Summer Rental

This is one movie that shows how your summer vacation all goes wrong. John Candy plays Jack Chester, an over-worked man who decides to bring his family on vacation...and fails miserably. Instead of bringing them on vacation, he leads them strait to the gates of hell. Through several acts of trying to do good, Jack only makes things worse for himself. This movie was one of the best movies of John Candy's career. There was no over-acting and no artsy stuff. Just a good old fashioned comedy. Just how they should be. This is an old fashioned romp of a good belly laughing comedy. See it, if you are a Candy fan. See it anyway, even if you aren't. SUMMER RENTAL is one of the best comedies that John Candy ever did. 5/5.

"Summer Rental" is a very pleasant comedy vehicle from director Carl Reiner and star John Candy. Candy stars as Jack Chester, an air traffic controller under alot of stress. His boss tells him he needs some time off from his job. So he packs up his family and heads for Florida hoping to have the time of their lives. But it doesn't go exactly that way, especially for Candy. He experiences about as much stress vacationing as he does at work. The funniest part of "Summer Rental" is the opening 5 minutes, with Candy exhibiting the kind of stress that causes his superiors to suggest a vacation. This part is a riot, and the movie is very funny for the first half. The film loses a little of its comic edge in the second half, when Candy takes up sailing and tries to win a bet against one of the locals, an obnoxious yachtsman played gamely by Richard Crenna. The second half still has some funny moments, but not as much as in the first half. Still, "Summer Rental" is a nice little movie, with the late John Candy giving one of his better leading performances. Karen Austin is very good as Candy's supportive wife Sandy; a very young Joey Lawrence (several years before "Blossom", back when he was starring on Nell Carter's '80s sitcom "Gimme A Break!") shines as Candy's son Bobby; Rip Torn is somewhat amusing as Scully, owner of a local restaurant on a boat who becomes Candy's good friend; and "Night Court's" John Larroquette also makes an appearence in a bit part. "Summer Rental" is one of director Reiner's better films, and it gets to show off Candy's considerable comic talents that are sorely missed today.

*** (out of four)

John Candy's wit and humor shines through as Jack Chester, the over worked air traffic controller who reluctantly takes a vacation to the beach with his family. The laughs keep coming as Jack and his family spend the summer at the beach with many mishaps occurring throughout the movie. The movie is about family and new friends pulling together, working side by side, believing in a dream and achieving an impossible goal. We've watched this movie many times, but we still laugh and feel good when the movie ends. The standing joke at our home, when we eat dinner out at a restaurant that passes off breaded fish as an expensive seafood item with a fancy name, is "Look - it's Scully's Catch of the day"! This movie is good, clean, family fun - entertainment for the entire family!

John Candy stands alone as one of our true comic geniuses. I was so saddened when he passed away so young. He left the world a truly sadder place. We were all robbed of a priceless national treasure. This man was a true comic giant, but he was also a fine actor. He made you CARE about the characters that he played. John reminded me of Charlie Chaplain in so many ways. Chaplain could make an audience laugh and cry without using one single word. John Candy did that in Planes Trains And Automobiles and it was one of the finest acting jobs that I have ever seen in a movie. Lee Strassburg would have been so proud. Its in the scene where Steve Martin bawls him out in a motel room, he tells him basically what a pain in the ass he is. There is a hurt look on John's face that I will never forget as long as I live. He made you FEEL the hurt and the pain in his heart. John Candy lost his father at an early age and was haunted by that death all of his life. I guess it is true that some of our greatest comics have tears in their hearts. In Summer Rental John gives what I would consider one of his "typical" performances. He is a loving family man who just decides to get away from it all. Richard Crenna and Rip Torn are both wonderful character actors and both give Candy able support. I can tell that everyone who made this film had a ball doing it. It sure comes through in the finished product. Carl Reiner is a true giant of comedy and I am so glad that he directed this film. He and Candy worked so well that it is a shame that they never made another film together. This is one of those films that doesn't carry an important social message, the idea is that you should just leave your brain and social conscience at the door of the cinema and just relax and have a good time watching a true comic giant at work. I truly believe in my heart that John was one of God's gifts who was put here to make us laugh. Considering the current state of our world and the current state of "comedy", almost 10 years after his untimely death, I think we need John Candy now more then ever before.

For most of his career, John Candy played a bunch of rather silly roles that - while they were completely goofy - were great nevertheless. "Summer Rental" is one such role. Candy plays overworked air traffic controller Jack Chester, who takes his family on vacation in Florida. Naturally, it ends up being not as much of a vacation as they hoped. Finally, Jack and his family decide to take one last chance to restore their dignity.

I will admit that "Summer Rental" is pretty much a big excuse to be silly, but you gotta love it. This is John Candy doing what he does best. It's really too bad that he died; he really had a good track record.