Motorhomes in the movies

In this article we focus on the real stars of the movies, not the actors, but the motorhomes that never got recognised on the cast list

Words Mike Renouf, photos by MovieStillsDB

Page contents

• Tin Cup
• The Leisure Seeker
• World War Z
• We're The Millers
• Chef
• The Blues Brothers
• Reader suggestions

All photos www.moviestillsdb.com (All stills and photos on this website are the courtesy of their respective production studios and/or distribution companies. They are for editorial use only and can only be used for publications in conjunction with the promotion of the film)

Tin Cup

Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy (Kevin Costner, who was nominated for a Golden Globe) is a golf pro, who owns a rundown driving range that he lives on in his Winnebago - with an outside hot tub - a 1973 Indian he won playing golf. Roy has an amazing game when he puts his mind to it, but he does not have the mental strength to play at the highest level.

When Dr Molly Griswold (Rene Russo) wiggles her way into his life, our flawed hero decides on an ambitious double, to capture her heart and qualify for the US Open. Just after Molly turns up, so does Roy's old friend and nemesis, David Simms (Don Johnson), who just happens to be the good doctor's current beau and an old-fashioned love triangle ensues.

Of course, once Roy gets to the big tournament, his fantastic game and mentality fragility both come to the fore and thanks to the fact that his home is on wheels, he can take it with him and have a home from home at the most important time of his professional life, also all his friends can come and support him without any of them having to shell out for a hotel room. Where else but your motorhome could you share with about a dozen of your friends including your current girlfriend, your stripper ex-girlfriend and your caddy?

The film is set to a fantastic soundtrack featuring Buddy Guy, Bruce Hornsby, Patty Loveless and Jimmie Vaughan, amongst others.

The Leisure Seeker

This 2017 movie stars Donald Sutherland as John, and the ever-reliable Helen Mirren (who received a Golden Globe nomination for her role) as his wife, Ella, a character who hails from South Carolina. The two pensioners have ill health, so decide one last trip in their 1975 Winnebago Indian that they have nicknamed The Leisure Seeker - a gift from Ella's parents - is just what the doctor did not order. Nevertheless, the intrepid duo cope, most of the time, admirably. They go on the run to enjoy themselves, much to the dismay of their grown-up children.

This is an emotional movie that will takes you down a bumpy country lane of sadness to laughter and back again in a heartbeat. Scenery-wise we get to see some beautiful countryside in the south of America and find out, while it is important to carry a warning triangle and first aid kit in the UK, across the pond you also need to carry a gun.

World War Z

When you bought your motorhome, what was the most important feature? Was it comfort? Design? Fuel consumption? Whichever it was, I bet the salesman never used the 'you can outrun zombies' close, did he?

Well, if he watches the first 15 minutes of this 2013 Brad Pitt movie he will from now on, especially if he specialises in Chevrolets. The Hollywood heartthrob stars as Gerry Lane, who finds himself and his family in a traffic jam in Philadelphia (which is actually George Square, Glasgow) in the midst of a zombie outbreak.

Thanks to his quick thinking and the sturdy design of first his Volvo, then the 1983 Chevrolet Fleetwood Jamboree that he commandeers, they get away to fight another day. When the family trip to go shopping/looting goes wrong, they manage to carelessly misplace the motorhome.

Gerry then travels the globe doing his best to save the world and avoid being a hero sandwich as he visits South Korea, Jerusalem and Wales. Peter Capaldi, in what cannot be a casting coincidence plays a WHO (World Health Organisation) doctor, in the midst of his time playing the popular time lord, Dr Who.

We're The Millers

In this comedy, small-time pot dealer, David Clark (Jason Sudeikis), gets robbed of his stash and money when trying to do a good deed. This puts him in debt to his boss, who insists he go down Mexico way to pick up some drugs, but how will David get them across the border?

The answer comes in the fifteenth minute of the movie when he sees how a cop deals with a couple in a Foretravel Grand Villa Unihome. David figures if he travels in a motorhome with his family, it will make it a breeze for him to cross the border with his contraband.

The only problem is, he does not possess either of these things. So, he does what anybody would do, he hires a 2013 Coachmen Encounter plus a family: stripper, Rose (Jennifer Aniston), as his wife and Kenny (Will Poulter) and Casey (Emma Roberts), as their kids.

What can go wrong? Well, pretty much everything for the newly formed 'Miller' family. David and his brood get into some bawdy, laugh-out-loud scrapes and soon bump into the Fitzgeralds, who are in a Newmar Dutch Star, so this story centres on not one but two motorhomes.

Remember you should always read the weight, distribution, loading and towing section of the manual.

 

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Chef

Jon Favreau wrote, directed and starred in this movie about a top chef that has a hissy fit (that John McEnroe would have walked away from) at a food critic who gave him a scathing review. This leads to him going back to his roots and opening a food truck thanks to his ex-wife's (Sofia Vergara) ex-husband (Robert Downey Jr).

It takes nearly an hour before the star of the film, a white on white 88 Chevy Roman, rolls into shot but, once it does, it steals the show. Chef Casper (Favreau) travels from Miami, in El Jefe, along with one of his former brigade, Martin (John Leguizamo), and his son, Percy (Emjay Anthony), who he connects properly with thanks to their shared time in the truck.

They stop in New Orleans where they buy beignets from Cafe du Monde and sell po' boys on Frenchman Street, before stopping at the famous Texas OG BBQ, where the real-life Aaron Franklin plays himself.

In a movie that has an excellent Cuban soundtrack, we get to see the fruits of the training Favreau received from Roy Choi, one of the original founders of the gourmet food truck movement, whose own truck makes a 'blink and you miss it' appearance near the end of the film, in the food truck park.

Now, for a foodie like me, this is a road trip I would love to take.

The Blues Brothers

Where can you find James Brown, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in a motorhome? In one of the greatest musical films ever made, of course!

This is the story of recently-released-from-prison Jake Blues who, along with his brother, Elwood, needs to raise $5,000 for the orphanage where they were brought up. Their solution is to put the band back together, whether the former band members want to rejoin or not.

It is 86 minutes into the film before The Good Ole Boys turn up in their Winnebago to find The Blues Brothers have stolen their gig, so they are soon joining in one of the most chaotic chase scenes in movie history. I say Winnebago as that is what the leader singer of the band calls it, but I believe it to be a 1976 Fleetwood Southwind. In fact, when this movie was made, it held the record for the most crashed vehicles in any film.

Also, there is a mini chase before the main chase in which we see the bar owner in his smaller Outdoorsman. Now please don't take inspiration from Elwood's shenanigans, "Glue, strong stuff" if the people on the next pitch play their music too loud.

Reader suggestions

Debb suggests: Paul, Lady in a Van and Indepence Day

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