The movie industry has used RVs and towables as important plot pieces in quite a few films. I’ll hit a list of those right after a review of the newest entry into RV filmdom:
The Leisure Seeker
Shot in Georgia, The Leisure Seeker stars Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren as an elderly couple going on a final trip in their 1975 Winnebago Brave, traveling from Boston to see Hemingway’s home in Key West as she fights to keep her husband’s memory intact before his Alzheimer’s takes over. It’s based on the 2009 novel The Leisure Seeker written by Michael Zadoorian and the title comes from the nickname of their RV. Sutherland is a retired professor of English who can remember minute details of Ernest Hemingway but can’t always remember his wife’s (Mirren) name.
There’s a cute scene with the late comedian/activist/actor Dick Gregory in his final role but there’s also a substantial amount of predictability.
Official reviews are making it sound like a very average movie, but seriously it’s Helen Mirren. Nothing is ‘average’ about Dame Helen.
Other RV films? Here’s a list. I’m not including star-ratings or thumbs-up reviews, but I did add a classic line for each and they are in SOME SORT of order.
Stripes
(1981 comedy, rated R) Bill Murray, John Candy, and the 1973 GMC Palm Beach ‘urban assault’ motorhome in Germany.
“C’mon, it’s Czechoslovakia. We zip in, we pick ‘em up, we zip out again. We’re not going to Moscow. It’s Czechoslovakia. It’s like going into Wisconsin.”
Lost in America
(1985 comedy, rated R) Albert Brooks with Julie Haggerty a 1984 Winnebago Chieftain and go to Las Vegas.
“Twenty-two, twenty-two, come on back to me, come on back to me.”
Spaceballs
(1987 comedy, rated PG) Mel Brooks, John Candy and a 1986 Winnebago Chieftain…in space.
“I’m a mog: half-man; half-dog. I’m my own best friend!”
Blues Brothers
(1980 comedy, rated R) John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and a 1976 Fleetwood Southwind in Chicago.
“It’s 106 miles or Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark… and we’re wearing sunglasses.”
About Schmidt
(2002 drama/comedy, rated R) Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates and a 2001 Winnebago Adventurer going from Omaha through Kansas to Denver.
“You’ve got to appreciate what you have while you still have it.”
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
(1994 comedy-drama, rated R) Terrence Stamp with Guy Pierce and a remodeled bus made to look like an RV in the Australian Outback.
“Is it true when you were born the doctor turned around and slapped your mother?”
Christmas Vacation
(1989 comedy, rated PG-13) Chevy Chase dealing with Randy Quaid and his 1972 Ford Condor motorhome in the Chicago suburbs.
“Oh Eddie… If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am now.”
We’re the Millers
(2013 comedy, rated R) Jason Sedakis with a 2013 Coachmen Encounter in Mexico with Jennifer Aniston.
“You have no regrets? Like, not even a single letter?”
Long, Long Trailer
(1953 comedy, rated G) Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz and a 1953 Redman New Moon tooling around the steep hills of the Sierra Nevadas.
“Think of it as a train behind you; 40 feet of train.”
Race with the Devil
(1975 horror, rated PG) Peter Fonda, Warren Oates in a motorhome fighting Satanic Cult worshippers across Texas.
“Hey everybody! Lighten Up! It’s all over!”
RV
(2006 comedy, rated PG) Robin Williams and Cheryl Hines in a Forest River Georgetown 359TS set on a trip from LA to Colorado. Another RV is also in the film for their camping neighbors the Gornicke’s, a rebuilt 1948 Flxible Clipper, and you can see this one at the Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum in Amarillo, Texas.
“See what the raccoon is doing? Playing head games. He wants to divide and conquer us. We have to hang together. Stay strong!”
Well, that’s all I could find in terms of movies with RVs in them. If you have any others, feel free to share by adding a comment!
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1092026/ Paul (2011). Two English visitors in a rented RV Travel the U.S., meet an alien, take him to Roswell then Devil’s Tower.
That’s right! Good movie too! Thanks, Bobby!
Independence Day with Will Smith also had an RV in it that the crop duster pilot’s children ended up driving to area 51 with
That’s a good one too, Diana! Thanks for the comment!
This is a great list! I would also recommend Beethoven’s 3rd. The Newton family rents an RV “he got the biggest one they had…” and also agree to take their (cousin’s dog? Brother-in-law’s dog? Somebody’s dog) on their trip across the US. Very funny and lots of camping scenery.
What a crazy movie, Mike! Simon Pegg slays me! Great addition!