At the Movies - "RV"

RV - starring Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels and Kristen Chenoweth.

Ok, so this is not the worst movie I've ever seen. In fact it's not even in the running for the bottom 10 worst movies of my life.

But it's not good.

I have a weakness for Robin Williams. I think he's brilliant and a pretty fair straight actor (as great comics often are). But clearly he has the WORST sense for a script of anyone I've ever watched. I have seen him in more lame, second rate movies than just about anyone else. I'll exclude Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell because they're TRYING to create lame, second rate movies and are darned successful at it. I just keep hoping to discover that little bit of magic that Williams finds every once in a while. Every once in a LOOOOOOONG while.

I will admit that there are some solid laughs in this movie. Maybe 10. Maybe 12. Or maybe only 8. There's not many and they are few and far between. Seems like there's not a lot of time for laughs because they have to jam in about a thousand really lame sight gags, and a tiny little bit of story line.

Characters? Cardboard.
Story/plot? Please.
Tempo/pacing? I've seen dead people move faster.

It's really too bad. This is a solid cast and a decent idea. Sadly they got handed over to a writer with no clue and a director with a hit or miss track record. Take away the Men in Black movies and "Get Shorty" and Barry Sonenfeld gets to rest on the laurels of "The Wild Wild West", plus two Addams Family movies. Neither of which I liked. The first one was a hit at the box office, the second one not so much. Neither is ever going to make the top 200 movies of all time list. The rest of his career as a director is TV, entirely non-hit stuff.

So was it a waste of my life? No, really not a terrible way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. And that's what you should be waiting for before you see this movie. A rainy, Saturday afternoon. When you have absolutely NOTHING better to do with your life.

Peace.