Bear… bear… Big Bear… big bear chase meeeeeeee…!
– Chet (John Candy) in The Great Outdoors
In the modern era of comedy, there are few performers spoken of with the same reverence as John Candy. A Canadian actor and performer, he made a massive impression with audiences even before joining Second City Television (SCTV) and would go on to charm audiences globally with turns comedic and dramatic, large and small, whether in The Blues Brothers (1980), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Spaceballs (1987), or Cool Runnings (1993) — and that doesn’t get into the larger titles like Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) or Uncle Buck (1989). For me, however, it would be turns as a bumbling P.I. in Who’s Harry Crumb? (1989) and devoted family man in The Great Outdoors (1988) that cemented my appreciation for Candy. Now, thanks to Kino Lorber, fans of situational family comedy The Great Outdoors can enjoy the film with a brand-new 4K UHD restoration that, while it includes no bonus features, does bring three feature-length commentary tracks that enable fans to learn about the making of the film and a great deal more as they watch.
When Chet Ripley (Candy) arrives at his outdoors retreat with wife Connie (Stephanie Faracy) and two sons, all he can think about is showing his kids what is so special about this place he experienced as a kid. And maybe a little bit about he and his wife’s honeymoon, as this is where they went. However, all of Chet’s hopes get dashed when his brother and sister-in-law, Roman and Kate Craig (Dan Aykroyd and Annette Bening), unexpectedly arrive. Suddenly, everything Chet does is a competition and nothing goes to plan, setting the stage for two families to come to climatic head.
The following review is based on a 4K UHD Blu-ray Combo retail copy provided by Kino Lorber.
With this being a 4K UHD restoration review, let’s focus on that aspect first as this is likely the reason you’ve stopped by. According to the available information from Kino Lorber, this restoration is a 4K scan from the original 35 mm camera negative. The website also indicates that the 4K UHD disc is triple-layered 100 GB disc, while the Blu-ray is a dual-layered 50 GB disc. For the unaware, the layers and size allow for more data to be held by the disc and the integrity of the information to be more supported, which enables a higher quality presentation on your home devices. Unlike restorations from boutique distributors 88 Films, Eureka Entertainment, Radiance Films, and The Criterion Collection, there is no included information regarding how the restoration was made or who did the restoration beyond the above information. We don’t know how the negative was processed or scanned or any of the treatments it underwent. As director Howard Deutch (Pretty in Pink; The Replacements) participates in the release via a commentary track alongside filmmaker Douglas Hosdale (Brokedown Palace), one presumes that he approves of the restoration. From a technical perspective, the film holds a strong bitrate in the mid-70 Mbps range for the duration of the film. When one considers that there’re no special effects like one gets in Simon Wincer’s The Phantom (1996) to bring down the bitrate, it’s interesting that it’s not higher. Instead, the bitrate is certainly higher than the max of a Blu-ray (40 Mbps) but is significantly lower than the max of a 4K UHD (up to 128 Mbps). Even with the presentation in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision, the audio is still the original 2.0, which doesn’t take up a great deal of space, either. Even the three commentary tracks, pristine as they are to hear, shouldn’t bring down the bitrate as much compared to the needs of video. At the very least, it’s nice that one can switch between audio tracks on the fly while watching the film, so you can view the film and jump into or out of any of the three commentaries without ever stopping the film. For grain enthusiasts, it remains present, but the images themselves are sharper in frame and have more authentic colors. It doesn’t look so drastically improved that one should ditch their prior Blu-ray edition, but the difference between DVD or VHS is going to be massive.
