RV
RUNAWAY VACATION

Starring:
Robin Williams, Cheryl Hines, Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque, Josh Hutcherson, Jeff Daniels, Kristin Chenoweth and Will Arnett

Director:
Barry Sonnenfeld

Running Time:
98 mins

Out to buy on DVD 09/10/06

"Mom, someone just pulled a stupid RV up in front of our house"

When a huge account comes up for grabs at his firm, Bob Munro (Williams) has to cancel his family vacation to Hawaii so he can attend the meetings and get the account. Instead of cancelling the holiday all together, he decides to hire a RV and drive to Colorado and enjoy some family bonding time. Unfortunately the family haven't really bonded in a long time and the thought of spending twenty-four hours a day on the road is a complete nightmare.

Mixing a family comedy with a road movie should be the cinematic trip of a lifetime but like everything other trip the filmmakers have forgotten to bring something, laughs.

Once the darling of Hollywood after hits with 'The Adams Family', 'Get Shorty' and 'Men in Black', director Barry Sonnenfeld's career has taken a bit of a nose dive since the disastrous 'Wild Wild West' in 1999. With 'Big Trouble' and even 'Men in Black II' making little impact, Sonnenfeld's career needs a boost but 'RV' is not the movie to do it.

Family comedies are very hit and miss. The main problem is that you have to appeal to both the young and older age groups, having to please the watching kids and their parents. This means comedy is extremely restricted. Too much clever dialogue and the kids will get lost and too much slapstick and the adults get bored. Striking the right mix then becomes a matter of balance but this can also lead to filmmakers been too cautious and this usually comes at the expense of the laughs.

The main problem is that the script is very simplistic. Road trip and camping movies are ten a penny in Hollywood and it would take something special for a movie to standout. This movie does absolutely nothing new and suffers from been filled with clichés and moments from many a movie we have seen before. The whole notion of a middle class US family having to slum it with the stereotypical, salt of the Earth trailer/RV crowd was funny about twenty years ago but a modern audience will just see this as something they have seen many times before.

As with most Sonnenfeld film he has managed to gather together an excellent ensemble cast but unfortunately he doesn't utilise them for the nest of their ability. You might be able to remember a time when Robin Williams was lauded as the funniest man on the planet but ever since he won an Oscar for his dramatic performance in 'Good Will Hunting' he has forgotten his comedy roots in preference to showcase his thespian skills. 'RV' was heralded has his return to the genre but unfortunately his usual comedic high jinx is restrained by the lack lustre script, making him almost the straight man. The rest of the high quality cast don't receive any better treatment. 'Curb Your Enthusiasm's' Cheryl Hines is an extremely gifted comedic actress but she has nothing to do in this film. Jeff Daniels and Kristin Chenoweth do provide some laughs as the RV veterans, as the heads of the Gornicke family but they are very stereotypical. 'Arrested Development's' Will Arnett almost steals the show as Bob's germ fearing boss Todd Mallory. The kids also do their best, with Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque and Josh Hutcherson doing a decent job.

'RV' is a family drama at its most mundane. There is absolutely nothing of worth here and the clichéd road movie gags and stereotypical characters make this almost painful to watch at times. Robin Williams and the rest of the cast deserve a lot better than this but Barry Sonnenfeld is a director that deserves to be left behind as the nearest rest stop.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented extremely well.

BONUS FEATURES

Telestrator Commentary with director Barry Sonnenfeld
The man at the helm of the movie grabs hold of his microphone and his Telestrator pen to provide an audio and visual commentary on the movie. He talks about the huge contribution that Robin Williams gave to the movie. The director also reveals the story behind the plot, his reasons for making the film, casting the movie and much, much more. This is a good single person commentary that is made all the more fun because of Sonnenfeld writing on the screen.

Gag Reel (5.08mins)
Director Barry Sonnenfeld introduces Robin Williams and the rest of the cast adlibbing and making a hash of their lines.

Featurettes (33.23 mins)
Entitled 'Barry Sonnenfeld: The Kosher Cowboy', 'Jo Jo: The Pop Princess', 'RV Nation: The culture of the Road Warriors', 'Robin Williams: A Family Affair' and 'The Scoop on the Poop', the featurettes have contributions from director Barry Sonnenfeld, producer and Mrs Sonnenfeld Susan Ringo, producers Lucy Fisher and Doug Wick and stars Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels, Cheryl Hines, Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque, Chloe Sonnenfeld and Kristin Chenoweth, these features look at the director, his stars, the culture of driving recreational vehicles and the special effects needed to create a lot of poop.

RV Reveries (9.45 mins)
Watch Jamie, Cassie and Carl sing as they travel in the RV Storyboard to film Comparisons Watch split screen comparisons for the 'Sewage Dump', 'Bus Chase', 'Diablo Pass', 'Teeter Totter' and 'Bike chase' scenes.

Alternative Scene: Kung Fu Master (1.54 mins)
With an introduction by director Barry Sonnenfeld, here we see an alternative version of the basketball scene and Robin Williams at his improvisational best.

Trailers
Previews of 'Monster House', 'Open Season' and Zathura'

OVERALL

As with all Sony releases this DVD is packed with special features and the good news for fans that most of them are good. The commentary track is well worth a listen and fans of Robin Williams will be laughing at his comic genius. The featurettes cover most aspects of the making of the movie and with the addition of outtakes and storyboard comparisons you have a DVD that fans of the movie will really enjoy.

DVD

Mrs. Doubtfire


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2006