RV Review
by Jerry Saravia (Faust668 AT msn DOT com)April 11th, 2008
RV (2006)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
RATING: Two stars
Predictable poop, both the overall movie and the content of one shot.
It seems any movie about a family going on vacation or simply staying
home or involving bratty teenagers involves some poop joke. We had it
in "Meet the Parents" (which had correctly timed flying poop, if there
is such a thing) and the "Shrek" movies (even "Star Wars Episode I:
The Phantom Menace" had Jar-Jar stepping on some feces, and let's not leave out Marty McFly in "Back to the Future Part III"). It is a
desperate gag that seems to work best in "Family Guy" than it does in
the movies. For a movie like "RV," you would've hoped for a little
more inspiration considering Robin Williams stars in it. Then again,
the poop outstages Williams which is not a good sign.
"RV" starts off with a whiff of inspiration in the first scene.
Williams plays Bob Munro, a devoted family man who does impersonations with plushy dolls to give his daughter, Cassie, a good laugh. She
loves it and she says she doesn't want to get married. Bob tells her
it is good to be married, and they will always be best friends. Then
we flash forward to his daughter as a typical teenager (Joanna "JoJo" Levesque) who hates him. Rather than staying true to their
relationship, the movie goes all over the map. Never content to be a family vacation movie like Chevy Chase's own "National Lampoon" films,
the movie develops a plot that borders on idiocy. You see, Bob Munro's
job is in jeopardy and in order to rescue himself out of losing his
home and his family, he agrees to make a presentation in Boulder,
Colorado for his sneakily mean-spirited boss Todd (Will Arnett, who at this point can play this role in his sleep). This means the planned vacation trip to Hawaii is off, so Bob tells his family that they are going to Colorado, in a rented RV no less! The wife hates the ideas,
as does the kids.
There is a Murphy's Law in comedies starring Robin Williams, and this
one starts off with one hazardous event after another. Bob has
problems maneuvering the RV from his own driveway. He can barely drive
it on the highway. They stay at an RV park which involves the dreaded
poop joke - this time, involving some complicated hoses that need to
drain poop and sewage (There is even a reference to a poop fairy).
Then the Munro family meets one kooky, extremely friendly family, the Gornickes, specifically Travis and Mary Jo (both exceedingly well-
played by Jeff Daniels and Kristin Chenoweth). They perform country
songs together, live off of their mobile home that looks more like a
bus, selling franchise products. Their horn plays the first five notes
of the "Star Trek" theme. This is a fun, original family that seem to
be coming from a better movie, one that the Munros are unwisely trying
to get away from.
To be fair, "RV" has some funny moments, mostly thanks to Robin
Williams. I love when Williams is searching for a signal so he can
email his presentation to his boss - not too many cell phone towers in
the desert. I also like watching Williams struggling with a seatbelt
or doing his "homeboy" routine. Also worth watching is a terrific
scene where the RV is tilting and rocking back and forth on a peak in Diablo Pass - it is a Chaplinesque and Homer Simpsonesque moment.
But the movie never really carries itself and roars with comic possibilities. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, it too often feels flat
and stillborn, something that you would not say about the early
"National Lampoon Vacation" movies or even the recent and far superior "Little Miss Sunshine," a delectably funny road movie. The Munro kids
look like superficial, well-fed, bland kids with little to no
personality. Williams seems content to play it safe, which means a witless, stock family guy with no quirks other than pretending to take
a dump in the woods. Huh? Why did they hire Robin Williams to play
this role? And poor Cheryl Hines as Jamie, Bob's wife, appears as if
she would rather join the Gornicke family. So would I.
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