Mike Smith
There’s something about an old fashioned family. ‘Mom’, ‘Pop’ and the kids. Does a heart good to see that. And that’s exactly what Dave Clark (Jason Sudeikis) thinks when he’s recruited by his weed supplier (Ed Helms) to travel to Mexico to pick up a smidge (“OK, a smidge and a half”) of marijuana to pay off a debt. Dave recruits a motley crew of “family” members: Rose (Jennifer Aniston), a neighbor currently paying her rent (or not paying it) with money earned as a stripper; Kenny (Will Poulter) a quiet neighborhood kid; and Casey (Emma Roberts) the local “homeless” girl. Together they dress the part, introduce themselves as “the Millers” and head across the border in a custom Winnebago. Getting into Mexico is easier. Getting out…not as easy.
Often hilariously funny, “We’re the Millers” earns its laughs by lampooning the wholesome family image everyone remembers from such shows as “Leave it to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best.” Many of the jokes can’t be repeated here (like the “A” word best used to prevent pregnancy) but the characters are dead on in their attempts to portray the kind of people you’d find in a Norman Rockwell painting.
The cast delivers on all cylinders here. Sudeikis has developed into an appealing comic actor and does his best work here since “Hall Pass.” I was never a fan of the television show “Friends” and admit I’ve always been critical, though usually tongue in cheek, about the show’s stars appearing on the big screen. But in the past few years Aniston has won me over as a top notch comedienne and she adds another feather to that cap here. As the kids, Poulter steals the scenes he’s in, while Roberts also shows some good comic timing. Supporting turns by Helms, Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn keep the laughs coming.
It gets a little syrupy near the end, but for the most part “We’re the Millers” is a crack comedy from start to end.
