Comedy

The Great Outdoors

- The wildlife is wild, but his brother-in-law in unbearable.

It's vacation time for outdoorsy Chicago man Chet Ripley, along with his wife, Connie, and their two kids, Buck and Ben. But a serene weekend of fishing at a Wisconsin lakeside cabin gets crashed by Connie's obnoxious brother-in-law, Roman Craig, his wife, Kate, and the couple's two daughters. As the excursion wears on, the Ripleys find themselves at odds with the stuffy Craig family.

Release Date : 1988-06-17

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Universal PicturesHughes Entertainment

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Big Country

Cast

Character Name : Roman Craig

Original Name : Dan Aykroyd

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chet Ripley

Original Name : John Candy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Connie Ripley

Original Name : Stephanie Faracy

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kate Craig

Original Name : Annette Bening

Gender : Female

Character Name : Buck Ripley

Original Name : Chris Young

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cammie

Original Name : Lucy Deakins

Gender : Female

Character Name : Wally

Original Name : Robert Prosky

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ben Ripley

Original Name : Ian Giatti

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cara Craig

Original Name : Hilary Gordon

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mara Craig

Original Name : Rebecca Gordon

Gender : Female

Character Name : Juanita

Original Name : Zoaunne LeRoy

Gender : Female

Character Name : Waitress

Original Name : Nancy Lenehan

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jimbo

Original Name : John Bloom

Gender : Male

Character Name : Herm

Original Name : Lewis Arquette

Gender : Male

Character Name : Reg

Original Name : Britt Leach

Gender : Male

Character Name : Boat Yard Owner

Original Name : Cliff Bemis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hot Dog Vendor

Original Name : Paul Hansen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dancing Biker Girl

Original Name : Debra Lee Ortega

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl in Arcade

Original Name : Sierra Somerville

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman in Crowd

Original Name : Christine Spiotta

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lodge Patron

Original Name : Chris Bass

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lodge Customer

Original Name : Shirley Harris

Gender : Male

Character Name : Irate Customer

Original Name : Christopher Kinsman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grill Chef

Original Name : Andy Prosky

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man in Crowd

Original Name : Brian Healy

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Bald-Headed Bear (Jody)

Original Name : Bart the Bear

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grandpa (uncredited)

Original Name : Raleigh Bond

Gender : Male

Reviews

Kamurai

@Kamurai

2021-06-23

Decent watch at best, probably won't watch again, but can recommend for those on a late-eighties nostalgia kick. Sometimes it is good to get in "The Way Back Machine" and see some of the movies that made people famous, and I liked Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. The duplicitous plot and character choices just didn't sit great with me. Having recently seen "Brother Nature", it is interesting to see a movie that could have inspired it. I think it would have been a lot better with John Candy as an overwhelmingly positive buzzkill and Aykroyd playing a family man. But Candy is sort of the family man of the late 1980s, and Aykroyd is the quintessential New York scumbag, and they do it well. I'd ultimately say it is worth the watch, but there are probably a dozen "back to nature" movies I could recommend in front of this one.

kevin2019

@kevin2019

2024-08-02

"The Great Outdoors" is only a moderately entertaining film, although it does feature the unforgettably spectacular sight of John Candy water skiing. The grizzly bear action also works well and there is always an enthusiastic energy about this film which every member of the cast effortlessly maintains, but in terms of John Hughes's output this entry is not one of his more memorable outings and some of it does feel like miscellaneous bottom drawer material that has so far gone unused until now. He has done a reasonable job of using such material - if this indeed happens to be the case - as the basis for a mildly amusing film which is as watchable as it is because of Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. They are the ones who keep you watching even though you know everyone involved in front and behind the cameras has done so much better work elsewhere.