Let’s get all the film critic-y crap out of the way, shall we?
“We’re the Millers” has terrible character development and sticks to a textbook template for the Standard R-Rated Comedy. The plot is outlandish to a fault. It is very predictable. The laughs rely too heavily on Jennifer Aniston saying words like “dick” and “balls” and “black cock down” (which is an actual title to porno of course). At one hour and fifty minutes, the movie could use a trim as it rambles on to its inevitable ending.
Now that we got through the warts and the problems I have to say that “We’re the Millers” did succeed where it matters: This movie made me laugh. Plenty of times. And while it is a flawed and fleeting sort of entertainment, “We’re the Millers” delivers enough of the funny stuff to make it worth a look.
The story is of the High Concept variety which shouldn’t come as a surprise since the script comes from the writers- and there are four of them (!)- who brought you other far-reaching comedies as “Wedding Crashers,” Mr. Popper’s Penguins” and (the Highest of the High Concept Comedies) “Hot Tub Time Machine”.
Here we have David Clark (Jason Sudeikis), a middle aged man going nowhere, sharing his life with no one. A loner, Dottie. A rebel… David makes his living slinging grams of Marijuana, an occupation he’s endured since college. After all of his supply and money is stolen from him, he is in terrible danger with his supplier, Brad Gurdlinger (Ed Helms who plays Mr. Gurdlinger as a one-note madman you might find on an Adult Swim show). To repay his debt, David is forced to go to Mexico and smuggle back a huge shipment of weed. It’s a fool’s endeavor but David comes up with the idea of having a stripper (Jennifer Aniston), an abandoned teenage kid that lives in his apartment building (Will Poulter) and a homeless girl (Emma Roberts) pose as his family vacationing south of the border. Chaos ensues.
A comedy’s success from one person’s perspective to another’s is a very subjective issue. More so than any other genre. Do you like Adam Sandler movies? Will Ferrell crack you up? You prefer fart jokes or do you enjoy your humor from the highbrow section of the spectrum? This makes it very difficult for me to make a suggestion either way as I am a victim to my own tastes and an objective view is not possible (cue the violins as I clear my throat for heartfelt rendition of my new song “First World Problems”).
Fa
ns of Sudeikis will not be disappointed as the actor proves that he can headline a movie. There is not much stretching going on as his David Miller is much like every other character he’s played to date. I’m beginning to think that the word “chameleon” will never be used to describe a Jason Sudeikis performance. But I’m ok with that. If we extend the same to Kevin James, I’m all for letting Jason be Jason. Aniston is forced to perform an inexplicable striptease about midway through the movie that makes it apparent that with this role and her sexpot work in “Horrible Bosses” she has decided she is most successful as foul-mouthed characters that use her sex as a weapon. I guess it’s a niche market that she has cornered and she seems very comfortable shaking her nether regions.
The breakout star-and the premier reason to see “We’re the Millers”- is Will Poulter and his lovable Kenny Rossmore. You cannot help but pull for the wide-eyed kid as he stumbles through life. He provides the most genuine laughter with some help from his testicles. You’ll have to see the movie for explanation.
There is a missed opportunity here as the film never establishes any real emotional connection. Putting these lost people together and giving them a sense of belonging and family is never really developed. If the filmmakers had capitalized on this theme we could have had a great movie instead of a passable one that will be gone from the memory by the time it comes out on DVD.