If you need a good laugh,The Great Outdoors, a brilliant and often undersung ’80s comedy, is coming to Netflix. Written by John Hughes and starringDan AykroydandJohn Candy, the film follows the Ripley family’s ill-fated vacation to northern Wisconsin, where their peaceful retreat transforms into pandemonium when unwanted relatives crash the party.
The premise is simple: outdoorsy Chicago man Chet Ripley, played by Candy, takes his family to a lakeside cabin for what should be a serene getaway. But tranquility soon evaporates when his obnoxious brother-in-law, Roman Craig,portrayed by Aykroyd, arrives uninvited with his family. What follows is a collision of personalities that Hughes crafted as both a celebration and a gentle satire of American family dynamics.
Candy’s particular brand of everyman comedy is present in Ripley, representing the well-meaning father trying desperately to maintain control while chaos erupts around him. His trademark vulnerability makes Chet’s mounting frustrations both hilarious and sympathetic. Aykroyd delivers an unrestrained performance as the insufferable Roman, a character so aggressively annoying that he becomes oddly endearing. Although it was polarizing at first,The Great Outdoorscomes to Netflix this June and is worth a rewatch.
The Legacy of Slapstick and Sentiment
The film is loved by some for its unabashed silliness and dismissed by others for its broad humor and predictable beats. This polarization may arise from the film’s commitment to physical comedy over the sophisticated character work that defined Hughes' teen-focused films. WhereFerris Bueller’s Day Offfound depthin dialogue,The Great Outdoorsrelies on sight gags, pratfalls, and escalating mayhem.
Critics were largely unimpressed, viewing the film as formulaic, relying on familiar tropes – city folk versus nature, family vacation gone wrong, clashing parenting philosophies.The San Francisco Examiner reported, “Candy and Aykroyd do what they can with this by-the-numbers picture, but it’s not enough to pushThe Great Outdoorsto greatness, or even pretty-goodness.” Yet this criticism perhaps misses Hughes' point. The film works as a homage to family slapstick comedies, drawing from the same well as theNational Lampoonworks.
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However, the movie’s most memorable sequences have achieved cult status. The raccoon invasion stands as comedy gold – the family’s futile attempts to outwit the woodland bandits provide some of the film’s biggest laughs. But it’s the infamous “Old 96er” steak challenge that shows Candy’s commitment. Roman bets Chet he can’t finish a massive 96-ounce steak dinner. What follows is both triumph and torture as Candy works through the absurdly oversized meal.
A Time Capsule Worth Revisiting
Viewed today,The Great Outdoorsentertains and acts as an anthropological artifact.It captures the late 1980sobsession with authentic experiences and returning to nature, even as suburban families remained unprepared for actual wilderness encounters. A look at masculinity, family roles, and leisure activities provides insight into the era’s values and anxieties, but the film remains comfort food cinema at heart. Predictable? Maybe. But delivered with genuine affection for its characters and situations. In an era of increasingly cynical comedy, there’s something refreshing about Hughes' belief that families, despite their dysfunction, ultimately love and support each other.
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There’s sincerity in understanding the frustrating comedy found in family gatherings – the way relatives can simultaneously annoy and charm, how good intentions lead to spectacular disasters, and how shared experiences, even terrible ones, become treasured memories. WhileThe Great Outdoorsmay not rankamong Hughes' masterpieces, it succeeds as warm-hearted, family chaos that continues finding new audiences willing to embrace its wholesome mayhem.As it arrives on Netflix, it’s worth a rewatch– it’s more than nostalgic fluff, representing the beautiful mess of family life.
The Great Outdoors
