Additional information for The Great Outdoors, which has a domestic theatrical release set for June 17, 1988. The film is being distributed by Universal Pictures and has not yet been rated. The Great Outdoors has a total running time of 91 minutes.
PG
Australia
PG
UK
PG
USA
13
Argentina
PG
Singapore
L
Iceland
91min
Dos cuñados desenfrenados
Peru
Dos cuñados desenfrenados
Spain
Dos locos en vacaciones
Argentina
Dos locos en vacaciones
Uruguay
A nagy kiruccanás
Hungary
As Grandes Férias
Brazil
Big Country
USA
Brølet fra villmarken
Norway
Férias em Família
Portugal
Ferien zu Dritt
West Germany
Na lonie natury
Poland
Non è stata una vacanza... è stata una guerra
Italy
Razboi în familie
Romania
Terve menoa!
Finland
The Great Outdoors
France
Tranquille est le fleuve
Canada
Vacaciones familiares
Mexico
Veliko prostranstvo
Serbia
Vrålet från vildmarken
Sweden
Wielka wyprawa
Poland
Zirdeli Bacanaklar
Turkey
June 17, 1988
USA
August 11, 1988
Argentina
September 15, 1988
Australia
April 17, 1990
West Germany
July 06, 1990
Spain
January 16, 1998
Sweden
September 18, 2007
France
No taglines exist for this title.
A Chicago man's hope for a peaceful family vacation in the woods is shattered when the annoying in-laws drop in.
Well to-do Chicago resident Chester "Chet" Ripley (John Candy), his wife Connie (Stephanie Faracy), and their two sons 16-year-old Buck (Chris Young) and 12-year-old Ben (Ian Giatti) are on vacation at a lake resort in Pechoggin, Wisconsin. Chet is a fun-loving father and husband looking for a get away for his family. All is going as planned when four unexpected visitors show up with a video camera in hand at the lake resort lodge.The four unexpected visitors are Connie's outgoing sister Kate (Annette Bening), Kate's know-it-all investment broker husband Roman Craig (Dan Aykroyd), and Kate and Roman's 10-year-old twin daughters Mara (Rebecca Gordon) and Cara (Hilary Gordon) who arrive to suprise Chet and Connie, having decided not to vacation in Europe.Roman is a typical Mercedes-driving, investment focused, '80s yuppie, and he and Kate live in the posh Chicago suburb of Oak Park. Roman seems to take pleasure in making sure others are well aware of his wealth and (supposed) expertise on many subjects, while Chet both finds his brother-in-law annoying and intreging at the same time.During the first night, Chet tells a ghost stories at the family BBQ which includes a man-eating grizzly bear that Chet once met face to face earlier in his life right at the very cabin they are in. During the first night, a family of racoons raid the garbage cans outside the house, leaving an angry Chet to clean up the mess the next morning.The following day, the two families decide to go out on the lake for water skiing. Roman describes the remote northern woods location as "God's Country" and prefers speedboats over pontoon boats. After Roman pulls Chet around the lake on an adventure water ski ride, tensions between families erupt. Roman proceeds to get on Chet's nerves so much so that Chet is ready to pack up and go home, even as his eldest son Buck tries to romance local girl Cammie (Lucy Deakins) whom he meets at a local pool hall that evening.In this subplot, Buck and Cammie's teen romance sparks at a local amusement park when they go out the following evening on their first date. The budding romance goes well until Buck's father Chet is challenged to eat the entire Paul Bunyan 96 oz. roast at a family dinner, which causes Buck to break the date. The next day, Buck tries to apologize to Cammie for being late, but Cammie refuses to speak with him.Another day later, Chet shares his love for family when Chet gives his son a ring from his father. It is the same ring that Chet's father gave him when Chet was a young boy in the northern woods.Adventures continue at the local amusement park at the golf driving range, go-carts aces, and horseback riding path. Chet negotiates a ride with his horse only to find the horse runs away. Chet is forced to walk back to the barn where his family is enjoying some libations.Sisters Connie and Kate bond at a local bar when the conversation drifts to Kate's challenges of being wealthy. Later, just at the peak of tension between families, ironically, it emerges when Roman confides in Chet that he has made a bad investment and is flat broke. He hasn't told Kate, and was planning to offer Chet a $25,000 'investment'. Roman describes how he hasn't traded on the floors in Chicago in two years. He now wears a blue coat to fetch coffee and has lost everything. This is the reason why he came to the Great Outdoors to hit up family man, Chet for the money.Meanwhile, during a thunderstorm, the twins go missing and fall into a poorly blocked-off former mica mine shaft. Chet and Roman search for and find them. Chet encourages Roman to be a father for the first time to his kids. Whilst Chet gets a rope, Roman summons up all his courage and rescues the twins. While sitting on dynamite, Roman rescues his girls out of the Pechoggin mine.Chet, not knowing they are out of the mine, discovers in the mineshaft, the 'Bald-Headed Bear', which supposedly attacked Chet many years ago. It chases him through the woods to the house, smashes through the front door and rampages through the house. Just as the bald-headed bear stands on two feet and climbs up stairs to attack Roman, the cabin owner arrives armed with a shotgun. Chet takes the gun and shoots the bear's rear end, causing its rear to become exposed. The bear with bald head and rear, runs out of the cabin and the families are safe.The following morning, the two families part ways on good terms. Both families share how they enjoyed their vacation together in the Wisconsin northern woods. Roman's last words to Chet are "Race you home," which means that Roman's family will be moving in with Chet and leaving their Oak Park home. Cammie shows up and makes up with Buck before he leaves, and part ways and end their summer romance. Family guy, Chet, and his family head back to the Chicago area in a race for the good parking spot in their garage.The closing credits feature Roman at the Pechoggin Lodge dancing up a storm with the other barnuts.After the credits, those three rambunctious raccoons that have wreaked havoc at the lodge throughout the movie have the last word. They make fun of their brown bear friend who is "bald on both ends now".
Howard Deutch
Director(s)
John Hughes
Writer(s)
John Hughes
executive producer
Tom Jacobson
executive producer
Stephen Lim
associate producer
Arne Schmidt
producer (as Arne L. Schmidt)
Elena Spiotta
associate producer
Producer(s)
Thomas Newman
Composer(s)
Roman Craig
Dan Aykroyd
Chet Ripley
John Candy
Connie Ripley
Stephanie Faracy
Kate Craig
Annette Bening
Buck Ripley
Chris Young
Ben Ripley
Ian Giatti
Cara Craig
Hilary Gordon
Mara Craig
Rebecca Gordon
Wally
Robert Prosky
Juanita
Zoaunne LeRoy
Cammie
Lucy Deakins
Waitress
Nancy Lenehan
Jimbo
John Bloom
Herm
Lewis Arquette
Reg
Britt Leach
Boat Yard Owner
Cliff Bemis
Hot Dog Vendor
Paul Hansen
Dancing Biker Girl
Debra Lee Ortega
Girl in Arcade
Sierra Somerville
Woman in Crowd
Christine Spiotta
Lodge Patron
Chris Bass
Lodge Customer
Shirley Harris
Irate Customer
Christopher Kinsman
Grill Chef
Andy Prosky
Man in Crowd
Brian Healy
The Bald-Headed Bear
Bart the Bear
Grandpa (uncredited)
Raleigh Bond
(uncredited)
Jerry Maren
Kitchen Help (uncredited)
Barry Thompson
Director(s)
Writer(s)
executive producer
Tom Jacobson
executive producer
Stephen Lim
associate producer
Arne Schmidt
producer (as Arne L. Schmidt)
Elena Spiotta
associate producer
Producer(s)
Composer(s)
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