It's barely spring, and the family-vacation movies are already upon us. First out of the driveway is "RV," a comedy as broad as a double-wide and as contrived as the metaphors I'm struggling to resist. Playing Bob Munro, an overworked soda-company executive, Robin Williams tricks us into believing he can control his inner maniac beyond the film's first 15 minutes; when he fails, any hopes of "RV" going off-formula are dashed.
Nowadays no family movie is complete without a values-oriented agenda and a bountiful supply of fecal matter, and "RV" supplies both. Ordered to Colorado by his boss to seal a critical deal, Bob sees an opportunity to reconnect with his family by pretending the trip is a vacation. But after loading his horrified brood onto a rickety motor home, Bob must face more challenging problems than a neglected wife (Cheryl Hines), moody son (Josh Hutcherson) and thoroughly unpleasant teenage daughter (Joanna Levesque). You were probably wondering when that fecal matter would show up.
As Bob grapples with power hookups, raccoons and a pathologically cheery family of road-loving weirdos, Barry Sonnenfeld directs with one eye on the production and the other on the clock. And despite a manic end sequence that leaves Mr. Williams looking alarmingly close to suffering a coronary event, "RV" feels as clapped-out as the titular vehicle itself.
"R.V." is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It has crude language, suggestive humor and a staggering amount of raw sewage.
