Man With A Plan – Happy Ann-RV-sary

By: Ujjyani Banerjee

The ladies are going to the movies. Andi (Liza Snyder) lets Adam (Matt LeBlanc) know that she has made reservations at a posh Italian diner for their twentieth anniversary. However, she soon agrees to cancel them when Adam reveals that he has something bigger planned. As soon as the ladies leave Adam starts panicking as he’s got nothing planned. He wasn’t aware that it was their twentieth. He decides to have a drink to get inspiration and soon plans on taking his “theatre aficionado” wife to a play, but Lowell (Matt Cook) asks him to think harder. He needs Adam to plan for something that Andi would’ve had on her secret wish list. Don (Kevin Nealon) reminisces about his twenty-fifth anniversary when he took an ecstatic Marcy (Kali Rocha) hot air ballooning over the wine country. Apparently, he went through her diary to get the idea. Adam struggles away as he needs Andi to be oblivious and reveal about her wish list to him as that’s the only way he learns stuff about her. He soon observes a couple of owl portraits in the kitchen and decides to take Andi camping in the woods with some wine and mice carcasses to attract owls. Lowell looks mortified,, but soon considers it as an honor to help out his miserable best friend. Adam asks him to chat with Andi and get her to reveal her wish list to him.

The next afternoon Lowell and Andi are alone in the office. Lowell lies that they have a tradition of revealing their dreams and secrets to one another at this hour of the day but soon gets busted. Andi wishes that she hadn’t cancelled the reservations as she knows how stressed Adam gets and ultimately plans something weird. She remembers her awful honeymoon when Adam overthought and booked an RV to see the world’s largest stuffed owl along with roadside attractions like the world’s largest paper clip and other silly items. Adam has never been told about how much she hated that trip. Andi decides to leave a note under the nightstand for Adam to work on, but needs Lowell to get him to check her drawer.

Lowell goes to Adam and asks him to check Andi’s personal belongings where she’d most likely hide her wish list. Adam decides to check her browser history, but Lowell asks him to check the nightstand drawer directly. Adam doesn’t feel comfortable going through Andi’s personal space, but soon senses something fishy. Lowell gets busted again. Adam checks the note anyways, but feels disheartened. Andi comes home from work only to find Adam miserable. He blurts out that he isn’t keen on following her nightstand note as he wishes that he anticipated her wish list on his own. Andi asks him to quit harboring stress as she knows how he loves her! She now wants to celebrate by having an anniversary brunch. That’s all. The big day arrives. Adam and Andi wish each other. Adam asks her to accompany him to the garage as he has a surprise planned, indeed.

Andi excitedly rushes down until she witnesses the dreaded honeymoon RV parked in their garage ready to drive them to their weekend anniversary getaway. Don and Marcy are tagging along, too. When Andi mentions their kids Adam adds that Lowell is on babysitting duty all weekend. Andi has no option left but to accompany Marcy to the kitchen to arrange food. Marcy notices that Andi is unhappy and asks her to come clean to Adam. Andi; however, doesn’t want to upset her husband and hops on the RV. The four of them struggle to fit inside, but soon the RV is ready with Adam on the driver’s seat, Don in the passenger’s seat and the ladies at the table behind them. As they drive away Adam asks Don to note if Andi is enjoying the ride. She is not. Don decides to go and uplift her mood. He starts the conversation about “life on the road,” but soon drifts away to how much better his and Marcy’s hot air ballooning trip was! Marcy signals him to shut up while Adam hits breaks to bring Don back to the passenger’s seat.

The first stop arrives. The guys are out preparing steaks for dinner. Andi and Marcy are arranging the table. Marcy begs Andi to talk to Adam, but she refuses to upset him as he tried his best and truly loves her. Marcy is in awe of how good a person she is. Soon, Adam and Don return to the RV with nothing but beans as apparently a bear ran away with their ribeye. Don recollects how it could’ve been a big hairy man too. Andi looks worse and Marcy nudges her to speak up. Andi gathers courage but it soon fizzles out as she appreciates the beans and the spookiness of the trip. As the couples get ready to sleep Andi wonders if they’re safe from the bear. Adam assures her that the metal walls are sturdy enough. Meanwhile, Don wishes to have sex. Marcy declines as she feels that they could be heard. Adam and Andi concur.

The next day Adam gets everyone coffee and reveals to Andi that they’re just outside the world’s largest felt tip pen. Andi acts delighted and decides to rush to the bathroom. Adam asks her the number specifically as she could do the lower one inside the RV while the larger number shall have to be done outside. He hands her a toilet paper roll. Andi tries hinting to him that this conversion is making her extremely uncomfortable, especially in front of Don and Marcy but he doesn’t understand. Instead, he gives her a shovel to help dig and have a weapon against that nomadic hairy man. Having had enough, Andi blurts out about her displeasure regarding the entire trip. Adam looks devastated. Andi feels bad for him but soon learns that it was all an act! Apparently, Adam knew about her hatred for camping and RV and used this drive just to get them to Chateau Du Lac Resort – the world’s finest anniversary getaway. Andi is elated! Adam hands the RV keys to Don for the return trip. Don still feels that his hot air ballooning plan was better than this as Marcy’s diary itself could remain a witness to that. Marcy is irked to learn that Don went through her personal diary.

After a wonderful anniversary getaway Adam and Andi return home. Lowell, who’s in a great mood, shares about how the kids never left his company. Adam and Andi notice eyebrows, mustache and beard drawn on Lowell’s face. Lowell, who has no idea about it, rushes for his date while Andi feels bad for not making him aware of the graffiti done by their kids. Adam is sure that Lowell’s date will let him know.