‘We’re The Millers’ Review
Stars: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Quinn | Written by Bob Fisher, Steve Faber, Sean Anders, John Morris | Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber
Hollywood comedy films tend to follow a formula that is easy to follow. Get a few big stars, find a story that more basic the better then stick in some gross out comedy or romance then shake it all together and get a number one movie out of it. They appear to take little thought but they do one thing that is important, know their viewers. We’re the Millers is a film a lot like that, but while stumbling through normalcy actually trips up on something that makes it quite sweet, and that is family values.
When David (Sudeikis), a pot dealer has his weeks takings stolen he finds himself forced by his boss to travel to Mexico to pick up a shipment of weed. Knowing he’ll have problems on the border he decides to put together a family to act as the perfect cover for the job. With his stripper neighbour Rose (Aniston), homeless girl Casey (Roberts) and loser friend Kenny (Poulter) they embark on the road trip from hell.
It is fairly predictable that during the trip the group of misfits are going to become closer and start acting like an actual family. Jason Sudeikis is an actor who is good at playing asses and the character of David is very much that. He’s selfish but has moments where he actually cares, which is of course what saves him in the end. Aniston plays her typical role, which for her fans is no bad thing, she’s good at what she does and honestly if you are going to watch a film with her in then you know what you are going to get. Emma Roberts is reliable in her role as Casey because it seems to not be that much of a giant leap from the other characters I’ve seen her play. Sassy and strong-willed her barriers may break down closer to the end of the film but she plays a character who is more vulnerable than she’d like to show. Then of course we have Will Poulter as Kenny, and it’s nice to see some UK talent come good in the form of Poulter his performance in previous film Wild Bill shows the kid really has some talent and hopefully has a big future, especially with a move to America.
The reason We’re the Millers worked for me is the focus on the family group and the pulling together of a set of losers who at the start really have no family of their own. Through having to travel together they form friendships and start to really fit into the façade of the family David created so that in the end whatever happens with the actual job they have taken, their friendships (or family) is more important, which is good because they really suck at being drugs mules.
Don’t expect to have to use your brains too much with We’re the Millers, but if you want a feel-good movie that actually has a good heart then this is the perfect way to kill a few hours. Some of the jokes do fall flat and really there’s nothing new to the style of comedy, but the fact is not all comedy has to be ground breaking to be entertaining.
We’re the Millers is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.
