Summer Rental (1985)

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.

Being overworked is not a good thing. That's why we have to take a vacation. In "Summer Rental", this vacation is anything but ordinary. John Candy plays Jack Chester, an highly burned out air-traffic controller who takes his family out to Florida for a vacation. During the route things don't always go as planned. They get the rental house that was owned by someone else, and they get another one that's near the beach route entrance. When they go to a restaurant, they meet a very nasty yachtsman named Al(Richard Crenna) who insults the Chesters. Things were funny on the beach when the spigot from the cooler broke, and Jack gets a Frisbee to the groin. Following the boating accident, he meets neighbor Vicki(Lois Hamilton) who offers not only refreshments, but a critique of her "goods". To me, that's a little too intimidating for me. Then there's the yacht race which the Chester decides to win back their pride. With the help from everyone, family and friends of a local restaurant, they were able to win the prize. Great cast they got there John Laroquette of "Night Court" along with his first season co-star Karen Austin playing Candy's wife. Joey Lawrence of "Gimme a Break!" Plenty of casts, plenty of fun, I enjoyed this movie whether it's a keeper or a rental. HAHAHAHA!!! 5 stars!

The 1980s saw a glut of disaster-vacation comedies – "National Lampoon's Vacation", "National Lampoon's European Vacation", "The Great Outdoors" and "Summer Rental" are just four that spring to mind. A common factor between most of these films is that many of them feature John Candy. He had just a short cameo in "National Lampoon's Vacation", and had to share the comic honours with Dan Akroyd in "The Great Outdoors"…. but "Summer Rental" is very much a starring vehicle for big John, and he is the best thing about this otherwise very obvious and predictable beachfront farce.Overworked air traffic controller Jack Chester (John Candy) is ordered by his superiors to take a little time off after losing his nerve one day at work. Jack takes the opportunity to travel down to Florida for a summer vacation with his family – beautiful wife Sandy (Karen Austin), blossoming daughter Jennifer (Kerri Green), cheeky son Bobby (Joey Lawrence) and toddler Laurie (Aubrey Jene). Almost from the moment they arrive the vacation is a catalogue of disasters. Jack falls asleep on the beachfront and gets heavily sunburnt; the holiday home they think they've rented turns out to belong to someone else and they find themselves in a run-down shack instead; Jennifer starts getting a little too friendly with the local lifeguards; etc. etc. Jack also crosses swords with local playboy Al Pellet (Richard Crenna), little suspecting that Pellet actually owns the holiday home in which his family is staying. When Pellet orders the family to leave they are devastated, but Jack comes up with the idea of challenging Pellet by betting that he can defeat him in the annual sailing regatta. Problem is that Jack doesn't even have a boat, but he solves this by persuading local restaurateur Scully (Rip Torn) to convert his floating restaurant so that it can be used in the race!This is Candy's film and he comes across affably as the parent whose determination to please his family usually ends in disaster. Austin is very attractive as his wife (surprising that she never went on to enjoy much of a career), while Crenna has obvious fun as the obnoxious playboy. Torn rounds off the principal players in a typically hammy but occasionally amusing role as a one-handed, piratical restaurant owner. "Summer Rental" loses marks in the script and story department because it's so thin and obvious. We've seen variations on this basic concept time and again, and the writers (Jeremy Stevens and Mark Reisman) and director (Carl Reiner) make no attempts to freshen up the familiar material. Also, the film's contrived climax is so improbable and sentimental that it provokes more groans than smiles. At least "Summer Rental" is a short film, so even when it slips into its periodic mawkishness it never really outstays its welcome. It's one of those films that you'll watch, you smile at from time to time, and then you'll forget.

Jack Chester, an air traffic controller, is burned. He almost provokes an accident when a fly lands in his computer screen. His boss suggests some time off. To this effect a house is secured in a Florida resort area. Jack and his family pack a U-Haul, and go to the Sunshine State. Little do they know they are in for a big adventure.The house where the Chesters land is a dream come true. Wow, how lucky can they be? The fun doesn't last as the right owners come to claim their property as the Chesters have gone to the wrong address! The real house they rented is another story. Suddenly, their vacation turns into a not so pleasant experience.Jack Chester, who has made a good friend in Scully, the owner of The Barnacle, wants to rent one of the boats to teach his young son how to sail. He becomes quite a pro with the help of Scully. For the regatta that is going to be held at the beach resort, Scully proposes to refit The Barnacle for the race. Al Pellet, the wealthy resident of the resort, has won the cup for the last seven years and wants to keep the trophy. Little does he know who he is racing against!Carl Reiner directed this 1984 film. He was lucky in having John Candy, a wonderful comedy actor to star in it. The whole thing is a tribute to the late Mr. Candy, a man who died too soon, as proved by this film, that although is not one of the best that both the director, or its star made, it has some sunny moments. Rip Torn and Richard Crenna, appear as Scully and Pellet.