guest tags along, their rich and snobby cousins Roman and Kate and their two Shinning creepy twin girls. Since Roman likes to live it up, he practically jumps all over Chet's plans and just takes over the vacation! There are some great scenes like a bat gets loose in the cabin and Chet and Roman decide to take it on themselves. The bat gets onto Chet's face and Roman hits the bat and Chet's face with a tennis racket! Chet's reaction is just priceless! And they go to a restaurant where Chet has the opportunity to eat a 16 ounce steak and if he eats the whole thing, the family eats for free, and they do it like as if he was Rocky in his first major boxing match, it was just great to watch. The Great outdoors is one of those great under rated comedies that I'm sure you'll fall in love with.10/10

are wasting our real natural resource here.. Again best Candy flick of all, IMHO.

some clueless city-slickers with nature and all it's trappings, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Murphy's Law will soon prevail. Here, the filmmakers do, and it does; and in the end, you may not be up for answering that call of the wild in light of all you've witnessed, but you're sure going to be laughing while you think about it. And it certainly makes visiting the woods vicariously seem like the best-- in fact, the `only'-- way to go.For the perfect `family' vacation, Chet John Candy takes his wife, Connie Stephanie Faracy , and their two boys, Buck and Ben Chris Young, Ian Giatti to a lakeside lodge in Wisconsin. Not only is this going to give them all a break from city life, but Chet hopes to do some bonding with his boys, just like he did with his own father at this same lodge when he was a kid himself. He's hoping for that kind of `quality time' that money just can't buy.Before they can even settle in, however, Chet's plans are history, with the surprise arrival of Roman and Connie's sister Kate Dan Aykroyd, Annette Bening , and their two daughters, Cara and Mara Hilary Gordon, Rebecca Gordon . And suddenly it's an `extended family' get together, and Roman takes charge. Chet wants to grill hot dogs? Not with Roman around; it's lobster or nothing. Rent a pontoon boat and tour the lake? No way. Let ol' Roman introduce you to the joys of the jet boat okay, let's vote on it-- jet boat wins! . Throw in some romance between Buck and one of the locals, Cammie Lucy Deakins ; a story about a bald-headed bear; and Chet's encounter with a 96 oz. steak, and you've got a formula for fun and an unforgettable `family' vacation.Working from an insightful screenplay by John Hughes that mines the lighter side of human nature, and with stars Candy and Aykroyd decidedly in their element, Deutch proceeds to establish a pace and timing that perfectly keeps the film on track, as he presents the story in a way that best serves the talent and material at his disposal. Candy and Aykroyd play so well off of one another, and Deutch never fails to capitalize on any and all opportunities the two happen to present as their characters develop. With all he's given to work with, it's a matter of Deutch having the sense to let it happen, while employing his own innate sense of what works to present it all as cohesively and hilariously as possible, which he succeeds in so doing. Rich in characterization and visual gags, Deutch plays up the kind of situations that could very well-- and often do-- happen in such a setting, especially with the kind of personalities depicted here involved. You've heard of the `accident waiting to happen?' Well, meet Chet and Roman.John Candy is imbued with a natural and empathetic personality he employs to great effect with characters like Jack, in `Summer Rental' and Del Griffith, in `Planes, Trains and Automobiles.' But in `normal guy' mode, Chet just may be Candy's definitive portrayal. In creating Chet, Candy gives you a caring individual, one who is willing to open himself up and meet you more than half-way; a guy who seeks that which is pure and good, and wants to share it once he's found it. He's a character to whom you can readily relate because there's something of Chet in everyone albeit deeply buried in some cases , and it creates that strong sense of identification that ensures that emotional connection with the audience. And it's played perfectly by Candy, who makes Chet an unforgettable character.Then there's Dan Aykroyd, who plays Roman absolutely to perfection; this is, in fact, the role he was seemingly born to play. And what makes this character so hilarious and engaging is the fact that there's an `Uncle Roman' in every family, and from the moment he pulls up to the lodge in the big car with the `Roman I' license plates, you know who this guy is. He walks the walk and talks the talk then talks some more ; he's the salesman who could sell a vacuum cleaner to a dust bunny. You'll recognize him immediately because in one form or another he's been to every family function you've ever attended, and Aykroyd has it all SO down, in the way he looks, moves, talks and, most especially in that condescending attitude he affects so well. And watching him interact with Candy's Chet is a total riot. It's a terrific performance by Aykroyd, and except for a bit during the credits when he takes to the dance floor, there's no trace of Elwood Blues here; this guy is 100% `Roman.'Also adding greatly to the festivities are the solid performances by Faracy, who as Connie more than holds her own with Candy, and Bening, making an auspicious big screen debut as Kate.The supporting cast includes Robert Prosky Wally , Zoaunne LeRoy Juanita , Nancy Lenehan Waitress and Britt Leach Reg . A fun and funny film that is pure entertainment, `The Great Outdoors' is great comedy that showcases two of the best in the business doing what they do best: Making you laugh. Putting Candy and Aykroyd together was inspired casting; it's one of those, `if this works, it's going to be great' propositions. It does, and it is. 9/10.

