We’re The Millers, 2013.
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber.
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Ed Helms, Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn.
SYNOPSIS:
A small time drug dealer is forced to go to Mexico to smuggle a shipment of marijuana. In order to slip through the border patrol he enlists the help of a stripper and two teenagers to pretend they’re a family on a vacation.
We’re The Millers is a standard comedy that by and large goes through the motions. It wastes no time in introducing the four main characters and the situations they are in, and the script felt tight; there were no meandering subplots and it maintained its focus well. However, most of the humour fell flat everyone in the movie just seemed to be going through the motions. A lot of the jokes were tired and unoriginal, and only the chemistry between the ‘Millers’ elevated this from being utterly forgettable to merely ok.
The strength of the film relies on the journey these broken, disparate people take as they slowly realise there’s more to their situation than four people doing a job. The parts early on when they bicker just like a family would were a highlight. The actors all did a good job with their characters, and I liked how their affection for one another developed. It wasn’t corny; the progression felt natural and the characters were always consistent. Their unique relationship led to a few misunderstandings along the way, most notably when they ran into another family on the road and there was a scene in particular which Will Poulter must have pinched himself to see if he was dreaming when he read the script.
The biggest problem though is that the film doesn’t deliver on the laughs. There are moments that made me chuckle, but the people around me in the theatre seemed mildly amused rather than roaring with laughter. There’s nothing inherently funny in the situation and while the actors are talented and their repartee is entertaining, it’s not constant enough to make up for the film’s shortcomings. There’s definitely a problem when the funniest part of the film is an outtake shown during the credits.
We’re the Millers isn’t necessarily a terrible film, it’s just bland. There’s no life or energy in the film other than what Sudeikis, Aniston, Roberts and Poulter bring to the screen. Also, for a road trip movie I never got the sense they were on an actual road trip, they just seemed to be on a casual drive and I think there should have been more scope given to the areas they were driving through.
A few humorous moments cannot save this from mediocrity, especially when there have been much better comedy films released recently. It’s not something that I’d tell people to definitely avoid, but there’s probably something better to do with your time.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert D. Spake – Find me on Facebook and Amazon.
Originally published September 5, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
