Plot: What’s it about?
Well this is one of those movies that everyone has seen or should see.Another worthwhile comedy from writer/producer John Hughes, the mastermind that gave us the breakfast club and planes trains and automobiles.The story focuses on Chet Ripley(played by John Candy)and his family on vacation at beautiful Lake Potowotominimac in Wisconsin (which is actually Bass Lake C.A). After arriving at their cabin Chet and his wife have a moment alone and decide to relax with a little “hanky-panky”(yeah baby!!) When who should come walking in with a hi-8 video camera on his shoulder taping the escapade? Chets rich, snotty brother-in-law Roman Craig(played by Dan Aykroyd). That’s right, Roman and his family show up uninvited to join the mix! And the fun does not stop there. I wont give away to much incase there’s a few dozen people out there that actually have not seen this film,but there’s a bald headed bear, talking raccoons, an old fashioned rescue scene and John Candy water skiing…Cant beat that!!!
As far as the crew goes IM a huge John Hughes fan. I love his work and this film is no exception. Director Howard Deutch does a good job collaborating on Hughes script as he did in pretty in pink. As for the late,great John Candy he brings his own personal brand of comedy to the movie which I think is very funny. Dan Aykroyd simply does what he does best, he’s funny! Romans wife Katie is played by Annette Benning and pulls off the “rich mans wife” role with honors. All in all this movie is very funny, very entertaining. although the plot of the film (yes, there is one) does not run very deep, its got lots of laughs. Candy and Aykroyd give good performances. this movie is a must see if you have not already.
Video: How does it look?
Well……ummm…..o.k its bad, I mean its good but as far as DVD standards go,its bad. The color is flat, very grainy there’s even some lines through the film! If your used to watching movies on VHS you probably wont notice, but as for DVD viewers this movie simply does not cut it. Its in a 1.85:1 widescreen format but the quality of the image is simply poor.
Audio: How does it sound?
A movie that is not audio driven, but the sound is presented in 3ch. Dolby pro-logic and is quite good. There are really no special sounds to listen for but you might want to check out the jet boat engine to get an idea of how good the sound actually is.
Supplements: What are the extras?
2 count em 2 theatrical trailers, cast and crew bios (well 3 anyway) and some production notes. Nothing really spectacular here…
