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The Great Outdoors
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The Great Outdoors (1988) More at IMDbPro »

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The Great Outdoors (1988) -- A Chicago man's hope for a peaceful family vacation in the woods is shattered when the annoying in-laws drop in.

Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   8,586 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 27% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Howard Deutch
Writer (WGA):
John Hughes (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Great Outdoors on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 June 1988 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy more
Tagline:
This holiday's no picnic. more
Plot:
A Chicago man's hope for a peaceful family vacation in the woods is shattered when the annoying in-laws drop in. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
Hollywood Giant Dies From Cancer
 (From WENN. 19 May 2000)

User Comments:
Aykroyd and Candy: a great combo more
US TV Schedule:
Thur. July 301:00 AMTBS   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Dan Aykroyd ... Roman Craig

John Candy ... Chet Ripley
Stephanie Faracy ... Connie Ripley

Annette Bening ... Kate Craig

Chris Young ... Buck Ripley
Ian Giatti ... Ben Ripley
Hilary Gordon ... Cara Craig
Rebecca Gordon ... Mara Craig
Robert Prosky ... Wally
Zoaunne LeRoy ... Juanita
Lucy Deakins ... Cammie

Nancy Lenehan ... Waitress
John Bloom ... Jimbo
Lewis Arquette ... Herm
Britt Leach ... Reg
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Big Country (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
91 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Filming Locations:
Bass Lake, California, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Annette Bening's Film Debut more
Goofs:
Continuity: The position of the curtains when the bear has knocked the door down and Candy is trapped underneath. more
Quotes:
[Chet getting pulled behind the boat on water-skies]
Chet: you bastard, you bastard!
Roman: I think he's saying go faster.
more
Movie Connections:
References "The Twilight Zone" (1959) more
Soundtrack:
Dragboat more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful:-
Aykroyd and Candy: a great combo, 13 August 2005
6/10
Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA

"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.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Great Outdoors (1988)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Brother In Law???? njs76655
What does Dan Aykroyd smoke in this movie? johnj1188
I always feel bad for the bear... BatmanTheGreat
ol' 96er foshobro
Why'd they stick a teenage love story between the lines? wizzaroot
Annoyed that Roman's story about his wedding was a lie Ray_Donahue
more

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