| Bilgi : Quickly, name the last funny movie you saw
that starred Robin Williams. Some might argue for 2005's
animated feature Robots, though just as many would call
his performance predictable and annoying. The comedic roles
before that are just as dubious. Patch Adams …
Father's Day … Flubber … The Birdcage.
Browse through his
filmography for yourself, but many would agree that you
have to go back to Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993 to find a
true comedic hit from the popular actor, his dramatic work
notwithstanding.
Hard to say where RV falls in that
range, but it's neither his best comedic work, nor his worst.
That should come as little surprise with this variation on the
family road trip movie, epitomized by National Lampoon's
Vacation with Chevy Chase. After all, the film was written
by Geoff Rodkey, whose most recent credits include 2006's
remake of The Shaggy Dog with Tim Allen and 2003's
Daddy Day Care with Eddie Murphy. And though director
Barry Sonnenfeld has had his share of comedy classics (Men
in Black, The Addams Family), he's also had his
misfires (Wild Wild West).
Robin Williams and Cheryl Hines
as the parents who take their kids on a family
vacation
 |
Williams plays Bob Munro, an overworked
family man who plans to take his wife Jamie (Cheryl Hines from
HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) and two children on a
summer vacation to Hawaii. But then his smarmy boss tells Bob
that he's needed for an important presentation in Colorado
that same week. And since 15-year-old Cassie (teen pop artist
JoJo) and 12-year-old Carl (Josh Hutcherson from Kicking
and Screaming) have other plans for the remainder of the
summer, the vacation time can't be delayed.
So at the last minute, without consulting his
family or explaining the truth to them, Bob decides to rent a
recreational vehicle for a trip to his childhood getaway in
Colorado—which happens to be near the location of his job
presentation. Obviously it'll be a great bonding experience
for the whole family, right? That is, until everything that
can go wrong does go wrong, like seemingly most family
vacations.
Williams does his Bug on a
Windshield imitation
|
RV has the right idea, but the wrong
setup. It's sweet that Bob wants to try and repair the close
bond he once shared with his children, as seen in the film's
opening. But he's completely delusional in thinking that his
whiny and sarcastic family, eager to repeatedly vocalize their
disgust whenever they can, will enjoy his plan as an
alternative to Hawaii (with no explanation for the change),
especially with the ugly behemoth he ends up packing them
into. Of course, this just shows how out of touch he's become
with his family as a result of his job.
Instead, it would have been more interesting
if the film stayed on point by exploring the isolating effect
of technology and self-interests on the American family. The
Munros all have their own activities, listening to their own
music through headphones, only speaking to each other only
with irritated cynicism, and even text messaging when it's
time for dinner. This is a real problem today, but
unfortunately, RV takes the lazy way out by ultimately
blaming the family's Simpsons-like dysfunction on Bob
and his over-commitment to work. Meanwhile, the wife and kids
become more loving and accommodating without really explaining
why. Apparently, all you need to do is spend time together,
and while there's definitely truth to that, we need to see
that progression with all the characters, in fairness to the
well-intentioned Bob.
Kristin Chenoweth and Jeff
Daniels play a couple of 'Christian hicks' in the
movie
|
But enough with family psychology and bad
movie clichés. In spite of the predictable plot points,
RV is indeed funny, if not unevenly so. The family
vacation is a scenario rife with potential gags, and this film
does offer some good ones. It also offers some cheap ones,
many at the expense of rural folk like the Gornicke family,
who come across as a redneck version of the Flanders family
while essentially playing the same part as the Griswolds'
cousins in Vacation.
The overall effect is kind of like someone
who knows how to tell a good joke but doesn't have a funny
punchline. For example, there's an extensive sequence
involving Bob trying to figure out how to empty the septic
tank at the RV park. His efforts, along with those of some
well-intentioned yokels, inspire some chuckles as they fuss
with the various hose attachments, but the inevitable poop
shower is simply gross. More often than not, it's the small
touches in the dialogue that make for good humor (clever pop
culture references, relatable facial expressions, and
Williams' penchant for impressions), not the painfully set-up
physical gags themselves. It's still better than recent fare
like Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and The Pink Panther
remake.
The film includes its requisite
sight gags, but not too many
|
Speaking of which, RV is generally
suitable for family viewing, but with some caution. The film
does scale back on profanity, relying more on crude
expressions-the Munros lovingly refer to their mobile home as
"the big rolling turd." Despite the septic tank sequence,
which seems a legitimate source for humor concerning a
first-time experience with an RV, the film generally stays
clear of gross-out gags and crotch jokes. But perhaps more
troublesome is the aforementioned disrespectful behavior of
the children, which is tolerated rather than disciplined.
Seems like kids might get the idea that smart-mouthing to
parents is perfectly acceptable, so the film might be more
suitable to those with a better sense of right and wrong.
The movie's flaws are obvious, and yet it
generally delivers what most would expect of such a comedy.
It's nowhere near as good as Vacation or Mrs.
Doubtfire, but it's not the joyless dud some might expect
it to be either. There are moments of laughter and moments of
disdain, some sequences where you will love the characters and
others where you can't stand them. Hmm, maybe RV is
close to the real thing after all. |
