Summer Rental: John Candy’s Sun-Soaked Florida Vacation Comedy

A stressed-out air traffic controller drags his family to the Florida coast for a vacation that goes hilariously off the rails. Summer Rental, the 1985 comedy starring the beloved John Candy, is a breezy, feel-good romp through sun, sand, and seaside mishaps.

Candy plays Jack Chester, who needs a break and rents a beach house for his family, only to find sunburn, a cranky landlord, and a snooty yacht-club rival waiting for him. By the end he finds himself captaining a ragtag sailboat in a big race, in classic underdog fashion. Candy’s warmth and comic timing carry the whole sunny adventure.

Filmed along Florida’s Gulf coast around the Clearwater and St. Petersburg area, the movie is soaked in beachy 1980s charm, all palm trees, sailboats, and waterfront sunsets. It captures the simple joy of a Florida family vacation, hiccups and all.

Lighthearted and endlessly rewatchable, Summer Rental is comfort-food cinema with a Gulf coast tan. Find Summer Rental for an easygoing escape.