusty about the family roadtrips being a mixed bag, but worth it in the end. What’s he doing while giving his adult son some fatherly advice? Oh, he’s spraying a man in the face with Lysol as the man tries to do his business.
Principal Harbert Dismisses The Idea Of Toni Morrison Being The Commencement Speaker (Orange County)
Chevy Chase’s Principal Harbert from Orange County is one of the comedian’s most distracted and uninterested characters of all time. However, he does give us some hilarious yet prickly moments throughout the early 2000s movie, like the time he totally dismissed the idea of Toni Morrison giving the commencement address.
Pierce Hawthorne on Community is one of the meanest and most vile (yet hilarious) characters Chevy Chase has ever played, and he was always up to something. During an episode where he is pranked, Pierce takes things to the next level when he is tricked into thinking he has magical powers. That’s not bad on its own, but it gets awkward when the prickly character refuses to admit he in fact has no special abilities.
When Clark Griswold Destroyed Stonehenge (National Lampoon’s European Vacation)
Okay, Clark Griswold didn’t intend to destroy the iconic Stonehenge site in National Lampoon’s European Vacation, but that’s what happened when he backed into it. It’s not as severe as his other misgivings, but his lack of self-awareness makes him a jerk nonetheless.
On top of the whole “Fat Neil” situation, Pierce Hawthorne took his resentment to new levels on Community when he took over the Dungeons & Dragons game and inserted himself as an all-powerful villain. Talk about taking things too far, guy.