*** 1\2 (out of ****)
[Warning: This review will reveal plot points without proper notice]
Carl Reiner's "Summer Rental" (1985) sets sail as a delightful comedy with John Candy at the wheel.
My memory told me after Carl Reiner's collaboration with Steve Martin it wasn't smooth sailing for Reiner's career. He never directed movies quite as funny or as enduring to the American public's taste. It has been years since I watched "Summer Rental" but I recall it from my childhood since my parents had it on VHS. For some reason I remember it being a rather bland comedy that didn't appeal to my five or six year old sensibilities.
"Summer Rental" is a truly amusing warm human comedy. It may not offer pound for pound as many laughs as the Reiner / Martin comedies - "The Jerk" (1979), "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" (1982) and "The Man With Two Brains" (1983) - but "Summer Rental" by far exceeds them for one reason - John Candy. It's a debatable point, who was funnier Candy or Martin? But Candy is a much more likable character in "Summer Rental" than Martin was in any of the four movies directed by Reiner. Candy has an everyman quality to him that turns this predictable comedy into something thoroughly entertaining. What a downright shame it is that Candy and Reiner never collaborated on another comedy!
Candy plays air traffic controller Jack Chester. Overworked, one day he has a meltdown. His supervisor demands he take a vacation since he hasn't had one in 13 years, when he and his wife went on their honeymoon. And so off Jack goes to Florida with his wife Sandy (Karen Austin), daughter Jennifer (Kerri Green) and son Bobby (Joey Lawrence) to a resort town called Citrus Cove.
This fits in nicely with a theme Carl Reiner's comedies usually follow - men faced with disillusionment over their mundane lives. Normally those men seek fame and fortune and want to enter show business but with "Summer Rental" Candy finds fulfilment in sailing.
After the family arrives in Florida they have an encounter with one of the town's most popular residents, Al Pellet (Richard Crenna), a seven time sailing champion. First Al and his guests are seated before Jack and his family at an upscale seafood restaurant. Next Jack and Bobby get into a sailing accident and smash Al's boat. Finally, Al becomes Jack's new landlord, after the previous landlord dies, and demands Jack and his family leave the summer rental home in a couple of days.
With his family distraught their vacation will be cut short, Jack gets an idea. He will enter the town's Regatta to challenge Al and make a side wager. If Jack wins the race, he and his family get to stay in the vacation home rent free for two weeks. If Al wins, he can keep the rent owed and Jack and the family leave two weeks earlier.
"Summer Rental" becomes a working man comedy with the class conflict between Al and Jack. This is new territory for Reiner and kind of, sort of feels borrowed from "Caddyshack" (1980) though Jack is never presented as a loud vulgar slob the way Rodney Dangerfield was. Candy however is well suited as the working man hero thanks to his on-screen charm and non-leading man looks. Crenna plays the arrogant snob a bit like a caricature but in a comedy such as this it works.
There is also room for some terrific supporting characters with Rip Torn as Scully, the owner of a local seafood dump, The Barnacle. Is Scully a great seaman or a con-man? He teaches Jack how to sail, so he may know his way around a boat but most likely he's also a con-man. His restaurant's "catch of the day" is in reality frozen fish sticks. Torn takes this minor character and makes him memorable and very funny. Another memorable character, for a completely different reason, is Vicki (Lois Hamilton). She recently had her breasts augmented and goes around exposing herself to men, Jack included, asking for their opinion about her breasts. Adding to the joke is that her husband doesn't get mad at her but actually encourages the men to tell Vicki everything looks fine.
For as much as I like "Summer Rental" there are problems with the movie. One of those problems is the third act. Events feel a bit rushed to get us to the big race but once we are there the movie runs out of things to say. We get the drift of what will happen but the movie cuts things short. There is also a sub-plot introduced involving Sandy and a recently divorced man (John Larroquette). When Sandy takes the kids to see a movie - after Jack has broken his leg - she realizes she doesn't have any money when a man appears and agrees to pay for her and the kids. Then there is lots of dialogue of all the things Sandy and the kids are doing with this man while Jack recuperates. At no point however is Jack ever presented as jealous and we never get scenes of the family outings with this man. What was he after? Clearly something was left on the cutting room floor. In an interview with Chicago Tribune movie critic Gene Siskel, Candy called "Summer Rental"'s script "threadbare" but says he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to work with Carl Reiner. He goes on to state the shooting schedule was rushed because of Paramount.
Despite these flaws, I must reiterate "Summer Rental" does have a lot of good comedy moments. I laughed out loud as Jack is walking towards his family at the beach and he manages to annoy and sometimes harm each and every person he walks pass by stepping on someone's hand, squirting someone with sun tan lotion, spilling water on someone else and stepping on yet another person's lunch. I also enjoy a scene concerning a mix-up with the rental house - which is too precious to spoil - and finally the scenes between Jack and Scully.
Therefore I find it so hard to believe the sheep (AKA "movie critics") didn't like this movie when it was released. In the Chicago Tribune, the critic Richard Christiansen, who served as the paper's long running theater critic, panned the movie writing "Summer Rental" wasn't even as good as Candy's old TV material and went on to trash the movie declaring it was cheaply edited. In her New York Times review Janet Maslin was much kinder. As a side note, have movie lovers given Maslin the respect and admiration she deserves? I personally never come across her name listed as one of our finest movie critics. She praised Candy's performance but called the script "largely uneventful" and pointed out Rip Torn wasn't given much to work with. Other "critics" I have come across all refer to "Summer Rental" as "forgettable". This I find rich. Practically every comic book movie blends together in my mind. For me they are all routine and forgettable and yet some of these same "critics" heap loads of praise onto these movies. Are the critical expectations higher for a Carl Reiner comedy than a comic book movie? I don't think they would admit to that but it just goes to show you the inconsistent "standards" and "logic" they apply to justify their opinions. I would rather watch "Summer Rental" five nights a week than any modern movie the sheep praise.
Of course the ultimate test for any movie's worth is time and after nearly 40 years (39 to be exact) "Summer Rental" still has its defenders. The movie managed to resonate with a small group of viewers and is fondly remembered today.
Now that I have rewatched "Summer Rental" I have seen all 15 feature-length movies Carl Reiner directed, which was my goal after his death in 2020. And I can now say "Summer Rental" ranks with his best - "The Jerk", "Dead Men", and "Where's Poppa?" (1971). I must admit for my generation (80s babies) the Carl Reiner comedy that is probably most nostalgic for them - and they don't even know it was directed by him (!) - would be his next comedy, "Summer School" (1987), the only Reiner comedy I would ever dare say I hate!
"Summer Rental" is a sweet and human comedy. It isn't Carl Reiner's funniest movie but it has qualities - namely heart - that make it equally enduring. John Candy proved he had the ability to carry a movie - this was his first lead role - and it is largely because of him "Summer Rental" succeeds. Thirty years after his death here is a movie that demonstrates what a talent he was.
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