Cheap Summer Rental (DVD) (John Candy, Richard Crenna, Rip Torn) (Carl Reiner) Price

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Customer Reviews of Summer Rental

This film is just another good example of his skills. I can't imagine if there was another actor that could have brought this movie off like he did.

I'm not going to give the plot of this one away. I just want to say this is a good film. Very funny to watch Candy in a family environment as a regular guy going to the beach on vacation.

Good John Candy, but not Great
I thought this movie was pretty good. I am a huge John Candy fan, so I will like pretty much anything with him in it. I don't think he really had a chance to shine in this one.

John Candy works as an air traffic controller. He works too hard and has to take a trip to Florida to cool off. His first day there he becomes arch enemies with the local snob sailboat captain. With a setup like this, it is inevitable that he have to defeat the snob captain in a sailboat race.

This movie is pretty predictable stuff, in my opinion. If you want maximum John Candy try Planes, Trains, and Automobiles or Uncle Buck. If you want a vacation movie, try National Lampoon's Vacation, or another good John Candy flick, The Great Outdoors. I find all of these more satisfying than Summer Rental, but I think Summer Rental is still worth watching.

Predictable, but Funny and Enjoyable
The plot here really doesn't matter; it's pretty predictable. This is a film that is enjoyable primarily because of the very funny and capable John Candy. Candy plays a harried air traffic controller, Jack Chester, who takes his family to Florida for a well-deserved rest. Of course, everything goes wrong.

Candy is at the top of his game here. He plays a likeable family man who feels that everything that goes wrong is his fault. He tends to take everything personally, and even though sometimes everything just goes wrong, he's not the author of all the mishaps.

He makes a turnaround when he meets the very funny Rip Torn, who plays Scully, a bar owner, sailor, and one-handed guy. The scene where Candy gets drunk and plays a very haphazard game of darts is hilarious (one dart hits the ceiling fan, another a barometer). Scully decides to show Jack Chester that he can succeed, and teaches him to sail. This leads to the climax race against the rich and smarmy Richard Crenna, who has a beautiful boat and a crack sailing team. Chester is in the race of his life, but he has a trick up his sleeve (so to speak).

I'll not reveal the outcome of the race, but suffice it to say, Jack Chester does OK.

Recommended if you want to laugh, enjoy yourself, and have a satisfying film-watching experience. I did.