The Worst Film Ever

Simply Perfect

Best movie ever!

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Burned out air-traffic controller Jack Chester (John Candy) takes his wife Sandy (Karen Austin), teenage daughter Jennifer (Kerri Green), son Bobby (Joey Lawrence) and younger daughter Laurie (Aubrey Jene) to Florida for some much needed rest and relaxation, where, after a series of mildly amusing mishaps that threaten to spoil the vacation, they pull together as a family to settle a feud with an obnoxious local yachtsman (Richard Crenna).This mid '80s John Candy vehicle starts off very much in the style of National Lampoon's Vacation, with a series of comedic episodes in which Candy's well-meaning character repeatedly comes a cropper. The second half of the film introduces a classic underdogs storyline that, while not exactly original or particularly funny, provides lots of wholesome, feel-good entertainment guaranteed to put a smile on the face.Candy is his usual affable self and handles the material like a pro, Austin looks uncannily like Vacation's Beverly D'Angelo (which I suspect was deliberate, given the film's other similarities), Crenna is suitably loathsome, and jail-bait Green, teen up-skirt queen of '85, doesn't flash her knickers, but does look rather fine in her bikini. Rip Torn also puts in a fun turn as pirate restaurateur Scully, who teaches Jack a thing or two about sailing.Profanity and nudity are at a minimum (a running joke about a woman's breast implants is as rude as it gets, and she is only ever seen topless from behind), while a potential sub-plot about Sandy cheating with another man is notably dropped (one can definitely feel its presence), making the film suitable viewing for the whole family.

The three stars are only because John Candy turned in a very game effort and was actually quite funny, only to be undone by one of the most preposterous plots ever. Indeed this movie was rather sloppily constructed and edited from start to finish, and it appears the producers were absolutely all-out to come up with a whopping 86 minutes of material. The talents of Richard Crenna and Rip Torn are completely wasted, and I'm still trying to figure out what the John Larroquette character was all about. This is just incredibly inept stuff from a man, Carl Reiner, whom I've generally admired through the years. It's one thing to direct a flop, but it's another to lend your support to something as astonishingly stupid as the second-half boat race in this film. I mean,your basic Tom & Jerry cartoon makes more sense...at least the cat is chasing the mouse, and that's kind of a story. I actually watched the second half of this movie again, since perhaps I was being too harsh. Hardly. If anything, I'm being too easy when I say that the entire boat race sequence might be the dumbest thing ever released on an unsuspecting American public. In fact, that scene is so bad it's surprising the country has lasted another 25 years. It's a breathtakingly awful sequence that makes me feel as if my IQ has been stripped 50 points overnight. Warning: If you must watch this movie turn it off the second the boats line up for the regatta.

The type of movie you can watch once a year and never get tired of. Typical John Candy film. Why did he always get mediocre scripts, save the John Hughes films? Was Hughes the only director who saw his talent? Either way, Candy rises above the material and makes the film fun to watch, but not necessarily a great film by any means. Great line regarding "The Smurfs." 3/5 stars -John Ulmer

This is a classic John Candy movie in My opinion.Richard Crenna and Rip Torn are also in it!I don't want to spoil it but here is just a sample of what's funny in this movie!The eggs in the car,the woman that got breast surgery,the restaurant scenes with Crenna and Candy,all of the beach scenes,and last but not least the heavy set belching smurf watching man!This is a good John Candy movie that I recommend!