Robin Williams- Bob Munro
Cheryl Hines- Jamie Munro
Joanna "JoJo" Levesque- Cassie Munro
Josh Hutcherson- Carl Munro
Jeff Daniels- Travis Gornicke
Kristin Chenoweth- Marie Jo Gornicke
Hunter Parrish- Earl Gornicke
Chloe Sonnenfeld- Moon Gornicke
Alex Ferris- Billy Gornicke
Will Arnett- Todd
Richard Cox- Laird
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Screenplay by Geoff Rodkey
Distributed by Columbia Pictures/ Sony Pictures Entertainment
Rated PG for crude humor, innuendo and language
Runtime- 98 minutes
Website: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/rv
"RV," the latest comedy from director Barry Sonnenfeld, stars Robin Williams as Bob Munro, a dedicated family man who takes his somewhat dysfunctional family on a long trip from California to Colorado in a big butt moving house (or, as they are sometimes called, recreational vehicles, as per the title of the flick) in the hope that the trip will bring them closer together. How sweet and noble. His wife Jamie (as played by Cheryl Hines) is a stay at home mother unhappy with her current life. For some reason she just isn't getting what she wants. Cassie, the daughter (as played by Joanna Levesque) is one of those smart, hip and edgy vegetarian teenagers with a chip on her shoulder. Years ago, when she was a mere child, she loved her father and family and wanted to stay at home forever. As a teenager, all she does is complain. Nothing is good enough, and the people in charge of her life don't "understand" her. And then there's the son, Carl (as played by Josh Hutcherson), a young hip hop hoodlum wannabe who lifts weights to get bigger (he's a short, small guy. The kind bullies love to pick on). Bob had originally planned on taking the bunch to Hawaii for the same "family togetherness" reason, but his slimy boss Todd (Will Arnett) tells him he has to go to Colorado instead and help along a big, ongoing merger. Bob fears that he's going to be replaced by a younger worker (Laird, as played by Richard Cox) and that if he refuses to go to Colorado the job will be gone and his family's "lifestyle" (the house, money, etc.) will vanish.
So Bob hatches the "RV" plan. Despite great protestations (Jamie, Cassie, and Clark really wanted to go to Hawaii), Bob gathers up the family and goes on to Colorado. Bob figures that he can be the doting husband and father he hasn't been in a long time (he'll cook all of the meals, talk with the family about their trials and tribulations, and he'll drive the entire distance) and work on the merger meeting presentation at night. If everything works "the way it's supposed to," the trip should be a smashing success. Quality time with the family and keeping his job. Couldn't be any better. Of course, we wouldn't have much of a movie if everything worked out. Bob doesn't really know how to drive the gigantic vehicle, the emergency brakes go haywire, causing the RV to roll back at a seconds notice, someone left a stinky pile of you know what in the bathroom (which Bob doesn't know how to empty), and they end up meeting a surprisingly smart family of hayseeds who live in their bus full time (that would be the Gornicke family, headed by the outstanding Jeff Daniels and the very blonde Kristin Chenoweth). Smart hicks and the Munro family do not mix, or so the Munro family believes. And so it's one zany moment after another, as Bob tries to hold it all together.
Robin Williams is great as the family man. Williams keeps his usual off-the-wall wackiness somewhat in check (there are a few moments when the trademarked riffs come fast and furious, but they're never out of place or out of character) and manages to make you feel for his personal predicament. His family isn't very desirable, you wonder why he'd want to keep these people around since they hate him so, but you want him to succeed anyway. Maybe, just maybe, Bob will do it. The rest of the Munro family does okay with what they're given. Cheryl Hines does the bored "suffering" housewife thing well enough. She can also sing "GTO" at seconds notice. The kids, Joanna Levesque and Josh Hitcherson, do the squabbling brother and sister act believably. Josh's Clark has more to do than Levesque's Cassie, though. All Cassie does is sit around and whine about meat eaters and how much she wanted to go to Hawaii. Jeff Daniels and Kristen Chenoweth are outstanding supporting characters. Their Gornicke family is the opposite of the stupid bunch of hicks you'd normally expect. The Gornicke children Earl, Moon, and Billy (as played by Hunter Parrish, Chloe Sonnenfeld, and Alex Farris) are smarter than they let on and not in that smarmy "the South is smart" kind of way. They also have quite the family song and dance routine. If there is a sequel it could easily be made about the Gornicke family. It would be well worth it. And for those of you who enjoy the CBS show "Criminal Minds," keep an eagle eye out for Mathew Gray Gubler (the young guy of the profiler group, the skinny nerd with the photographic memory) as a RV plumbing specialist.
Now, have we all seen this kind of movie before? Sure. Families (or really anyone) going off on a trip in a huge vehicle are great fodder for comedies (or horror flicks. "Hills Have Eyes" recently exploited that) and if the situations and timing are spot on, the flick will be decent. Sonnenfeld (he actually appears throughout much of the flick riding along with the Munro family. In a cowboy hat. This reviewer thought that that guy was New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg) manages to make a funny movie out of stuff we've seen a million times before. The much ballyhooed scene (at least in the previews) of Robin Williams stuck on the front of a runaway RV plays out a little different than it would seem to. This story could make for a great television show (in the style of one of those British shows that only goes 13 episodes and then it's over. We don't need one hundred episodes of this thing) because there is so much to work with. You will get the feeling while watching that the flick doesn't "explore" more of the trappings of the RV and the monotony of life on the road with nothing much to do but look out the window. It's a road movie that doesn't spend all that much time on the road with the "little things." What we're given, though, works. You'll still wonder why certain things weren't looked into (like who are these people at the roadside RV parks? And why are there so many RV parks?) but you won't be upset. Again, that could be stuff for Jeff Daniels to showcase in a sequel.
So should you go see "RV"? Yes. It's funny, you'll have a good time, and you'll wonder why anyone would want to drive one of those things. It doesn't look half as fun as it's made out to be in the brochure.
The 411: “RV” is fairly decent wacky comedy about a family going on a trip to Colorado in an RV. That isn’t all it’s about, but that’s the basic story. It sounds hackneyed, you’ve likely seen it all before, but what we’re given is funny, and that’s what really matters here. Robin Williams and Jeff Daniels give great performances and are the reason to watch. That and the song and dance routines. They don’t seem out of place.
