Summer Comedy Throwback - “The Great Outdoors”

The summer season is now in full swing which means one thing - summer vacation! While there are quite a few films to check out that involve summer vacation, there’s one that comes to mind that stars the late comedy legend John Candy - “The Great Outdoors,” a comedy about a summer vacation that didn’t quite go as planned!

It’s vacation time for outdoorsy Chicago man Chet Ripley, along with his wife and two kids. But a serene weekend of fishing at a Wisconsin lakeside cabin gets crashed by his wife’s brother, Roman and his family.

As the excursion wears on, the Ripleys find themselves at odds with the stuffy Craig family.

When I was figuring out what to check out for a summer comedy throwback for this edition, it was a tough call between this comedy and the comedy hit “Vacation” (which also had a John Candy appearance). Now, while both of these comedies are really entertaining, I decided on “The Great Outdoors”.

The 1988 John Candy/Dan Akyroyd comedy delivers a good amount of humorous moments that will really have you laughing throughout the entire movie. For first time viewers, the plot can be a little predictable as the family vacation gone awry story has been done many times. “The Great Outdoors” is one of the few John Candy movies that I’ve seen over and over again that’s still just as funny as when I first watched it.

“The Great Outdoors” has quite a few memorable scenes that can give you a good laugh, even if you have seen it numerous times over the years as I have. There’s a scene in the comedy where Chet and Roman (Candy/Aykroyd) are trying to get a bat out of the cabin, which adds a good amount of humor. Seeing their characters armed with anything they could find in the cabin, this scene is one of the many comedic highlights the movie offers.

And, of course, one of the funniest bits in the entire movie is the “Old 96er Steak Challenge” scene where Chet attempts to devour one of the most massive steaks ever

for a free meal for the whole family. The rest of the movie also has several other humorous bits that can easily keep everyone entertained.

While it’s not one of John Candy’s biggest hits, “The Great Outdoors” is a comedy that quite a few people would easily enjoy, especially if you’re a fan of the late comedy legend. Just like most 80s comedies, this one ended up becoming a comedy cult classic.

Trivia: The lakeside restaurant used in this movie ended up burning to the ground shortly after filming due to a gas fire. The rebuilt restaurant has posters and memorabilia from the movie hanging on its walls, as a reminder of the old restaurant. 

While heavily panned by critics, once it hit the home video market it garnered a huge following, and has since become one of the most popular summer vacation movies.

MPA: Rated PG   (runtime 91 minutes) (can be streamed on Netflix currently).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j27Cpm3sVVk

• 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.

• While heavily panned by critics, once it hit the home video market it garnered a huge following, and has since become one of the most popular summer vacation movies.

• According to the Madera County film commission the county of California in which Bass Lake, where the movie was filmed, Annette Benning was very demanding and hard to work with. Dan Aykroyd was polite to most of the Bass Lake staff during filming but was reportedly very aloof and difficult to the local townspeople who were either fans or participated as extras in the movie. John Candy who had a reputation for being very approachable and friendly in real life was reported to have gotten along with everyone. The townspeople said he was a joy to work with.

• This was the third and final film written by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch. The earlier two movies were "Pretty in Pink (1986)" and "Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)."

• The main movie poster was designed in the guise of the cover of a magazine called "The Great Outdoors." The magazine's motto (slogan) was "Outdoor Fun For Everyone." The edition was Volume 1, No. 1. Two of its headlines read: "RACCOONS: Furry friends or masked menace?" and "Top Ten Tips For Family Trips."