The Great Outdoors (1988)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Howard Deutch

Writer (WGA):

John Hughes (written by)

Release Date:

17 June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

This holiday's no picnic.

Plot:

A Chicago man's hope for a peaceful family vacation in the woods is shattered when the annoying in-laws drop in.

Plot Keywords:

Brother In Law | Wheelchair | Bear | Dead Man | Lifting Person In Air

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Nov. 11	8:00 PM	WGNAMER
Thur. Nov. 19	3:00 AM	TBS

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Big Country (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bass Lake, California, USA

Company:

Hughes Entertainment

Trivia:

The scene where Chet and Roman are trying to catch the Bat, The Bat lands on Chet's face and Roman (Dan Aykroyd) hits it with his broom weapon, the bat falls on the floor and Roman screams out: "We got it, We got it." Dan Aykroyd uses that same line in Ghost Busters (1984) after catching the Slimer in the Hotel. He comes out with the trap screaming: "We got it, We got it".

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Roman is about to get in his car at the end of the movie, it is already running, yet when he closes the door, the car is heard starting off-screen.

Quotes:

Chet: Sixty-six times? That's gotta hurt.

Movie Connections:

References The Exorcist (1973)

Soundtrack:

Hip Hug Her

A limp 10 for poor Candy

John Candy was his funniest playing the sweet simpleton type who always found a way to humiliate himself. Akroyd was only funny when he did the cocky, suave, self-sufficient type who always found a way to humiliate others. Now when these two are cast in their ideal roles for a comedy and the thing isn't funny at all, ya' know that there's something wrong. Seriously wrong. Just like in SUMMER RENTAL, John Candy is wasted amidst a trifle of a movie. He was just one of those performers, too, that never got blamed for his movies being so bad. We as an audience always felt sorry for the guy when we saw him in an awful movie. I think here, though, he may have been at fault just as all the others. But not as much. The directing certainly didn't help. I won't rate this film on a general scale, for I don't want to sound too cruel. So I'll rate it on a scale of one to ten in terms of limpness. A 10! A perfect 10!