The Great Outdoors

I love watching old movies my family used to play on VHS after recording them from TV. Now with the ubiquity of Netflix or even rentals from the library, those classics can be at your doorstep in a day for a modern movie night.
Last night's choice, The Great Outdoors is, as my cousin David would say, "the cat's ass."
Anyone who has seen the John Candy/Dan Aykroyd caper would respond to that with, "thank you for sharing that, thank you."
Such lines have stuck with my family's vernacular over the years and watching the movie again last night also brought to light tidbits of it we didn't remember or notice during past viewings.
First things first, if for some odd reason you have not seen The Great Outdoors it's about Dan Aykroyd and his family crashing the cabin vacay of his brother-in-law Chet, played by John Candy.
Or as described on IMDB, "A Chicago man's hope for a peaceful family vacation in the woods is shattered when the annoying in-laws drop in."
Roman (Aykroyd) drives up to the northwoods in his posh Mercedes with personalized license plates while Chet and company travel in the family truckster, a Wagoneer. That vehicle factoid makes the movie even more of a favorite, seeing as my family had both a Mercedes and a Wagoneer during my childhood.
The cabin in The Great Outdoors reminds me of those we used to rent during the summer and nights of playing games or going out to local restaurants.
There was never an old 96er steak (people seem to like it) or bald-headed bear, but that is what watching The Great Outdoors is for. I could live without the cheeseball scenes between Buck and Cammie and the constant accompanying track of a Hungry Eyes knockoff, but I guess those are requirements for a movie from the 1980s.
Next up on the family film agenda this weekend is Fletch, so stay tuned for more posts about oldies but goodies.
I think that just about does it.