Rated
R (Crude Sexual Content, Pervasive Language, Drug Material and Brief Graphic Nudity)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 50 Minutes
Cast-
Jason
Sudeikis-David Clark
Jennifer
Aniston-Rose O'Reilly
Will
Poulter-Kenny Rossmore
Emma
Roberts-Casey Mathis
Nick
Offerman-Don Fitzgerald
Kathryn
Hahn-Edie Fitzgerald
Molly
Quinn-Melissa Fitzgerald
Ed
Helms-Brad Gurdlinger
Tomer
Sisley-Pablo Chacon
Matthew
Willig-One-Eye
Luis
Guzmán-Mexican Cop
Thomas
Lennon-Rick Nathanson
Mark
L. Young-Scottie P.
Ken
Marino-Todd, Strip Club Owner
Laura-Leigh-Kymberly
Directed
by Rawson Marshall Thurber
 |
| Just another wholesome, All-American family smuggling drugs across the U.S. border. |
Note: Screened on Thursday, August 1, 2013 at the Ziegfeld Theater (Red Carpet Premiere).
Like
gay marriage, it's pretty much inevitable that marijuana will be legalized across
the country. In a couple of years, we'll all be buying up that weed from the produce
aisle at the local Whole Foods Market while laughing at the good 'ol days when getting
high meant paying a visit to a shady dealer in a dirty alleyway. In fact, the
state of Colorado has already passed a bill allowing the plant for recreational
use, which makes the premise for "We're the Millers" all the more puzzling.
Then again, logic has never been Hollywood's strongest suit. Although comedy
films haven't exactly been setting the box office on fire compared to previous
summers (with the exception of June's "The Heat"), Rawson Marshall Thurber
is hoping to squeeze out a couple of more laughs before the season comes to an
end in three weeks with his latest effort "We're the Millers," which
reunites Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston from 2011's surprise hit
"Horrible Bosses." It's hard to believe that it's been nine years
since Thurber made his directorial debut with fan-favorite 2004 comedy "DodgeBall:
A True Underdog Story" and since then, he's only made one other film, the 2008
drama "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh,"
based on Michael Chabon's coming-of-age novel of the same name. Returning to
the genre that jump-started his career, Thurber's "We're the Millers"
isn't particularly clever and suffers from some tonal issues but the film's cavalcade
of f-bombs and vulgar sex jokes still manages to generate quite a few laughs.
When
low-level pot dealer/perennial slacker David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) tries to
stop a mugging with the help of his nerdy teenage neighbor Kenny Rossmore (Will
Poulter), he ends up being robbed in the process, and is forced to hand over his
entire stash of marijuana and money in order to placate the thugs. This puts
him in hot water with eccentric drug lord Brad Gurdlinger (Ed Helms), who
offers David a chance to repay his debt by going down to Mexico and picking up a
'smidge and a half' of weed for him. In return, David is let off the hook and also
gets $100,000 for his trouble. Fearing immediate arrest while crossing the border
back into the U.S., David comes up with a crazy plan and enlists the aid of down-on-her-luck
stripper Rose O'Reilly (Jennifer Aniston), his awkward neighbor Kenny, and
homeless runaway Casey Mathis (Emma Roberts) to pose as his wife and two children.
As 'the Millers' set out on their fake family vacation, these four mismatched
individuals soon find themselves biting off more than they can chew when they run
afoul of rival drug lord Pablo Chacon (Tomer Sisley) and an off-duty DEA agent
named Don Fitzgerald (Nick Offerman).
