It is becoming harder and harder to make people laugh at the movies. While TV embraces a golden age for comedies, movies are struggling to find a base that is not cliché or predictable. Though "We’re the Millers" follows that trend of predictability and is not by definition 'original,' it remains sharp and edgy enough to give audiences a much-needed piece of amusement.
"We’re The Millers" centers on Jason Sudekis as David Clark, a petty pot dealer who is forced to go to Mexico to pick up a large shipment of drugs from a villainous drug lord played by a disappointingly ridiculous Ed Helms. The core of the film comes from Sudekis's reunion with "Horrible Bosses" co-star Jennifer Aniston, who plays a stripper with a heart of gold.
In order to move the drugs without causing suspicion, David brings along Aniston, Emma Roberts, and Will Poulter to play his fake family. The family dynamic leads to the film’s best humor, including hysterical scenes with a lustful roadside cop and an awkward family kissing lesson. Sudekis and Aniston have a surprisingly believable chemistry that draws from both of their well-versed comedic experiences.
Though the ending becomes gooey and predictable as most comedies of this nature do, the film remains enjoyable through quirky performances from its cast. In his first big-budget film, Poulter adds new life as the innocent Kenny who’s short on experiences and uses David as an opportunity to give the world a try. As another oddball pair, Nick Offerman and Kathyrn Hahn add a hilarious combo as a couple who are trying to spice things up in their relationship.
Director Rawson Marshall Thurber is far from "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," his most notable success, but he crafts a story that flows from scene to scene smoothly. The jokes are fast-paced, crude, and well-designed for the cast to quip back and forth. "We’re the Millers" does not shy away from racy, vulgar or distasteful gags in order to elicit cheap laughs from its audience.
Overall, the film runs too long and follows a cheap sense of sentimentality towards its end. Nonetheless, it remains humorous enough to gain the attention and general affection of its viewers. This movie is not comedy at its cinematic pinnacle, but is snarky, family fun. And some days, that’s just the type of movie you need. On Thursday night, at least, it was for me.
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