“The Great Outdoors” is the ultimate camping movie to set you in the mood for the summer. Released in June of 1988, the film stars comedic legends Dan Aykroyd and John Candy; both of which were pillars of comedy that dominated the decade of the 1980s. It was written by the legend himself, John Hughes, and directed by Hughes friend Howard Deutch.
The movie follows the Ripley family, and we gain a great deal of insight from the opening sequence alone, as they drive to a remote cabin for a weeklong vacation in the woods, singing along to the classic oldie ‘Yakitty Yak.’ Chet Ripley is the father who’s jovial nature and ability to laugh at himself is what made the late John Candy so great. From the hysterical “Spaceballs” to the great Uncle Buck,” there was no funnier figure in late 80s cinema. Chet’s wife Connie is played by adorable Stephanie Faracy, and she plays well with Candy. Toss in a pair of typical 80s looking kids and we have half of our extended clan.
Opposing the good natured Ripley crew are their in-laws, led by the obnoxious Roman (Aykroyd), the typical know-it-all brother-in-law who doesn’t see a picture perfect forest but an opportunity for business. Along with his wife (Annette Bening in her big screen debut) and their creepy twin daughters, Roman and company drop by the cabin in a most uninvited and unwelcomed fashion. “What a gas!” The impervious Roman exclaims upon his arrival at the cabin. “Chet’s gonna shit a solid gold brick when he sees us, what a great surprise!” Aykroyd, coming off his mega-hit “Ghostbusters,” is perfect as Roman, a human more irritating than a swarm of Black Flies.
“The Great Outdoors” is clearly a John Hughes script as we get deeper insights into the Chet character through his close knit family. He himself wants nothing more than to relive the memories he shared with his own father at the cabin, despite his teenage son being uninterested in the family vacation. It’s in this vane that the film doesn’t age well. Kids of today in the middle of a luscious forest would be glued to their phones, and frankly most of the parents would be too.
The humor comes from the slapstick and physical nature of both Aykroyd and Candy with a classic appearance by Bart the Bear. I get the sense that the audience wanted nothing more than to see these two together, and while their time on screen is great, a lot of the 91 minute run time is wasted on a side plot involving (Chris Young) and a local girl (Lucy Deakins) that goes nowhere, and succeeds only in taking us away from what we really want. A sequel could have been spectacular.
I watched “The Great Outdoors” a million times as a kid. Watching it now made me appreciate the simplicity of the ’80s, and the talents of two greats. It also made me realize it wasn’t quite as good as I remembered it being. Still good though.
