Lets' be clear, though; We're the Millers isn't looking to reinvent
the wheel, and it doesn't stretch very far to find its laughs. In fact, the
very scene is a cheapie stab at humor as small-time drug dealer David
(Sudeikis) watches a bunch of popular YouTube videos (including the awesome
surprised kitty), making for a few easy giggles. It's also clear in the first
ten minutes exactly the emotional journey David will undertake. A pretty
selfish dude, content to live his isolated life of slingin' weed to his buddies
and regular customers, a random run-in with a married buddy (Thomas Lennon) has
him briefly considering the family life. It's a fleeting moment, but his path
is laid out in front of us like a road map, but it's the hilarious journey that
really counts.
After getting robbed by a bunch of wussy-looking thugs, David finds himself
in massive debt to his smarmy boss (Ed Helms), who offers him a deal: head to
Mexico and pick up a "smidge and a half" of product and bring it back
over the border. Debts will be cleared, and for his promotion from simple drug
dealer to drug smuggler (the difference is argued often to great effect), David
will even make some money on the transaction. Every scenario he can envision
ends with him at the barrel of a border patrolman's gun, until a chance
encounter with a nerdy family ("real life Ned Flanders) inspires him to
rent an RV and create a fake family because they don't get harassed.
Fortunately he has a few people in mind to fill out his faux clan, starting
with his stripper neighbor, Rose (Jennifer Aniston), who David has been trying
to hook up with but failing hard. He also recruits the dorky Kenny (Will
Poulter), and troubled runaway Casey (Emma Roberts), all of whom have their own
reasons for agreeing to such ridiculous plan.
To the film's great credit, the plot is rolling along without a hitch in
just a matter of minutes, and before long the Millers are over the border and
facing down Mexican drug lords for what turns out to be enough weed to keep
Cheech, Chong, Bob Marley, the cast of Pineapple Express, and Snoop Dogg
happy for three lifetimes. It's when they head back to America that everything
goes belly up as the RV breaks down, internal squabbles flare up, Kenny's
testicles get bitten by a spider, and a violent drug kingpin is right on their
tail. Most of the humor leans hard on vulgarity and unfathomable sexual
mishaps, but it's refreshing to see a film that embraces it rather than shying
away. Just as it seems the momentum is about to dip, the terrific Nick Offerman
and Kathyrn Hahn turn up as a sexually frustrated couple who are both extremely
square and more than a little amorous.
While Sudeikis has shown flashes of leading man charm and attitude in the
past, most notably in the underrated A Good Old
Fashioned Orgy, he's found just the right balance between arrogance and
cocky that is endearing. He finds decent chemistry with Aniston, who is working
her way through an odd phase where she's looking for chances to play sexualized
characters and show off her impressive body. Not only does Sudeikis a lap dance
at one point, but her striptease involves lingerie, showers, fireworks, and
should have both guys and gals salivating. Will Poulter is not only the film's
secret weapon as the earnest Kenny, he's also the luckiest guy on set by a
country mile. Not only does he get many of the best gags and one-liners, but he
gets to make out with Roberts, Aniston, and co-star Molly Quinn. It's all
downhill from here, kiddo, so relish it.We're the Millers does fall into a trap that snares most R-rated "family" comedies, and it's the need to soften up the tone for a happy ending. It's a given that the Millers will eventually learn to love one another and function as a real family, but the script goes a little overboard and changes the tenor of the film drastically. Improvisation goes a long way in keeping things fresh, and the softer the tone the more we see the cracks in the script. But these problems are few, and We're the Millers is a riot from start to finish. It's the closest thing to National Lampoon's Vacation we've had in a long time (perhaps since Vacation itself), and hopefully the Millers will pack the RV for another trip soon.
