Intro:
Bob Munro (Robin Williams) is a husband and father of two. He works for Pure Vibe, a large soft drink manufacturer. When one of his daughter’s friends attacks his boss at a company event, his job is on the line. He has to attend and present at a merger meeting with Alpine Soda Co., an independent company that wants to be part of Pure Vibe’s distribution and reach. The only problem is that this meeting coincides with his family vacation to Hawaii.
Bob decides to take an RV trip to Colorado under the guise of a family vacation, but in reality an attempt to do work. He and his family deal with various problems along the way as RV newbies. From broken parking breaks, backed up sewage lines, and a troublesome family from the RV park, this is one trip they may never want to take again!
Dialogue:
RV has some of the best lines in all of the comedies I have seen. The comedy of RV and most of the comments thereof are related to RVs and their surrounding stigmas. The parks with the strange people, the complication of draining the sewer line, avoiding vermin, living in close quarters, and navigating traffic are all part of the act and part of the bigger joke in RV.
Acting:
This is a perfectly-cast film. The Munros were great, consisting of Robin Williams as Bob, Cheryl Hines as Jamie, Joanna Levesque as Cassie, and Josh Hutcherson as Carl.
Equally amazing was Will Arnett as the creepy and germophobic leader of Pure Vibe, Todd Mallory.
The Gornike clan was led by Jeff Daniels as Travis Gornike, his wife Mary Jo (Kristin Chenoweth), and children Earl (Hunter Parrish), Moon (Chloe Sonnenfeld) and ‘Not Earl’ or Billy (Alex Ferris).
Plot:
RV consists of a plot similar to that of The Lampoon’s Vacation. Bob Munro wants to take his kids, who are seemingly growing up too fast for Bob’s liking. He wants to have a family vacation where he can spend quality time with his kids, which is something that won’t happen in Hawaii. He is also torn between his family and his boss, who threatened Bob’s job if he didn’t come to board meetings in Colorado.
Bob embarks with the family in the RV, which is dubbed the ‘Rolling Turd’. Tensions are high and everyone is at each other’s throats as the trip goes on. Somewhere along the way, everything is resolved, and the family begins to enjoy the outdoors and adventure. The only problem is that the bliss is broken when Bob’s secret business meeting is discovered by his wife and family. It will take a moment of redemption to earn the affection of his family once again.
Music:
There was a lot of humor in the music that was throughout RV. It really added to the experience and hilarity of the plot. Classics like ‘G.T.O.’ by Ronny and The Daytonas peppered the score from composer James Newton Howard.
Overall:
I really enjoyed RV, and I love the fact that the premise was really original! Once again, if you are a regular on SquidFlicks, you know I applaud originality. RV has that originality, and combines it with a lot of humor. I saw this in theaters back in 2006, and I own it on DVD. I have seen it at least 10+ times and it hasn’t gotten old yet. Some RVers may be offended, and Robin Williams’ sense of humor isn’t for everyone, but RV delivers a solid performance that is family-friendly and fun!
4/5 Reels
Gold Squid Rating
Check this one out!
Trailer:
Purchase:
[amazonify]B000G8O0MK[/amazonify]
