Having just read three other reviews on ciao for this movie I feel as they are all pretty negative and this is one of my sons and my favourite family movies I will try to put across why this movie is actually worth watching and not just once maybe even two or three times.

I was browsing in the supermarket when I thought I'd pick up a movie to watch over the weekend with my son who was 7 at the time of buying it.

Luckily my son and I have very similar tastes in movies only difference being he is obsessed with star wars and indiana jones movies! Not saying they are bad movies ,because they are great movies, but to watch them day in and day out over and over.... !!!

Anyway back to this film 'RV'

I spotted the movie and seeing it was on the bargain shelf at around £3.00 and seeing that it had Robin Williams (who i'm a fan of) I read the back of the DVD quickly and decided .. HEY ..! Why not ?? so into the basket it went .

So the weekend arrives pop corn at the ready, my son has already eyed up the dvd cover and is amused to see Robin Williams (who my son had already seen in MRS Doubtfire, a movie he also loves)..Well seeing Robin Williams hanging from the front of a big Bus looking like he was in trouble, that was enough to get my son to sit down and watch the movie with me .

So Bob (Robin Williams) and Jamie (Cheryl Hines) have a couple of kids who are kind of becoming more distant or slightly dysfunctional as a family as they are growing up .

Dad works for a soft drinks company which turns out to be some what unethical ,however , Bob and family are all looking forward to a vacation in Hawai which has been long awaited . Only ,after an incident at one of Bobs works party, which involved Bobs daughter Cassies friend throwing a cup of the beverage ,in a protest, that is being marketed there at the doo ,over Bob's Boss , Todd.
Todd decides after that to send Bob on a presentation asignment on the week that the family are due to go to hawai as means of getting revenge on him and his family . Bob is warned that if he doesn't go he won't get the promotion he has been after for a long time!

Bob not wanting to let the family down and wanting to have a family vacation as promised gets the idea from a work mate to Rent a camper van. and surprise surprise anounces by parking the HUGE VEHICLE out front that they shall be taking a more adventurous trip to the Rockies as he needs to go to Mount watson in colorado close to Boulder where the presentation is being held.

You can imagine the family ,kids especially expessing what a 'pants' idea they thought this was , they were afterall looking forward to relaxing on beaches in hawai and now they were facing the prospect of taking a low budget lower luxurious creature comfort free trip with their parents to goodness knows where. !!!!

Reluctantly on the bus the kids were quick to come up with a name for the bus -'the big rolling turd' they set off ,Dad with laptop in toe .

Bob's spatial awareness had a lot to be desired when driving the 'turd ' much to the embaressment of his kids! Being as it was fitted with satnav there came a point where bob had to choose 'under a lot of pressure' (wife screaming and sat nav telling in an assertive manner) whether to follow the sat nav or the wife, and right at the cross roads, when the lights were changing to red !! Guys which one would you choose ??? lol

The family go on to come across many troublesome obstacles on this trip including a backed up porta loo (ewwwww-look away if eating) A lack of parking brake on the van , which was damaged during Bobs inability to miss driving over kerbs/trolleys ,trees mail box's -you name it he hit it! So each time they parked up they had to put blocks beneath the wheels to stop it rolling away.
There is a funny scene involving a racoon infestation ,Bob and a a large umbrella all in the enclosed space of the camper van .

Along the way Bob and Family meet fellow campers, a family callled the Gornickes ,Parents played by Jeff Daniels and Kristen Chenoweth, they with three kids of similar ages to the kid kind of latch onto Bob and his family much to somewhat antisocial Mum Jamies dis-like (she just isn't a people person) . Jamie thinks the Gornickes are strange and kind of mis-judges them without getting to know them first,especially after finding out that the Gornickes are full time campers and live in there van.

The trip in a strange way brings the family together as they are in such an enclosed space traveling together and there is a moment where Bob kind of messes up when he steps in to see off some biggar kids who are giving his somewhat small for his age son a hard time on a basketball court . But father and son have a chat after and kind of build the beginings of a bond .

En route Bob manages to lose his laptop and he has all kinds of phome signals or lack of .... and is getting more and more stressed -meanwhile the family still unaware of the real reason for the trip.
Luckily for Bob the Gornickes have come into possesion of the mis-placed lap-top and head off to re-unite it with Bob as they know where Bob and family are headed. Jamies acts as though the Gornickes are stalking them on spotting them in her mirror while driving and as she doesn't know about the laptop and Bob doesn't know they have it this bit of the film gives a couple of laughs. There is a funny scene involving BOB on his customised chopper style bike (which was customised due to Bobs hips being out of alignment or having one leg longer then the other or something....
I feel as though I am getting carried away writing about what happens in the film but what i'm trying to say that this is a funny film suitable for the family is kind of a film in the style of little miss sunshine or napoleon dynamite ,nacho libre but in a milder form for kids /family or just light hearted feel good entertainment, so not not quite as odd but that kind of odd or dry humoured style if you get what I mean.

The film leads to a nice happy ending not exactly in a smooth way but lets just say Bob and family get a new set of friends by the end and a closer bonded family of their own.

So contrary to other reviews on this movie I'd say it is most probably a movie you will love or hate .
Personally this is one that I RECOMMEND!

So go watch it now

THANKS TO ALL WHO READ RATE AND COMMENT ON MY REVIEW

dvd details

Region 2

rated PG ,contains mild language and sex references

Running Time; 1hr 35 mins

SPECIAL FEATURES
-Telestar commentary with Barry Sonnenfold
-Blooper Reel
-Alternative scene -kung fu master
-5 featurettes
-musical perfomance
-storyboard comparisons