“We’re The Millers,” the new (not really a) family comedy, stars Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston as the head of a phony fam that has no choice but to bond during a drug smuggling trip south of the border.
Critics, unfortunately, have not warmed up to the Millers, with many complaining that despite the affable lead actors, the movie itself doesn’t pack enough laughs to cover the price of admission. Read on to see what the critics are saying about “We’re the Millers.”
The Story
The central character, David (Jason Sudeikis) is a drug dealer who has fallen on hard times. He’s strong-armed by his boss, ostensibly a drug kingpin (played with gusto by Ed Helms) into agreeing to smuggle pot across the Mexican border. What could go wrong? Clearly, everything, which is why David opts to enlist the help of an exotic dancer (Jennifer Aniston) and two teens (Will Poulter and Emma Roberts). The hope is that, under the guide of being a family, the border crossing guards will pay the “Miller” clan scant attention. So far as plans, and movie premises go, that’s certainly a sturdy enough foundation. One could make a great movie out of that set-up, though sadly “We’re the Millers” isn’t it. — Laremy Legel, Film.com
The Cast
The crux of the humor depends on the Sudeikis and Aniston characters bickering in a way that spells l-o-v-e, but the screenplay spells it a-g-g-r-a-v-a-t-i-o-n instead. The hoped-for big payoffs of brazen comic effrontery fall eerily flat. One features Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn (no slouches) as a square-seeming vacationing couple who end up in the Millers’ tent, for what they think will be a foursie, with Hahn’s hands on Aniston’s component parts while the men ogle. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
Too Offensive?
“We’re the Millers” is a twisted road trip worth avoiding. Not only is it not funny, it’s offensive. Case in point: a scene in which a father is willing to pimp out his teenage son to perform sexual favors on a corrupt policeman in order to avoid arrest. He urges the boy to do it for the good of the family. Granted, the “father” is a drug dealer and his “son” is not related to him, but a clueless neighbor kid posing as his child. Still, it’s an adult jovially pushing an unusually innocent boy to prostitute himself. Even in raucous R-rated comedies there’s a line that is best not crossed. — Claudia Puig, USA Today
The Final Word
“We’re the Millers,” a loose, halfheartedly raunchy, occasionally hilarious new comedy, is about a lot of different things; it’s the usual grab bag of jokes about drugs and body parts. But what really drives the movie is its own search for something to make fun of, and for a comic style that can feel credibly naughty while remaining ultimately safe and affirmative. — A.O. Scott, The New York Times
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