Summer Rental - A Movie Review

Vacations are meant for relaxation.

Summer Rental is a 1985 comedy film. Jack takes his family on a long-overdue vacation to Citrus Cove, Florida. A series of mishaps ensue from staying in the wrong rental, painful sunburns, and arguments. At risk of losing their rental an extra week, Jack joins a sailboat race.

Summer is the time for relaxing and watching funny comedies during heat waves. John Candy left behind a legacy of films. I always enjoy watching them. Summer Rental is a relatable film about the stresses of vacations. It’s a laugh-out-loud comedy that’s rare to see now.

Summer Rental was the 80s film, and several others, that skyrocketed the late John Candy’s career. Normally, Candy was typecast in these roles, but he never played the same character. The late John Candy had a knack for comedy. He was hilarious in his line delivery and his reactions to the calamity.

Candy plays Jack, a husband and father. Just like Candy, Jack has a big heart and lends helpful advice - to an extent. Jack does anything but relax. He tumbles, gets pushed aside, and loses his patience. I laughed at Candy’s hysterical reactions when he couldn’t get peace.

Playing the roles of Jack’s family, Karen Austen, Kerri Green, Joey Laurence, and Aubrey Jene are fantastic. They created a realistic dynamic that included a lot of bickering.

Green had her film debut one movie prior in The Goonies. The story has changed, but sources claim that Green dubbed her co-star, Aubrey Jene’s dialogue. The family also has a dog that does nothing to aid them in emergencies.

You bet the writers came up with a summer-load of ideas for the film. The film was based on producer, Bernie Brillstein’s hectic summer vacation. Vacation films are popular because they’re based on realistic situations. Anything could happen!

Here’s my favorite scenes. Our characters arrive at a cozy summer house with a gorgeous ocean view. Too bad they’re in the wrong house! This happened to me once!

Carl Reiner implemented several ideas one after the other. He saved the film from cancellation by encouraging producers to read the script. Comedies don’t do that now. Films are so focused on the story aspect that it overshadows the comedy.

One criticism is that the scenes ended too quickly. For example, Jack is locked out of the house on a rainy day. It’s funny to imagine what happened, but it concluded without a resolution. It may have been due to editing scenes down so that the film garnered a PG rating.

You’ll always find me at the beach in the summer. The overcrowded beach that Candy maneuvers over several beachgoers is St. Pete Beach in Florida. Filming lasted nine weeks for Summer Rental. Characters visit several local landmarks throughout the film.

The first time I watched Summer Rental I wasn’t thrilled about the sailboat race in the climax. After watching it a second time, it’s the most important part of the film. Summer Rental would have been your average summer vacation film if it wasn’t for the sailboat race.

Summer Rental is funny, heartwarming, and enjoys being what it is. Think of all the vacations you’ve been on. Every vacation is worth it to experience new locations and be with family. You never realize how important vacations are until growing up. As Summer Rental exhibits, you’ll experience calamities but it’s worth it.

Watch Summer Rental during the next heat wave. It’s an excellent comedy for the whole family to enjoy, Plus, it treasures the memory of the late John Candy.