It’s time for a retro comedy adventure. Sometimes it can be fun to check out a comedy title that doesn’t really any hook going for it. This one’s just about the characters hanging out and the plot is fairly barebones so that way the film can go in any direction. Unfortunately it’s just not as funny as the film would have needed to be for this to have been a successful approach. Ultimately you’ll just be shaking your head here.

The movie starts with Chet and his family arriving at their log cabin. They are ready to have a peaceful vacation here and Chet aims to connect more with his older son. They haven’t had a lot of bonding time lately but his plans go awry when is brother in law Roman shows up with his family. Roman was explicitly not invited but he’s never one to let that stop him. He spends all of his time making fun of Chet and showing off how much more money his family has. Can Chet still have a good time or are his chances cooked?

Well this is a comedy so the film wouldn’t work if Chet had any backbone but it would have been nice if he told Roman off a lot sooner. It takes him the entire movie to finally be able to confront Roman about this and even then he is quick to fall for the next traps. Chet’s just not very smart and on the whole his family is far too passive. His wife knew that giving any money at the end was going to be a problem but didn’t speak up either. In a situation like this you need the whole family to stick together and take a stand. When that doesn’t happen then they’re all just going to be ending up miserable.

Chet’s the main character of the film and gets the most focus as he is constantly put on the spot by the other characters. Things just never seem to work out for him and he constantly gets embarrassed. I didn’t blame him for wanting to leave early on because it defeats the purpose of a vacation when you’re not having fun. He had also been hoping to bond with his son and that wasn’t going very well because his son was busy on a romance subplot.

That romance plot doesn’t go very well either because it’s just way too rushed. He basically ends up liking a girl who has had a ton of boyfriends before and they never worked out. She even brings up the fact that he’ll be gone in a few days anyway but he’s still determined to have some fun. Despite that….he ends up not arriving to their date in time while watching his father win a big eating contest. Somehow she still forgives him for that which also makes no sense. So this is a romance plot that gets a massive thumbs down all the way.

Meanwhile Roman could have made for a decent antagonist but he ends up feeling more whiny than anything. When he’s not taking shots at Chet, he’s usually complaining about the lodge and everything around it. He’s used to bigger adventures and his wife makes sure to rub this in as well. Chet’s wife sometimes counters with her own sarcastic remarks but tends to do them under her breath and so they don’t land with the same kind of power that they should.

They also have two daughters which the film uses as a running gag to show how scary they are. I didn’t think that was a particularly effective gag but like I said, the film just isn’t that funny. At one point the characters are all panicking because a bat entered the house. You figure that they will just need to capture the bat and release it outside but instead they all completely panic and end up murdering it. That was just a very odd way to end that gag because you’re expecting a much happier ending. They also end up shooting the bear that shows up. These moments feel more sad than funny because you’re rooting for the animals to win. There’s even a subplot with Racoons as they terrorize the heroes but it doesn’t really go anywhere and just feels like wasted potential.

This is one of those films where it is just easy to jump on every point and really nag it to death. There are a lot of things that you can overlook when a film is super funny because then the character flaws are written into the jokes. Since this film isn’t so funny, you end up really focusing on the characters and they just get worse and worse. Roman’s debut appearance is filming Chet and his wife trying to have an intimate moment and refusing to stop recording once they notice him. Like that’s just a really rough start.

In theory the main plot here is about connecting with the son and yet that doesn’t get almost any attention. So in the end their bonding feels really rushed because all it takes is for Chet to talk about a story from his past. It’s not as meaningful as it could have been. It’s great that they are closer now but it feels like the whole plot didn’t really need to exist. A stronger climax to the film could have also helped but by having Chet fall for the trap, it was just a bad look.

Overall, This is one of those films that I would call relatively harmless. It’s not like it’s very violent or had a lot of language in it. There’s nothing that would really make me tell someone to avoid the film. That said, there are also no real good reasons to watch the movie. As a comedy your top priority is to be funny and this film is just not up to that challenge. Furthermore, there are plenty of alternative options when it comes to comedy titles. There should be more of a hook to really draw you in. I wouldn’t mind staying in a log cabin but it’s not like it really appeals to me. This film certainly wouldn’t sway me on that and I’d sooner just stay at home.

Overall 3/10