The Great Outdoors

"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.

I remember seeing this movie back in the late 80's, when I was young, and I have fond memories of it being a great and fun movie. And sure enough, having sat down again here in 2012 and watch it again, the movie was every bit as funny and entertaining and I remembered it to be.

But of course, why wouldn't it? You have two of the greatest comedians in American cinema in it; Dan Aykroyd (playing Roman) and John Candy (playing Chet), and they were really a great comedian couple, complementing each other well and having great on-screen chemistry.

The story in "The Great Outdoors" is about the Ripley family coming to a very idyllic and beautiful cabin site, where Chet's father used to take Chet when he was a child, and now Chet want his children to have their own memories of this paradise. But within only moments of getting there, Chet's brother Roman and his family show up unannounced to surprise the Ripley's and spend a week of vacation together.

The movie is filled with great and memorable moments that will have you laughing hard, because Aykroyd and Candy really do some great comedy in this movie and put on great performances. Sure it is very 1980's in spirit, but still today the movie is fun and entertaining to watch. And I personally never will tire of John Candy and his greatly missed comedy act, he was truly one of a kind.

If you enjoy 80's comedies and the movies of Dan Aykroyd and/or John Candy, then I am sure you are already well familiar with "The Great Outdoors", but if you aren't, then get your hands on this movie, because it is well worth a watch.

These 2 comedy mega stars work together brilliantly and also with their co stars.

Lots of great highlights but my favourite is the Land of 1000 Dances, just a great movie moment :)

They should have done a cross over where they meet the Griswold's getting fuel, would have been a magic moment.

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."

As a child of the eighties, its hard not to view this film thru the lens of nostalgia. John Candy is hilarious as the simple but decent family guy who wishes to take his family on a vacation to the great outdoors. His plans are rudely disrupted by his boorish brother in law, who crashes the family event and manages to disrupt all of Candy's plans. While there's nothing particularly stunning or insightful here, its fun and reminds me of days gone by. Although seen thru the eye of comedians, many of us can remember "disastrous" family vacations like this, with relatives that we sometimes couldn't stand and plans gone awry, but still forming some of our most fond memories. It is also somewhat bittersweet for me, as most of the beautiful and rustic locales in the film have disappeared during the intervening years, a loss I hadn't even noticed or thought about until I watched the film again. The film is very family friendly and, if you haven't seen it, definitely worth a viewing.