Ah, 2006...the year that Justin Timberlake brought sexy back and Sean Paul had that right temperature to...well...you know the words.
Not only did we have some killer songs that year, but we had some great movies too - including RV, where Baby Josh is back in all his sassy glory. This time, he plays Carl, a weight-lifting-obsessed tween who isn't exactly thrilled when his dad announces they're taking a family road trip in an RV instead of flying to Hawaii. (Carl expresses his disgust by asking, "Doesn't anybody respect my lifting schedule?" Oh yes...the AUDACITY OF THIS FAMILY.)
Of course, in true family-comedy fashion, Carl and his crew grow closer as a result of their vacation's hilarious mishaps (including discovering that racoons took over the RV's stove and and a pretty gnarly bathrooms situation). Not totally sold? The legendary Robin Williams (RIP!) plays Baby Josh's dad in this flick, Cheryl Hines plays his mom, and his sister is played by JoJo (no...not the one with the bows...but the one who sang the soundtrack to my childhood: "Get out, right now, it's the end of you and meeeee!"...and if that song is stuck in your head now - you're welcome.)
As if that cast wasn't epic enough, we also get appearances from Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and Jeff Daniels (who has been in SO much but I associate him with the preacher in Because of Winn Dixie). The two really shine as the "frenemies" of the movie - Kristin and Jeff star as Mary Jo and Travis Gornicke, a friendly but nosy couple who are also traveling around in an RV with their kids. They come to Baby Josh's family's rescue many times...but I'll let you watch the movie to see exactly how they pull that off.
Just like in Zathura, Josh proved comedic mastery of his lines. He really embraced the character of Carl and I could practically feel that teen angst through the screen! I also admired how he used facial expressions to add to the story even when his character wasn't speaking. I could always tell exactly what Carl was thinking about his family and the madness he was dragged into! I enjoyed observing what Carl was doing in the background...like eating zebra cakes and ending up with leftover frosting on his mouth (which I found hilarious...the gym obsessed character is eating zebra cakes and chips? Of course he is). My other favorite scene can be found in the ending credits - Baby Josh raps! We also get to hear Kristin and JoJo sing! Make sure to stay until the very end for their musical finale...you won't regret it.
It was really fun to rewatch this movie at 33 because it was one of my favorites at 14. In fact, I would often carry around my DVD copy of RV and portable player to watch it whenever I was in the mood. If I'm not mistaken, this was the first of Josh's projects I watched, meaning I've been a fan for 19 years!
While RV was Josh's sole project in 2006, at least it was a good one!
What was your first Josh movie? Let me know in the comments! Until next time...
Peace and Joshperity,
G
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