The Great Outdoors

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The Great Outdoors

PG

1988

1h 31m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

42%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

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

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Critics Consensus

Even with a pair of talented comedians trying their best, vacation-from-hell comedy The Great Outdoors is merely mediocre.

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Jay Carr

Boston Globe

In short, "The Great Outdoors" has the wit of "Summer Rental" and the sparkle of "Harry and the Hendersons."

Jun 16, 2023

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Martha K. Baker

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"The Great Outdoors" succeeds as a perfect summer's movie: not too deep, not too long, not too verbally witty or politically witty, not too embarrassing, not too sexy. Just a good time in air conditioning.

Jun 16, 2023

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Steve Dollar

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It's impossible to watch Candy and not laugh, even when the shtick is as stock as bear chases and bat combat.

Jun 16, 2023

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

The Great Outdoors delivers a mix of laughs and chaos, largely thanks to Candy and Aykroyd’s comedic chemistry.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 9, 2025

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Tom Long

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Dan Aykroyd has been in some absolutely terrible movies. John Candy has been in some absolutely terrible movies. Now they're in the same absolutely terrible movie.

Jun 16, 2023

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Linda Cook

Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

This possibly is the first time in cinematic history that raccoon-ese has been translated in subtitles.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 16, 2023

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Bob W

It's John Candy!! How can that be bad? If you're a Candy fan, such as I am, you'll love it!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/03/25

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Triston S

Very hilarious and very funny to watch love it. Rotten Tomatoes: 5/5

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/25

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Colin M.

The talented cast can’t really save this from a pretty meh story. Will always support John Candy.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/04/25

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Horror fan 4

An absolute classic comedy about a family's vacation. Candy and Aykroyd are great!! Tim Treakle

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/28/25

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Robert H

A classic example of a late-80s comedy: easy plot, easy laughs, and very John Candy. The Great Outdoors leans heavily into generational humor and over-the-top gags—some land, others feel like they’re trying too hard. It’s a decent watch if you're in the mood for something light and nostalgic, but it doesn’t offer much beyond that. Think goofy bear jokes, loud in-laws, and the kind of chaos that was par for the course in '80s family films. Not terrible, just a bit much.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/16/25

Full Review

orin s

A bit slow, at moments I felt like it was x looking at the clock thinking "is it over yet." Didn't really get interesting until the third act.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/12/25

Full Review

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Howard Deutch

Director

Dan Aykroyd

Roman Craig

John Candy

Chet Ripley

Stephanie Faracy

Connie Ripley

Annette Bening

Kate Craig

Robert Prosky

Wally

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - Big Bear Chase Me!

2:40

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - Suck My Wake

2:53

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - Chet and the Bald Bear

2:34

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - Horny the Bear

2:26

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - It All Starts to Ooze Out

2:54

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - He's on My Face!

2:05

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - Golf and Go-Karts

0:34

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - Baiting the Bears

2:56

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - Accidental Waterskiing

2:23

The Great Outdoors: Official Clip - The Old '96er

2:55

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Synopsis

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

Director: Howard Deutch
Producer: Arne Schmidt
Screenwriter: John Hughes
Production Co: Hughes Entertainment
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.3M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Surround

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