surprise him and when he does, it's time for chaos to run amok.John Candy and Dan Aykroyd are comedy legends and this film shows why. They don't have to star in perfect, career-defining films though they do in order to make their audience laugh. They showed enough chemistry with each other to ensure that everyone is having a good time. They're rather likable though they both show split personalities.Overall, this is a solid comedy and one that is a nice addition to both of their resumes. The movie is obviously played safe, but there are some big laughs to be had. My favorite scenes involved Chet and his encounters with the big, bad bear. I also loved the raccoons and their subtitled chitter. This is the old-fashioned comedy that is rare to see nowadays. I rate this film 9/10.

instead they can get together to deliver laughs and they do. The Great Outdoors is the quintessential eighties film about a family on vacation. It's about the desire to succeed and BUY STUFF an eighties must. It's about who is the better man, and man vs nature and all that kind of stuff. More importantly it delivers the perfect blend of physical comedy AND one liners that actually made me laugh out loud. Akroyd and Candy play like a stand up comedy act and it works so well that you forget everyone else. They really don't add or take away from the story, you just forget anyone else is there...it doesn't really matter much. You're in this to see Chet and Roman battle it out mostly behind each other's backs. The cinematography is great in this movie as well. They used an actual lake although it was in California, not Wisconsin and it really helps the setting. You feel as though you're roughing it out right beside them. The best part is the climax with the bear, what a great scene. As predictable as you might think it is...it's just awesome. Candy is hilarious and sadly missed in future endeavours. Akroyd pulls off the pompous, greedy and loud mouthed lawyer type to a T and manages to not take himself too seriously. As with all eighties films they manage to toss in the someone is in trouble, everyone has to pull together and save them story ending but it works and this movie is without a doubt a classic, whether comedy or just film in general, it will always be remembered fondly. 8/10

off checking out this movie as it is far better than its 5.9 suggests and you wont be disappointed .Well thats me finished i just had to write this as I was shocked at the low mark this great movie received.

I thought it was a bit strange to Annette Bening in this kind of comedic role, due to having seen her in various roles since, most of which not being comedic. But nonetheless, she did a very nice job with her role, and in fact this film was her theatrical debut. Robert Prosky plays a somewhat minor role, but does a fine job with it. Lucy Deakins Cammie really caught my eye in this film, she is quite a good looking woman and needs to be in more films.I wouldn't say this film is for everyone, and I could see why some people wouldn't love it. It's not a laugh-a-minute kind of movie, but it's got some good stuff. If you are a fan of either John Candy or Dan Aykroyd, then you ought to see this film. I hope you enjoy the film, thanks for reading,-Chris