In keeping with the recent 80's bent I've been on, I decided to watch "The Great Outdoors" when Amazon suggested it. Unlike many others this wasn't one that I'd seen before though, and I found it to be a slight, if amiable addition to the wider "vacation" genre.
Chet Ripley (John Candy) takes his wife Connie (Stephanie Faracy) and two boys to a lakeside cabin in the woods of Wisconsin. Looking for a family bonding experience, his wishes are destroyed by the unannounced arrival of his braggadocios brother-in-law Roman (Dan Aykroyd) and his family. With his rich tastes and abrasive attitude Roman pushes Chet's buttons until things come to a head and the truth about Roman's life is revealed.
It's a bit of a minor film this one, both in terms of John Candy's pantheon of 80's films and with consideration of the other films by the writer, John Hughes. Perhaps that was why I hadn't come across the film until today. Candy and Aykroyd are a great combination, though it does feel strange still to see Aykroyd take on obnoxious role, still the film is one that I found mildly amusing rather than genuinely funny. Mostly it's a collection of vignettes rather than an actual story - the fishing trip that goes wrong, the water-skiing session that goes wrong, the meal in the restaurant that ... somehow, goes wrong. There's not really an overall story to the film. That lack of story is highlighted in a B-plot about Chet's eldest son Buck, played by Chris Young, who embarks on a holiday romance with a local girl played by Lucy Deakins. This romance doesn't add anything to the plot, or feed back into it in any way, other than by taking up some of the running time.
It's not a horrible time, but its only real merit is reminding you about the better film the cast are in.
Chet Ripley (John Candy) takes his wife Connie (Stephanie Faracy) and two boys to a lakeside cabin in the woods of Wisconsin. Looking for a family bonding experience, his wishes are destroyed by the unannounced arrival of his braggadocios brother-in-law Roman (Dan Aykroyd) and his family. With his rich tastes and abrasive attitude Roman pushes Chet's buttons until things come to a head and the truth about Roman's life is revealed.
It's a bit of a minor film this one, both in terms of John Candy's pantheon of 80's films and with consideration of the other films by the writer, John Hughes. Perhaps that was why I hadn't come across the film until today. Candy and Aykroyd are a great combination, though it does feel strange still to see Aykroyd take on obnoxious role, still the film is one that I found mildly amusing rather than genuinely funny. Mostly it's a collection of vignettes rather than an actual story - the fishing trip that goes wrong, the water-skiing session that goes wrong, the meal in the restaurant that ... somehow, goes wrong. There's not really an overall story to the film. That lack of story is highlighted in a B-plot about Chet's eldest son Buck, played by Chris Young, who embarks on a holiday romance with a local girl played by Lucy Deakins. This romance doesn't add anything to the plot, or feed back into it in any way, other than by taking up some of the running time.
It's not a horrible time, but its only real merit is reminding you about the better film the cast are in.