The Great Outdoors
Published May 15, 2021

Film info
- Title The Great Outdoors
- Director Howard Deutch
- Year 1988
- Run time 1hr 31m
- Genre Comedy
- Tagline The wildlife is wild, but his brother-in-law is unbearable
It's a vacationer's worst nightmare, as wheeler-dealer Dan Aykroyd, his sexually repressed wife and eerie twin daughters join the easygoing John Candy and his straight-laced clan for a season for fun in the sun. Unfortunately, the only thing these two in-laws have in common is their intense dislike for each other. Soon, it's brother-in-law against brother-in-law in an uproarious and hilarious fight to the finish to see which one really knows how to enjoy The Great Outdoors.
Live blog
Time | Comment |
---|---|
1:45 | It makes me laugh when there’s a credit for original score when it’s an existing song playing. |
6:35 | “I just can’t relax in filth.” |
8:52 | Surprises are the worst. |
15:17 | BEAR! |
17:21 | Man, John Candy can absolutely own a room. |
24:43 | “That’s too much boat.” |
36:46 | It literally says not to feed the bear, why would you feed it? |
47:45 | No one’s been struck by lightning sixty-six times. |
50:54 | Eeek, bat attack. |
51:34 | “There’s a big difference between wimping and thinking.” |
1:03:23 | Roman is so out of line. |
1:11:48 | Somehow he got even more out of line! |
1:23:48 | Shotgun lamp is ridiculous. |
1:26:21 | “Race you home.” |
Thoughts
I’m sure I’ve seen this before, it all felt quite familiar, but I didn’t remember any specifics of what was going to happen. It’s a good, solid John Hughes movie - a family thrown together in awkward circumstances, rubbing up against each other in all the wrong ways but learning to love each other by the end. Exactly what you’d expect.
Rating: 3 / 5