Vacaciones familiares

Two families go on vacation together in a Canadian log cabin.

This is an enjoyable comedy powered by the presence of John Candy and Dan Ackroyd.

I saw this many times as a child and recently as a forty-something. I don't think it's quite as good as I remember (as is often the case when you re-watch movies you enjoyed as a child) but the two stars still provide enough entertainment to make it work.

I think many people have family or friends they tolerate in small doses, and there is nothing quite like going on vacation together to remind you why this is the case. This is the central concept of 'The Great Outdoors' and the basis for so of much of the humour. Key to this is relationship of the main characters Chet and Roman, who are the respective patriarchs of each family, and about as opposite you can get in both values and personality.

Candy and Ackroyd are perfectly cast in the above roles. The script is not in the same league as other notable 80s comedies, but the performances of each elevate the material significantly. Ackroyd in particular lives and breathes the obnoxious, arrogant brother-in-law from hell and makes a potentially annoying creation hilariously funny. I think many people have a Roman in the family and might be able to empathise with the situation. Candy adds a likeable, laid back, charismatic presence and brings his natural, improvised banter to many scenes. He seems to have wonderful chemistry with everyone he shares the screen with.

Annette Benning and Stephanie Faracy make some reasonably good contributions to the humour, particularly the 'spin cycle' references and generally when they both stand by their husbands during the inevitable family bust-up.

Some of the gags are more visual. The waterskiing sequence is great fun, likewise the montage of holiday park activities, lightening bolts, and bear related shenanigans.

Not everything works for me. I find the repetitive gags involving raccoons mildly amusing at best and all the scenes involving the eldest son Buck's teen romance feel like a way to stretch out the movie to feature length. I remember as a child I used to fast forward these parts on my VHS and they haven't got better with age.

As ever, I believe comedy is very much in the eye of the beholder and it depends on your personal taste as to whether you find it funny. It is a typically 80s PG comedy that is family friendly but pushes the boundaries in terms of its adult themes. I am probably rating it higher than it deserves due to being a huge fan of both stars and the nostalgia associated with watching it as a child.

It's hard to view "The Great Outdoors" as more than just a cog in the high-production machine of late 80s comedy including the talents of John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, etc. Most of the film is incredibly predictable and the plot is almost entirely formulaic, yet despite it all, it's hard to truly despise this film. It's nothing more than average, but still enjoyable. Of all the films that master 80's comedy writer John Hughes has written ("Ferris Bueller," "The Breakfast Club") this is not one of his standouts.

John Candy stars as Chet Ripley, yet another likable protagonist who is always getting screwed over by his jerk of a co-star, in this case Dan Akyroyd as his brother-in-law, Roman Craig. Chet wants peace and quiet in a small Canadian lakefront town with his family when the Craigs drop in uninvited. It's so overdone and overused, but a few of the scenes are quite funny and somewhat unique.

What makes this film different is that it feels more family-oriented. Not in the sense that it's appropriate for all ages, but in the sense that the film offers something for every member of the family. Whether it's the adult dialogue, the films troublesome kids, or the unimportant teenage fling/romance subplot, "Great Outdoors" tries to make a reason for every demographic to see this movie. It seems really contrived, but other than the National Lampoon's "Vacation" movies, this is honestly one of the most family-oriented comedies of that era.

"Great Outdoors" is not a staple of 80s comedy, but it does add some ample padding in the overall collection, especially when it comes to "fun for all ages."

The eighties was a decade of film brilliance. Not Academy Awards maybe, or deeply intriguing movies but instead R-Rated, ridiculous, fun, pompous, films that were just not thought provoking but instead FUN!! What was R-Rated back then would be barely a PG today which also reflects the kind of society we have turned into. Enter "The Great OutDoors" with fellow Canadian comedians who knew comedy unlike no one has since.

Dan Akroyd and John Candy are just great. They aren't brilliant actors (although Dan has shown some promise in great movies such as The Arrow and My Girl) but instead they can get together to deliver laughs and they do. The Great Outdoors is the quintessential eighties film about a family on vacation. It's about the desire to succeed and BUY STUFF (an eighties must.) It's about who is the better man, and man vs nature and all that kind of stuff. More importantly it delivers the perfect blend of physical comedy AND one liners that actually made me laugh out loud. Akroyd and Candy play like a stand up comedy act and it works so well that you forget everyone else. They really don't add or take away from the story, you just forget anyone else is there...it doesn't really matter much. You're in this to see Chet and Roman battle it out mostly behind each other's backs. The cinematography is great in this movie as well. They used an actual lake although it was in California, not Wisconsin and it really helps the setting. You feel as though you're roughing it out right beside them. The best part is the climax with the bear, what a great scene. As predictable as you might think it is...it's just awesome. Candy is hilarious and sadly missed in future endeavours. Akroyd pulls off the pompous, greedy and loud mouthed lawyer type to a T and manages to not take himself too seriously. As with all eighties films they manage to toss in the someone is in trouble, everyone has to pull together and save them story ending but it works and this movie is without a doubt a classic, whether comedy or just film in general, it will always be remembered fondly. 8/10

A great comedy to settle down with after a long day. Aykroyd and Candy make a great pair in this off-beat comedy about life in the woods, and how one simple vacation turns into a dreaded day-to-day horror.

Basic Plot: John Candy and his family go up to Canada for a family vacation away from the city for several days. Seemingly fine, until they get to their cabin, the whole vacation starts to fall apart from the moment they arrive. Not only is there fish everywhere in their vacation home, but just when mom and dad think they're alone, their brother and sister in-law walk in on them, with their two daughters. From a water-skiing adventure gone wrong- to eating a whole family's worth of food (pun definitely intended.), the movie seems to continually take a turn for the worst. The subplot is Candy's oldest son, who starts to fall in love with a local, to give it that romance along with all the humor that's going on between the adults.

A fun movie to watch from 10- whenever.

I give it a 7.5 out of 10 (10 being the highest). Not one of the best movies ever but certainly funny and it has some great writing too.

A little piece of trivia:

At the end of "She's Having a Baby" right before the credits, you see the wife asking Kevin Bacon what they should name the baby... People from all sorts of films and T.V. shows voice their opinions, including some of the cast members from 'The Great Outdoors'.

And that's the end of this review.

"The Great Outdoors" is what anyone would expect of a John Candy movie: completely goofy, but funny nonetheless. He plays Chet Ripley, taking his family on vacation in the wilderness. Unfortunately, Chet's unpleasant brother-in-law Roman Craig (Dan Aykroyd) is also there, and he just has to make everything miserable for Chet. In some ways, this movie seems to be rehashing "Summer Rental", but with a different tone. My favorite parts were the raccoons, the bear, and The Old '96er (I don't recommend that scene for squeamish people). All in all, it just goes to show what the world lost when John Candy died. He was really great.

P.S.: Annette Bening, in her debut, plays Roman's wife Kate.