The
initial previews for "We're the Millers" offered a few chuckles here and
there but I didn't expect much from this late-summer R-rated comedy. Well,
color me surprised because I left the theater with a smile on my face. Written by
Bob Fisher, Steve Faber, Sean Anders, and John Morris, the film is a mash-up of
1983's "National Lampoon's Vacation" and 1977's "Smokey and the
Bandit," only instead of transporting Coors beer, it's two metric tons of
marijuana—or 'enough weed to kill Willy f*cking Nelson.' The first twenty minutes
or so is actually rather dull; you get the occasional laugh like Sudeikis' spot-on
imitation of Tom Hardy's Bane voice but the story reveals its hand a little too
early when David runs into an old college friend (played by Thomas Lennon), who
envies him for having absolutely no familial responsibilities. From that point
on, it's pretty obvious how the film will end. Fortunately, "We're the
Millers" starts to hit its stride once David brings his 'family' together.
There's a scene-stealing Luis Guzmán as a cop looking for a bribe (in the form
of oral sex!) but the film's most memorable moments arrive once Nick Offerman and
Kathryn Hahn's characters enter the picture. A running gag revolving around a decoy
baby concludes with Hahn's Edie totally losing her sh*t while scenes with Poulter's
Kenny receiving kissing lessons from his 'mom' and 'sister,' as well as David and
Rose being mistaken for swingers by the Fitzgerald's left me guffawing uncontrollably
in my seat. Granted, the comedy relies too much on four-letter-words and sex jokes
yet Thurber's go for broke approach and his refusal to shy away from taboo subjects
(like swollen testicles) rescues "We're the Millers" from sinking
into mediocrity.
However,
the film falters when it tries to tug at our heartstrings. It's made abundantly
clear that this motley crew will eventually come to appreciate each other like a
real family but the moments where they 'bond' come across as forced and overly
sentimental, complete with sappy music playing in the background. David's change-of-heart
from selfish douche-bag to father figure is also too sudden and doesn't come about
in an organic way. When he returns to the others after abandoning them at an outdoor
carnival, David's apology lacks sincerity yet Rose, Kenny, and Casey are surprisingly
quick in taking him back. Despite the fact that everyone involved is guilty of drug
smuggling, it's all forgiven with one of those clichéd, studio-mandated happy
endings. The film's attempt at generating urgency in the form of a
rival drug lord fails to add much to the proceedings, with Sisley's Pablo Chacon
feeling more like an annoying pest as opposed to a full-on villain.
A
good comedy needs a cast that is able to click together and "We're the
Millers has that in spades. Jason Sudeikis isn't playing the most genial protagonists
with his character's smarmy attitude yet his ability to bounce off the others
with one ad-lib after another allows them to continuously up their game. Jennifer
Aniston's post-"Friends" career has been something of a mixed bag but
her out-of-the-box turn in "Horrible Bosses" proved that with the
right role, she can be really funny. Once again, Aniston steps outside her
comfort zone as stripper Rose and I have to say, she has an amazing body,
especially for someone who's six years away from turning fifty. While her
impromptu lap-dance doesn't feature any nudity, sometimes it's just better if certain
things are left to the imagination. Completely stealing the film is "Son
of Rambow" star Will Poulter. His character's awkward mannerisms instantly
endear you to him and come on, he even sings TLC's Waterfalls. That's a winner in my book. Supporting players Nick
Offerman and Kathryn Hahn deliver hilarious turns as a Midwestern couple
suffering from intimacy issues, which leaves Ed Helms and Emma Roberts getting
the short end of the stick. Helms just tries too hard here while Roberts sadly
ends up being overshadowed by her other co-stars.
"We're
the Millers" was released on August 7, 2013 to surprisingly negative
reviews with 41% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics complained that it 'squanders its
potential—and its cast—with an uneven, lazily assembled comedy.' Moviegoers
felt differently though, with the film earning a little over $38 million since last
Wednesday. Although it's entirely possible that it'll end its run with $100
million, the last three weeks of summer is still unusually crowded so a final
tally of $80 million seems more likely. No, the comedy isn't very inspired but
as far as laughs go, "We're the Millers" delivers and that's
ultimately all that matters.
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
"This
is not a smidge! You've got me moving enough weed to kill Willy f*cking Nelson,
man!"
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