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IMDbPro

The Great Outdoors

  • 19881988
  • PGPG
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
49K
YOUR RATING
Dan Aykroyd and John Candy in The Great Outdoors (1988)
Trailer two
Play trailer1:08
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Comedy
A Chicago man and his family go camping with his obnoxious brother-in-law.A Chicago man and his family go camping with his obnoxious brother-in-law.A Chicago man and his family go camping with his obnoxious brother-in-law.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
49K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Howard Deutch
  • Writer
    • John Hughes
  • Stars
    • Dan Aykroyd
    • John Candy
    • Stephanie Faracy
  • Director
    • Howard Deutch
  • Writer
    • John Hughes
  • Stars
    • Dan Aykroyd
    • John Candy
    • Stephanie Faracy
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 145User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
    • 24Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    The Great Outdoors
    Trailer 1:08
    Watch The Great Outdoors
    The Great Outdoors
    Trailer 1:36
    Watch The Great Outdoors

    Photos125

    Dan Aykroyd and John Candy in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Ian Michael Giatti, and Chris Young in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    Chris Young in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    John Candy in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    Annette Bening, Hilary Gordon, and Rebecca Gordon in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    Stephanie Faracy, Ian Michael Giatti, and Chris Young in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    John Candy in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd and John Candy in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd and John Candy in The Great Outdoors (1988)
    Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, and Bart the Bear in The Great Outdoors (1988)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dan Aykroyd
    Dan Aykroyd
    • Roman Craig
    John Candy
    John Candy
    • Chet Ripley
    Stephanie Faracy
    Stephanie Faracy
    • Connie Ripley
    Annette Bening
    Annette Bening
    • Kate Craig
    Chris Young
    Chris Young
    • Buck Ripley
    Ian Michael Giatti
    Ian Michael Giatti
    • Ben Ripley
    • (as Ian Giatti)
    Hilary Gordon
    • Cara Craig
    Rebecca Gordon
    • Mara Craig
    Robert Prosky
    Robert Prosky
    • Wally
    Zoaunne LeRoy
    • Juanita
    Lucy Deakins
    Lucy Deakins
    • Cammie
    Nancy Lenehan
    Nancy Lenehan
    • Waitress
    John Bloom
    John Bloom
    • Jimbo
    Lewis Arquette
    Lewis Arquette
    • Herm
    Britt Leach
    Britt Leach
    • Reg
    Cliff Bemis
    Cliff Bemis
    • Boat Yard Owner
    Paul Hansen
    • Hot Dog Vendor
    Debra Lee Ortega
    • Dancing Biker Girl
    • Director
      • Howard Deutch
    • Writer
      • John Hughes
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The lakeside restaurant used in this movie was Ducey's Bar and Grill in Bass Lake, California, which burned to the ground shortly after filming, due to a gas fire. The rebuilt restaurant today has posters and memorabilia from the film hanging on its walls, as a reminder of the old restaurant.
    • Goofs
      After Chet finishes the Old 96er and everyone is back at the cabin. Chet runs to the bathroom with everyone chasing him. As the camera pans out, you clearly see Dan Akroyd counting down for everyone to scream and run out of the cabin.
    • Quotes

      Roman: Good evening. How's it going? Listen, girls... uh... as your father, I feel it incumbent upon me to set the record straight on the validity of the tale which Uncle Chet shared with us this evening. I know that a terrifying story like that coming from the mouth of a recognized authority figure could be traumatizing for kids like yourselves; I know that, because I had a similar experience with my uncle Roy and a story he used to tell, about a family who went into the woods and was attacked by a band of escaped Army psychiatric patients who'd been subjected to violent, hellish, torturous behavior-modification experiments. It seems they escaped from the metal boxes the Army kept them in, found his family in the woods, fell upon them, slaughtered them and ate them. Now that story - phew - it gave me nightmares not to be believed. Well I thought that Uncle Chet's story upset you in the same way. I'm here to say that there actually is NO bear, and that all that Uncle Chet was saying was just a yarn... spinning for our... entertainment. And even if there were a bear out there, I'm in the house. To protect you. So uh... no more thinking about bears. Alright? No more thinking about unpleasant things. We're gonna close our eyes and dream about nice things. About cuddly, soft, fluffy things. Okay? Super. Good night. Sleep tight.

    • Crazy credits
      Subtitled conversation between two raccoons -- Raccoon #1: "Why's Jody sitting in the lake?" Raccoon #2: "You didn't hear? She got shot in the ass!" Raccoon #1: "Oh no! Don't tell me..." Raccoon #2: "Yup... She's bald on both ends now!"
    • Alternate versions
      To receive a PG certificate the 1989 UK video was cut by 27 secs by the BBFC to remove multiple uses of the line 'Blow it out your ass'. The cuts were restored in 2003.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Red Heat/A World Apart/Rikky and Pete/Poltergeist III/Wings of Desire (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Yakety Yak
      Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

      Performed by The Coasters

      Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp. by arrangement with Warner Special Products

    User reviews145

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Aykroyd and Candy: a great combo
    "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.
    helpful•24
    9
    • lee_eisenberg
    • Aug 13, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 17, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Peacock TV (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Big Country
    • Filming locations
      • Bass Lake, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Hughes Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $24,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $41,455,230
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,121,115
      • Jun 19, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $43,455,230
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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