Film Review: RV

RV (PG)
Dir. Barry Sonnenfeld

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

They’re out there…waiting. They can sense your fear, they know your every weakness and if you don’t finish making their dinner soon they’ll strike… remember… ‘On a family vacation, no one can hear you scream’.
So, if you haven’t planned your summer holiday yet you could always just hire a huge RV (Recreational Vehicle for those non yank literate) and head off into the hills with the family. Seems like a great idea yeah, and what better to get you in the mood than a sentimental, heart warming Robin Williams comedy in the style of National Lampoon’s Family Vacation? Oh right, yes, I see your point…
Anyway, RV sees put upon dad Bob Munro (Robin Williams in slightly restrained comedy mode) taking his dysfunctional family cross-country on a hellish road trip to the Colorado Rockies. This plan isn’t greeted with great enthusiasm by the rest of the Munro clan – self-absorbed wife Jamie, daughter Cassie and son Carl - mostly because they had planned a beach vacation in Hawaii instead.
The kids played by pop starlet JoJo and Josh ‘Zathura’ Hutcherson, convince as the spoilt attention seeking hell spawn, ashamed to be seen within 100 metres of their well meaning dad. When asked to christen the RV they come up with “rolling turd” a fairly fitting name all things considered.
Comedy mishaps dog the family every step of the way, most memorable of which include a full body excrement shower and various run encounters with Jeff Daniels’ RV clan of home schooled backwater good ol boys and girls. Plus the parking brakes are shot on the RV so whenever the script writer gets stuck for inspiration (at least eight times I counted) – it rolls off and hilarity ensues…
It’s deeply forgettable stuff but less offensive than it could have been mostly thanks to everyone going at it 110% in an attempt to make it a fun lightweight diversion.
And Williams can still be funny – for example, at the beginning his young daughter tells him “I'm never going to get married,” to which he replies “Ah, it's not as bad as it looks.”Can Bob win over his family, deliver the killer sales pitch and escape the backwater hicks? I think you already know the answer, whether or not you want to see it played out on a big screen is entirely up to you.

Darkmatters rating system (out of 5):
Action ö – Slapstick
Laughs öö – Some
Horror ö – Unless you have a fear of Robin Williams
Babes ööö – JoJo's too young for you!

Overall ö1/2 (Amusing in places but weak overall)

"this could go either way..."

Darkmatters: H O M E