Ah the great outdoors. The time honored tradition where families put aside their technology and creature comforts for the rugged wilderness and family bonding of the outdoors. I will be honest; there is no movie that has personified just about every camping/outdoors trip I have ever had, minus overt alcoholism, like The Great Outdoors (1988). In this week’s Manly Movie, we are going to review The Great Outdoors with John Candy and Dan Aykroyd. This film has everything - bears, fat guy, slap-stick humor, and the OLD 96′er.

Plot: Chet (John Candy) and his family travel to a cabin in the woods that Chet’s family has been going to for years. Right off the bat, his brother-in-law, Roman (Dan Aykroyd) shows up. Just about everything that Chet attempts to do always ends up not going according to plan. Whether it is skiing or killing a bat he always ends up on the short end of the plan. Chet crushes a gigantic steak and there is a huge family fight. Roman’s girls run away and they all go after them. In the end, after some “talk about your emotions” time, they are all a happy family.

Review: Personally, this is one of my favorite John Candy movies. The scene where John Candy takes on a bear and Candy blows his ass off is awesome. John Candy a real life, fat guy superhero. A large Kodiak bear? Nothing to John Candy. You set a 96 oz steak that you have to crush along with grizzle just to have a free dinner? John Candy will devour it with a pint of Left Hand Milk Stout and still eat a piece of cake afterwards. When was the last time you had a super hero pull that feat off in a two day span. Hell, when have you ever seen a superhero eat anything outside of some organic salad. Yeah, if I am held hostage I would need a Batman/Superman type guy to come get me, but what if to save you they had to eat four pounds of BBQ spare ribs? I am throwing John Candy every time. For god sakes, his last name is part of the most unhealthy part of the food pyramid. It’s like an ultimate fighter with the last name “Destroyer”. John Candy, I salute you sir for giving all big guys in the world something to reach for. Oh, and the Great Outdoors is an awesome movie and definitely worth the 5 bucks from the Walmart DVD bin.

I enjoy the Great Indoors,

-Taters