Review: The Great Outdoors

#92 - The Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors is a film about Chet Ripley and his family vacationing in the woods to take a break from the busy city life. Without notice, his brother-in-law, Roman, shows up with his family and destroys the peaceful vacation. Chaos happens non-stop when the Ripleys and Craigs battle garbage-hungry raccoons, an on-going family feud, and an angry bear. In the end, the two families mend their broken relationship and put the past behind them.

This movie is another John Hughes hit. The 80s housed some of the best films ever made. I miss the comedy from acting greats such as John Candy and Dan Aykroyd. John Hughes and John Candy have not been with us for quite some time, but when you watch their movies, it brings their genius back to life...even if it is for only two short hours at a time. Comedy has taken a turn for the raunchy in recent years, but back in the 80s, you could rely on good wholesome jokes and hilarious actors to sell those jokes. There may have been some vulgar language, but the basis of the film didn't rely on those words for the laughs. Things like getting pulled into the lake to water ski when you weren't ready or two guys padding themselves up with jackets and waste baskets to fight off a bat...that's funny.

Overall, I think this is a fun movie. It finishes with a good moral about accepting family, no matter who they are, and it just makes you feel good while watching it. The only negative is the useless side story about Chet's son, Buck, and the local waitress girl, Cammie. It stops the story and really has no purpose in the film.

I give The Great Outdoors a 3.5 out of 5 stars.