The Great Outdoors

Directed by Howard Deutch, The Great Outdoors details the conflict that ensues after Dan Aykroyd’s brash, obnoxious Roman Craig unexpectedly shows up at a waterside cabin being rented by Chet Ripley (John Candy) and his family. It’s a decidedly familiar setup that’s employed to watchable yet mostly forgettable effect by Deutch, as the filmmaker, working from John Hughes’ screenplay, delivers a predominantly laugh-free comedy that benefits from the easygoing and thoroughly charismatic efforts of its stars – with, especially, Candy’s predictably endearing work as the beleaguered protagonist going a long way towards cultivating a relatively agreeable atmosphere. It’s regrettable, then, that scripter Hughes has packed The Great Outdoors with a number of eye-rollingly broad and pointedly unfunny comedic set-pieces, including, for example, Chet’s accidental jet-skiing escapades and a recurring mean-spirited bit involving a bald bear. (The resolution to the latter is actually rather upsetting and feels completely out of place within the otherwise affable proceedings.) The final result is an often exceedingly hit-and-miss endeavor that would hardly be worth mentioning if not for the performances, which is disappointing, to say the least, given the tremendous talent both in front of and behind the camera.

**1/2 out of ****

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