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.

Jack Chester (John Candy) is an over-stressed 13-year air traffic controller. His boss forces him to take a vacation. With his wife Sandy (Karen Austin),kids Jennifer (Kerri Green),Bobby (Joey Lawrence) and Laurie, they drive down to Citrus Cove, Florida. The town big shot Al Pellet (Richard Crenna) cuts in line at the restaurant right before the Chesters and takes the last of the lobsters. Their luxurious rental turns out to be a wrong address. Their actual rental is a rundown beach house. Jack rents a boat and crashes into Pellet. The rivalry gets even worst when Pellet buys the rental house and throws the Chesters out. Jack challenges him in a yacht race using restaurant owner Scully (Rip Torn)'s old decommissioned boat.

On the page, Jack is boorish and rather clueless. He's a sitcom dad and could have been a rather tired caricature. The difference between the page and the screen is John Candy. He is absolutely charming. He is the engine that drives this boat and Carl Reiner knows it. The kids and the wife have only a few sections by themselves without Jack. This is a silly 80s comedy which is elevated by Candy.

Burned out air-traffic controller Jack Chester (John Candy) takes his wife Sandy (Karen Austin),teenage daughter Jennifer (Kerri Green),son Bobby (Joey Lawrence) and younger daughter Laurie (Aubrey Jene) to Florida for some much needed rest and relaxation, where, after a series of mildly amusing mishaps that threaten to spoil the vacation, they pull together as a family to settle a feud with an obnoxious local yachtsman (Richard Crenna).

This mid '80s John Candy vehicle starts off very much in the style of National Lampoon's Vacation, with a series of comedic episodes in which Candy's well-meaning character repeatedly comes a cropper. The second half of the film introduces a classic underdogs storyline that, while not exactly original or particularly funny, provides lots of wholesome, feel-good entertainment guaranteed to put a smile on the face.

Candy is his usual affable self and handles the material like a pro, Austin looks uncannily like Vacation's Beverly D'Angelo (which I suspect was deliberate, given the film's other similarities),Crenna is suitably loathsome, and jail-bait Green, teen up-skirt queen of '85, doesn't flash her knickers, but does look rather fine in her bikini. Rip Torn also puts in a fun turn as pirate restaurateur Scully, who teaches Jack a thing or two about sailing.

Profanity and nudity are at a minimum (a running joke about a woman's breast implants is as rude as it gets, and she is only ever seen topless from behind),while a potential sub-plot about Sandy cheating with another man is notably dropped (one can definitely feel its presence),making the film suitable viewing for the whole family.