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Great Outdoors
Universal // PG // January 2, 1998
List Price: $24.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Although it certainly doesn't hold up in comparison to the much better "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", Howard Deutsch at least makes a valiant and often successful attempt with the John Hughes screenplay for this 1988 picture. "Planes" star John Candy stars as Chet Ripley, a family man who simply just wants to take his family to his cabin in the woods for a week of rest, relaxation and fun. Yet, his plans are foiled when his annoying in-laws arrive, lead by uncle Roman (Dan Ackroyd).
The film plays out like a less mobile version of the "National Lampoon's Vacation" series. Everyone can relate to camping in the woods and having things go wrong and Hughes's screenplay hits all of the marks - bears, rain, etc. There's even some amusing supporting performances by a group of racoons whose dialogue with one another is shown in subtitle (in one scene, they discuss how futile it is when humans put rocks on the trash cans so they can't get to the food).
The film remains focused on the Candy/Ackroyd feuding, while the supporting characters are hardly defined, especially an early performance from Annette Benning as Roman's irritating wife. The film was met with largely negative response during its release, but for those who've ever gone on vacation in a small town up in the woods, you might be able to relate to some of the humor.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Great Outdoors" is one of Universal's earliest efforts and, as such, it's presented in a dissapointing 1.85:1 non-anamorphic transfer. Sharpness and detail are only mediocre - the picture seems rather soft, especially in some of the darker sequences, which look murky. The picture has an overall "flat" feel, which is dissapointing considering some of the beautiful scenery, which is captured nicely by the cinematography.
The picture quality suffers further from some minor pixelation at a few points during the movie as well as some noticable grain, especially during some of the darker scenes. Colors still appear bright and natural during the film, especially during a beautiful sunset or two during the film. Not unwatchable, but it would be nice if Universal re-did this effort at some point in the future.
SOUND: "Great Outdoors" is only presented in Dolby 2.0. The audio is almost completely dialogue-driven, with the jazzy score being the only other piece of interest sound-wise. Audio quality was fine, as both the score and dialogue still come through with fine clarity.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus that simply re-use the cover art.
EXTRAS:: 2 trailers.
Final Thoughts: "Great Outdoors" isn't the best performance from any of those involved, but it'll probably get some laughs from those who've been up in a cabin on vacation. Universal's DVD is a bare-bones effort, with only fair audio/video quality. Maybe worth a rental.
Although it certainly doesn't hold up in comparison to the much better "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", Howard Deutsch at least makes a valiant and often successful attempt with the John Hughes screenplay for this 1988 picture. "Planes" star John Candy stars as Chet Ripley, a family man who simply just wants to take his family to his cabin in the woods for a week of rest, relaxation and fun. Yet, his plans are foiled when his annoying in-laws arrive, lead by uncle Roman (Dan Ackroyd).
The film plays out like a less mobile version of the "National Lampoon's Vacation" series. Everyone can relate to camping in the woods and having things go wrong and Hughes's screenplay hits all of the marks - bears, rain, etc. There's even some amusing supporting performances by a group of racoons whose dialogue with one another is shown in subtitle (in one scene, they discuss how futile it is when humans put rocks on the trash cans so they can't get to the food).
The film remains focused on the Candy/Ackroyd feuding, while the supporting characters are hardly defined, especially an early performance from Annette Benning as Roman's irritating wife. The film was met with largely negative response during its release, but for those who've ever gone on vacation in a small town up in the woods, you might be able to relate to some of the humor.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Great Outdoors" is one of Universal's earliest efforts and, as such, it's presented in a dissapointing 1.85:1 non-anamorphic transfer. Sharpness and detail are only mediocre - the picture seems rather soft, especially in some of the darker sequences, which look murky. The picture has an overall "flat" feel, which is dissapointing considering some of the beautiful scenery, which is captured nicely by the cinematography.
The picture quality suffers further from some minor pixelation at a few points during the movie as well as some noticable grain, especially during some of the darker scenes. Colors still appear bright and natural during the film, especially during a beautiful sunset or two during the film. Not unwatchable, but it would be nice if Universal re-did this effort at some point in the future.
SOUND: "Great Outdoors" is only presented in Dolby 2.0. The audio is almost completely dialogue-driven, with the jazzy score being the only other piece of interest sound-wise. Audio quality was fine, as both the score and dialogue still come through with fine clarity.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus that simply re-use the cover art.
EXTRAS:: 2 trailers.
Final Thoughts: "Great Outdoors" isn't the best performance from any of those involved, but it'll probably get some laughs from those who've been up in a cabin on vacation. Universal's DVD is a bare-bones effort, with only fair audio/video quality. Maybe worth a rental.
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