Sometimes, all you need after a long, hectic day is a movie with ridiculous scenes that makes zero attempt to take itself seriously. "We're the Millers" was exactly that kind of movie for me. Starting with the arrangements for a chaotic road trip, a group of four with dissimilar personalities and a cast that knows exactly how to deliver relatable humour, got me hooked on an adventure I will take a chance on AGAIN!
Movie Details
Title: We're the Millers
Genre: Comedy
Release Date: August 7th, 2013
Main Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Will Poulter, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Milly Quinn, Tomer Sisley, Matthew Willig.
Synopsis
A small-time pot dealer loses all his savings and proceeds from his supplier's stash to robbers. To live a free life, he has to clear the debt with his supplier by taking an even higher risk of smuggling tons of grass from Mexico in a humongous RV into an airtight country like America. After much contemplation and the huge compensation involved, he convinces his neighbours, a down-in-debt stripper lady(Rose), and an 18-year-old baby-faced boy(Kenny), who also suggests his smart, overly pierced acquaintance(Casey), to join on a fake family adventure into what could either make or mar their lives forever.
Scene Highlights
We're the Millers is one awesome movie from the 2000s with a high rewatch value, one that makes you press stop at different scenes because there's always something to make you go "Oh, wow?" before pressing play again.
The opening scene set the tone for the entire movie as David Clark brought an unhinged sense of humor, expressing himself as a nonchalant human living life as it comes. He runs into his old classmate, who's surprised he's still unmarried. David being David, he gives him some weed for old time's sake, and that single script took the scene to a 100 for me. I mean, exploring a unique script that works in line with a character's personality is something that works every time, and undoubtedly, that interaction won my heart into the movie.
The second scene that cracked it for me was the point where Rose's(David's neighbour) boss, Todd, informed her of the new policy that involved sleeping with customers. That kind of situation often comes with doubts, confusion and sometimes a reflex thought to accept the offer, especially as someone with no other source of income. But Rose got the ick from the club manager's attempt to paint it as a reasonable deal and was brave enough to call it quits, rather than give up her bodily autonomy for a job that was exclusively for stripping. I also liked that this decision gave Rose some agency over her own life, even if the alternative was a risky trip with people she barely knew.
My third favourite scene happens to be with the Fitzgerald family. They were the kind of couple you hate to meet on your way out but somehow always run into. They were also the most normal, unsuspecting family that you would expect to have usual discussions. But to my surprise, they turned out to be the couple with the hoot, sharing out-of-pocket fantasies with the Millers. The night where they pulled up a tent halfway into their trip and resorted to some night camping activities was one of my favourites. It was totally unhinged, with some adult jokes, weird but funny sexual behaviour between families and Kenny acting the noob and missing his chance to kiss Melissa, the daughter of the Fitzgeralds.
I'd like to think it was a night of realization for everyone, and that added life to the entire storyline.
Another scene I liked would be Rose's performance when they were caught by the real owner of the drugs(Pablo Chacon) they travelled to pick up. She delivered a great stripping experience that captivated every single person in the room. I mean, I too would've lost concentration if someone stripped that well in front of me. And the genius idea here was using this as a means to an end; utilizing seduction to plan a hit on their enemy and buy more time to escape. I absolutely loved it.
My last favourite scene from the movie was the end, where Pablo finally caught up with them and threatened to kill everyone, not just for stealing from him but for putting himself and his man through so much stress finding them. There, David began to give reasons why no one deserved to die except him. It was definitely the best part of the movie, as he needed to learn consideration for others all along, become vocal about his true feelings, and understand that praise to others can be delivered in a less jokey or insulting and annoying manner.
A Character That Stole the Show
Brad Gurdlinger(Ed Helms). That was the drug supplier. He may have failed in his role to act as the nerdish drug lord, but he was quite the catch for the movie. This is one character who acts exactly like he was made for the screen. You know, all the rambling that comes with living in your own bubble, making ridiculous decisions in your head, bringing your crazy fantasy purchases to life and simply living as though there's not a single problem in the world around you. That's the kind of delusion he brings to the show, especially as the guy who cares only about himself and is overpowered by his will to outsmart others.
Imdb
Noticeable Flaws
For a movie as good as this, I expected some flaws, and of course, I found some staring at me in the face.
The first would be Rose finally accepting Dave's offer to act as his fake wife on the trip. She arrived late to meet everyone on the plane, and they have quite a back and forth in the plane walkway. Weirdly, no single passenger paid attention to them through this or tried to do anything to signal discomfort over their chattering to elevate the scene, and I think that's one miss that could've been avoided.
Second would be the part where Kenny got out of the hospital in a wheelchair and, minutes later, falls off it twice due to David's carelessness and inconsideration for others. All of a sudden, he's standing by himself without support till the end of the movie. I mean, not a single complaint from someone who was nursing a bad reaction between his legs from a spider bite? How convenient.
It was also unrealistic to move such amount of drugs with convenient obstacles on the way. Realistically, they should have either been caught or at least had multiple contacts/negotiations done on their behalf with the officers at the borders. But none of that happened. A miss!
Those may be convenient flaws, but I dare say they weren't enough to make it less of an amusing movie. They did particularly well in sourcing the place where they packed the drugs. The vicinity passed the vibe check as it looked exactly like a small drug village with a little bit of sanity as a decoy. The bad gangs in there also looked their part, and the warehouse was stuffed as it should be.
I ended up enjoying this movie much more than I expected, especially because beyond all the chaos, the movie also explored the idea of how strangers can slowly become a family when they are forced to depend on one another. I bet you'll have a great time seeing this if you enjoy simple, relatable comedy and can ignore a few missed opportunities that could've made this a stellar production.
Rating: 87/100
