CliqueClackWe’re the Millers is a family comedy definitely not for the whole family
Imagine a world in which the Griswold family became drug mules (and weren’t actually related) and you begin to have a good idea of what to expect from ‘We’re the Millers.’
Life is good for David Clark (Jason Sudeikis). He’s single, carefree, has money … and is a veteran drug dealer. David’s been selling pot since his college days, and now works for his college buddy turned wealthy businessman/drug lord, Brad Gurdlinger (Ed Helms). David also has the hots for his stripper neighbor Rose (Jennifer Aniston) and is somehow admired by another neighbor, teenager Kenny (Will Poulter). When Kenny goes to assist a homeless girl (Emma Roberts) fight off some hooligans trying to steal her iPhone (yes, iPhone), David has to intervene to save both of them but find himself at the pointy end of a knife. Kenny blurts out David’s occupation, the guys get David’s stash and cash, and he’s left to tell his boss that everything is gone.
But Brad has a proposition: drive to Mexico, pick up a “smidge” of pot (maybe a smidge and a half) for him under the name Pablo Chacon, and bring it back to Denver. Not only will the debt be forgiven, but Brad will pay David $100,000 for his troubles. Sounds easy, but a single guy driving to Mexico and back will only set off alarms at the border, so he manages to get the girl, Casey, and his neighbors to pose as a family on a little vacation south of the border. What could possibly go wrong?
We’re the Millers is kind of a next generation National Lampoon’s Vacation with a little bit of The Hangover cut into the mix for good measure … and it’s hilarious! There probably hasn’t been a good R-rated family vacation movie since … Vacation. And trust me, if you’ve seen the commercials for the film on TV, you’ve seen a very sanitized, PG version of what’s actually up on the screen. We’re the Millers tastefully runs the gamut of offensive comedy, from drug humor to overt sexual innuendo (okay, there is very little innuendo). It’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.
For a movie with four screenwriters, you always have to wonder how funny it’s going to be because comedy by committee is never a good thing. Luckily, Bob Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Steve Faber (also Wedding Crashers), Sean Anders (Hot Tub Time Machine) and John Morris (Mr. Popper’s Penguins … and Hot Tub Time Machine) hit the comedy out of the park. There’s not one bad joke in the whole movie, and they even manage to add a little heart to the story without becoming too sappy. Their only real problem is with continuity. Maybe there is an answer to this, but David does not know Rose’s name is not Rose, but he’s gotten her a plane ticket, so how does she get on the plane in this day and age? David did see a piece of her mail which presumably had her real name on it, but when she finally tells him her real name, he still seems surprised. Also, when David finally gets all the pot back to Denver, Brad says it’s all there … except it isn’t because they lost a pack along the way in a tragic accident. Little things, but they do make you wonder.
The cast is terrific. Sudeikis has been stuck in a bit of a pigeon-hole playing the smarmy jackass sidekick in movies like Hall Pass and Horrible Bosses. He’s still playing a version of that guy, but being the lead gives him a little more room to stretch his character so he isn’t a complete ass from beginning to end. Aniston also has broken out of her playing-with-her-hair method of acting (thanks mainly to her turn in Horrible Bosses), giving Rose a tough outer shell with a lot more gooey goodness inside … but she can switch from tough to tender and back in the blink of an eye and you believe it. And she’s just so darned pretty! Emma Roberts probably has the least developed of the four characters, playing the tough street girl who’s only in this for the money, but she does get to show a little vulnerability once in a while too, and helps educate Kenny on the art of kissing that turns into a very uncomfortably funny lesson involving the whole family.
The real star is Will Poulter, a Brit best known here for his roles in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Son of Rambow. Poulter, with his bizarrely arched eyebrows, makes Kenny an awkward teen who means well, but is kind of creepy and never knows when to shut his mouth. Most of the jokes come at his expense, but he seems totally befuddled and unaware most of the time, rarely registering that he is the butt of someone’s joke. Which just makes it all the more hilarious. And the spider bite scene that’s featured in the ads is much more uproarious and visual than anything you’ve seen on TV. It has to be the film’s showstopping moment. Things only get more awkward for the “Millers” once the Fitzgerald family (Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn and Molly Quinn) invades their lives at the border and continues to cross paths with them at just the right moments.
We’re the Millers certainly isn’t for everyone, but if you like your comedy ribald and risqué, aren’t offended by foul language, exposed genitals, inappropriate kissing, drugs, or Jennifer Aniston stripping down to a lace bra and panties, then this is the comedy for you! And the outtakes at the end are pretty funny too!
