The Great Outdoors poster
6.4/10 1988 1h 31m Released

This is no holiday… this is war!

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.

Watch Now

Top Cast

Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Roman Craig
John Candy
John Candy
Chet Ripley
Stephanie Faracy
Stephanie Faracy
Connie Ripley
Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Kate Craig
Chris Young
Chris Young
Buck Ripley
Lucy Deakins
Lucy Deakins
Cammie
Robert Prosky
Robert Prosky
Wally
Ian Giatti
Ian Giatti
Ben Ripley
Hilary Gordon
Hilary Gordon
Cara Craig
Rebecca Gordon
Rebecca Gordon
Mara Craig
Zoaunne LeRoy
Zoaunne LeRoy
Juanita
Nancy Lenehan
Nancy Lenehan
Waitress
John Bloom
John Bloom
Jimbo
Lewis Arquette
Lewis Arquette
Herm
Britt Leach
Britt Leach
Reg
Cliff Bemis
Cliff Bemis
Boat Yard Owner

Reviews

Kamurai 4/10

Decent watch at best, probably won't watch again, but can recommend for those on a late-eighties nostalgia kick. Sometimes it is good to get in "The Way Back Machine" and see some of the movies that made people famous, and I liked Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. The duplicitous plot and character choices just didn't sit great with me. Having recently seen "Brother Nature", it is interesting to see a movie that…

kevin2019 5/10

"The Great Outdoors" is only a moderately entertaining film, although it does feature the unforgettably spectacular sight of John Candy water skiing. The grizzly bear action also works well and there is always an enthusiastic energy about this film which every member of the cast effortlessly maintains, but in terms of John Hughes's output this entry is not one of his more memorable outings and some of it does feel…

Phills2 4/10

If you took a Vacation film and filled in the blanks with different character names and places, you'd have a movie like this. It has all of the same ingredients but the emotional feeling behind them is lost. John Candy could play the Griswold part, Dan Ankryd the Cousine Eddie part, a different girl plays Rusty's girlfriend he meets in Europe, and so forth. I don't even recognize who plays the part of John Candy's…

You May Like

FAQ about The Great Outdoors

What is The Great Outdoors about?
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…
When was The Great Outdoors released?
The Great Outdoors was released in 1988.
What genres does The Great Outdoors belong to?
The Great Outdoors is categorised as Comedy.
Who stars in The Great Outdoors?
The cast of The Great Outdoors includes Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Stephanie Faracy, Annette Bening, Chris Young.