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In middle age Robin Williams seems to be mellowing, opting for more variegated screen roles that don't rely on his well-known penchant for manic comedy. With RV he ventures into territory previously explored by Chevy Chase in the National Lampoon's Vacation films, playing a hardworking dad whose tyrannical boss wants him to make an important client presentation that will necessitate canceling a long-planned trip with his long-suffering wife (Cheryl Hines) and kids (Joanna Levesque, Josh Hutcherson). Faced with no good options, he rents a huge recreational vehicle and takes his family on an extended excursion into the Colorado Rockies, where he hopes to slip away in time to make the big presentation without their knowledge. The humor is derived mainly from the cluelessness of Williams's character, a desk jockey utterly devoid of the practical and mechanical skills necessary to cope with the inevitable glitches of any such journey. Such a role represents a real departure for the erstwhile sitcom star; he's not exactly the suburban dad type, and he's never played a character like this one. But he's good in the part, reining in his naturally extravagant comic instincts to meet the demands of the piece. He even allows himself to be upstaged by the antics of supporting players Jeff Daniels and Kristin Chenoweth, who all but steal the show as friendly if bizarre redneck types encountered at several critical junctures along the way. The script could have used some better gags, and there's an all-too-typical reliance on toilet humor. But director Barry Sonnenfeld never lets the pace flag, and the cast members are uniformly likable, so on balance this RV offers a pretty smooth and enjoyable ride. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

A white-collar workaholic deceptively persuades his family to forgo their much-anticipated Hawaiian vacation for a cross-country road trip in a fully loaded RV, during which they discover the true meaning of family bonding, in Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld's family-friendly road comedy starring Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels, and Cheryl Hines. Bob Munro (Williams) is overworked and overstressed, and though his proposal to hit the road with his wife and two children at first sounds like a heartfelt bid to get better acquainted with his increasingly dysfunctional family, it soon becomes obvious that he had more career-oriented goals in mind when planning the trip. The Munros have always managed to get by in the past, though, and as they slowly become immersed in RV culture with a little help from a full-time troupe of Winnebago warriors, they might just make it to the Rocky Mountains without driving each other totally insane. Jason Buchanan

Product Details

• UPC: 043396153660
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Pan & Scan
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:39:00
• Sales Rank: 33,996

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