RV -- 2006

RV
(2006)

Rated PG language, innuendo, and crude humor
My Rating 4 Stars

Robin Williams
Cheryl Hines
Joanna “Jojo” Levesque
Josh Hutcherson
Jeff Daniels
Kristin Chenoweth
Hunter Parrish
Chloe Sonnenfeld
Alex Ferris
Will Arnett

There is something about this film that cracks me up. Robin Williams makes it, of course, but he does have some help from the rest of the cast. :-) Jeff Daniels, Cheryl Hines, Kristin Chenoweth...

Summary:
Bob Munro's (Robin Williams) job is at stake. He knows that. So when his boss (Will Arnett) tells him to cancel his family vacation to Hawaii and go with him to Colorado, Bob does just that. Little does Todd Mallory know how Bob Munro is going to get there.

You see, the Munro family isn't what you'd call close. Well, Bob and Jamie (Cheryl Hines) have a wonderful relationship (“...here's to true love.”) but the kids never talk to him except with insults. (Jamie says it's because he doesn't spend enough time with them... his job keeps him too busy.) So when Bob realizes that he's in trouble with his job, he is afraid that his family will write him off forever as the loser.

So, he rents an RV. A super-sized, fully equipped green monster with a huge depiction of it's owner gracing the left side. Of course, his family is shocked when he parks in front of their house. And when he'd finally convinced them that he chose an RV trip to Colorado because he felt it was good for them (and, he lied, this spur of the moment decision definitely was not about work), they weren't out of the immediate neighborhood before they managed to smash two stone structures and tear off a stop sign.

(“Do you want to go back?” asks Cassie. “We missed the neighbor's cat.”)

Little did they know that life was going to get a bit more interesting. Enter the Gornickes (Jeff Daniels; Kristin Chenoweth, Hunter Parrish, Chloe Sonnenfield, Alex Ferris)! Homeschooled rednecks that sing and sell musical car horns for a living. Just the type of people the Munros have been trying to avoid all their lives. But no matter how hard they try to avoid them, circumstances keep crossing their paths until the Munros realize what decent people... and true friends are all about.

What I Liked:
1: The story. It's different than any other I've seen.
2: The humor. 99% of it is funny.
3: The fecal matter scene. On the Bonus Features, the director mentioned that fecal matter jokes are always funny. I disagree: it takes a special director and a very good actor to pull off what happened here. It's hilarious. Maybe the best part of the movie. Lol!
4: I love it how the homeschooled kids turn out to be smarter than average... and how, in the end, the Munro kids want to be homeschooled too.
5: The relationships between Bob & Jamie and Travis & Mary Jo. It's good to watch.
6: The entire RV thing.
7: There is nothing terribly disgusting or inappropriate about this film.
8: I was glad to see Jeff Daniels again. I've seen him in several films and I can't wait to see more.
9: Robin Williams is special. He's funny, sweet, dorky...
10: I liked how the Munros found out that their problems didn't come from one person or even two people. They all had to work together at it.

What I Didn't Like:
1: There's one line that didn't help the movie... and that is when Mary Jo is explaining how she makes $60,000 a year. Bob asks, “How? By hooking?”
2: Some language.
3: Kristin Chenoweth wore some pretty revealing tops.. as did Jojo Levesque.

This film hits a lot of levels for me. I am glad I watched it.

Night At the Museum -- 2006

Night At The Museum
(2006)

A Shaun Levy film

Rated: PG for scary images and violence
My Rating: 5 Stars

Ben Stiller
Owen Wilson
Steve Coogan
Robin Williams
Carla Gugino
Dick Van Dyke
Mickey Rooney
Bill Cobbs
Jake Cherry
Patrick Gallagher
Rami Malek

“It's Octavius, Mary.”

The first time I saw this film, I had an earache when I started and no earache when I finished. It must have been all the laughing I did in the time between. :-)

Summary:
Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a typical guy with a lot of ideas, a son and no job. Desperate not to be evicted from his apartment, he takes a job as the night watchman for the Museum of Natural History. Little does he know that at night, everything comes to life. Including the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton and violent Attila Hun (Patrick Gallagher), who loves ripping things... People, mostly.

The first night, as you may well imagine, was not the greatest. If it hadn't been for his son, he would have quit right then and there. The second night was even worse. If it hadn't been for Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) daring him to be the man he could be, Larry would have gladly packed up and never looked back. But the third night is when things got really interesting.

The old night guards (Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney & Bill Cobbs) were planning something big and they thought Larry was dumb enough to never guess he was being framed. It would take the combined efforts of all the museum's inhabitants, including bitterest enemies miniatures Roman general Octavius (Steve Coogan) and cowboy Jed (Owen Wilson), to save Larry and life as they had known it for 50 years.

“This is livin' the dream, baby!” [-- Jed, while revving about in Larry's toy Hummer]

What I Liked:
1: The story was unique.
2: The humor. My favorite part is where Larry Psychs Attila the Hun. I laughed until I cried.
3: The acting. Wonderful.
4: It was great to see some familiar faces from the oldies: Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney. They're as wonderful as ever!
5: Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan. They really play well off each other.
6: I haven't seen a Robin Williams film that I didn't like. :-)
7: Even though this movie is really funny, it isn't just entertaining. There is a lot of history thrown in that I had no idea about. That makes it a great kids film but also one that their parents will enjoy.

What I Didn't Like:
1: Rock music on occasion.
2: Rebecca's shirts are sometimes low and revealing. Only one scene did it bother me.
3: The divorce situation. It wasn't offensive... only sad.

I must say that next to Princess Bride, this film is next in line when I think of funny. We've watched it several times and it gets better with each viewing. :-)

“He says he wants to rip you apart.” [Ahkmenrah translating for Attila the Hun]