The Great Outdoors
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.
Critics Sentiment
The bald headed grizzly bear rampages through the cabin
Roman Craig and his family arrive uninvited at the cabin
The film jumps from its lowest point when Roman disrupts the vacation to high comedy with the Old 96er steak challenge
Critics found The Great Outdoors to be an uneven but charming comedy elevated by the chemistry between John Candy and Dan Aykroyd. While many felt the script was formulaic and some slapstick sequences overly broad, the film delivered genuine laughs in key moments like the steak eating challenge and climactic bear attack. Most reviewers appreciated it as harmless family entertainment despite recognizing it wasn't among John Hughes' stronger efforts.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 27
Dan Aykroyd
Roman Craig
John Candy
Chet Ripley
Stephanie Faracy
Connie Ripley
Annette Bening
Kate Craig
Chris Young
Buck Ripley
Lucy Deakins
Cammie
Robert Prosky
Wally
Ian Giatti
Ben Ripley
Hilary Gordon
Cara Craig
Rebecca Gordon
Mara Craig
Zoaunne LeRoy
Juanita
Nancy Lenehan
Waitress
John Bloom
Jimbo
Lewis Arquette
Herm
Britt Leach
Reg
Cliff Bemis
Boat Yard Owner
Paul Hansen
Hot Dog Vendor
Debra Lee Ortega
Dancing Biker Girl
Sierra Somerville
Girl in Arcade
Christine Spiotta
Woman in Crowd
Crew
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