As mentioned, there are only three commentary tracks included with this new edition. No interviews, no deleted scenes, and no other ways to explore the film. If you’re looking for the best behind-the-scenes exploration of the film, start with the aforementioned Deutch/Hosdale commentary track. Deutch discusses working with film scribe John Hughes (Home Alone; The Breakfast Club), the changes that occurred throughout shooting between the studio and test audiences, working with Candy, the trepidation of the studio as Aykroyd really wrestled the bear, and Bening’s (The American President) specific choice about how to play Connie’s sister Kate that really reshapes how one sees the character and her interactions with Roman. As the filmmaker and repeat collaborator with Hughes, who, in turn, was a frequent collaborator with Candy, Deutch brings a lot of information and a specific perspective that really shifts how one experiences The Great Outdoors. The other two commentary tracks feature Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni (recording solo) and film historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Lee Zachariah (bouncing off each other) in the remaining two. The energy of the Nelson/Zachariah commentary track is great as they deviate from the film to talk about ancillary cinematic tidbits, such as the list of films that held the record (at one time) for most destroyed cars starting with The Blue Brothers (1990), a conversation that takes place as we observe the water ski sequence. Ramoni is more traditional in his commentary track, but still manages to find elements that separate himself from the other two. In short, despite the absence of other, more traditional supplemental materials, any of these three commentary tracks offers a way to explore the film while watching it, that is something most new releases never include.
Much of what works about The Great Outdoors comes down to the performances from the cast. The plot itself is razor thin: interpersonal conflict between two related families while on a family trip. But there’s so much that gets explored through the use of various situations as tied to “family trip.” The way that Chet and Roman each push-and-pull each other comes out in the ways that they speak in front of their families, the way that they respond to any given situation, and how the conflict is resolved. It says a lot about Roman in his introduction that he keeps recording Chet and Connie after catching them in flagrante delicto upon surprising them at their cabin and that Chet keeps trying, calmly, to get him to stop. This cleanly sets up all of their interactions to come with Roman being the one who needs to learn humility. Later, when Chet tells the bear story that scares everyone (except Connie who knows it and is delighting in the telling), Roman is entirely awkward, almost robotic, as he tries to soothe his twin daughters that he presumes got freaked out by it. This sequence not only demonstrates the internal perspectives of both men, but highlights their different approaches to parenthood — each with their own successes and failures. But it’s not really until the old 96er enters the picture that we see some kind of support blooming between the two as Roman tries to support Chet’s attempt to meet the challenge. Of course, Roman, upon finding out that there’s more to go (gristle and fat, too, sir), does manage to pull out something for himself and the kids, because the man is going to find a deal however he can. It’s this shift, plus the disappearance of the twins in the storm, *plus* the bear that brings them all together — a string of events mostly disconnected which serve, in their individual portions, to connect to a larger story of familial respect and the importance of communication.
If there’s something that stands out most now versus then, it’s that the relationship between the sisters, Connie and Kate, feels entirely absent. They get one good conversation that mostly illustrates how the Craig Family is not as put-together as they seem, but, otherwise, there’s nothing that explores them beyond their husbands. Although the chemistry between Faracy’s Connie and Candy’s Chet is so good and the small ways that Faracy finds through performance for Connie to support her husband gives way to a number of things that exposition do not. That said, if one didn’t know that they are the reason that Chet and Roman are tethered, one might presume that the boys are who share blood.
Admittedly, The Great Outdoors isn’t a film that screams a need for a 4K UHD restoration, so one can understand a bit of trepidation with this; however, should the upgrade matter to you, between the improved picture and three commentary tracks, there’s reason enough to at least add the film to your cart. That said, it would also be prudent to wait for a sale (within Kino or one of their partners) as the price point compared to its benefits is a touch unbalanced. One certainly won’t regret the purchase, but there’s truly no need to rush. Unlike the old 96er, there’s no time clock to worry about, no bare-minimum you must hit. Just a little patience and you’ll be out in The Great Outdoors in no time.
The Great Outdoors Special Features:
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- *NEW* Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative
- *NEW* Audio Commentary by Director Howard Deutch, Moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale
- *NEW* Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
- *NEW* Audio Commentary by Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Lee Zachariah
- Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc
- Optional English Subtitles
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- *NEW* Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative
- *NEW* Audio Commentary by Director Howard Deutch, Moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale
- *NEW* Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
- *NEW* Audio Commentary by Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Lee Zachariah
- Dual-Layered BD50 Disc
- Optional English Subtitles
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray Combo Pack May 26th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Kino Lorber The Great Outdoors webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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