Review: We’re the Millers

Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Written by: Bob Fisher, Steve Faber, Sean Anders, John Morris

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn

Rating: [4/5]

Found families build bonds not through blood but through circumstances that fortify them outside of anything biological. It makes the connections a bit more meaningful because of nothing keeping them together besides the decision to continue to operate as such. The way these families come together can certainly lie on a spectrum but the way we see it play in We’re the Millers hits quite differently where an illicit activity brings them all together within this wildly outrageous comedy. 

After messing up and now in debt of his supplies, David (Jason Sudeikis) gets offered the opportunity to travel down to Mexico and smuggle back some drugs. In order to cross the border without causing much suspicion, David decides to pay others to pose as his family as they try to play off a vacation for the purposes of traveling. This brings him to work with an exotic dancer, Sarah (Jennifer Aniston), socially awkward Kenny (Will Poulter), and runaway Casey (Emma Roberts) as part of his family. 

Comedies such as We’re the Millers thrive when they manage to shock and this feature certainly does so in what it implements through its characters. It takes some awkward situations and ramps them up for the purpose of making the audience wince in their seats. These moments put these characters in the most awkward situations and we just have to live in those moments with them. One particular scene where someone walks into a teaching moment for the Miller family perfectly exemplifies it. 

What brings them together serves as a business transaction where they simply just have to smuggle a bunch of drugs across the border. David gets the big share of the pie and slyly offers the others a bit of it as they serve as his family members. A bit of deception around a total scheme at the center makes for a whole bunch of lies and dishonesty these characters must exhibit to make the most out of their situation. 

Doing this under the guise of the prototypical American nuclear family does present quite a comedic observation. Nothing could possibly drive less suspicion than a white family, which makes sense as to why David sought them out as individuals to pose as such with him. Doing this task alone would certainly raise some eyebrows as he crosses the border but now he has the protection of the ideal family structure that will allow them to slip by border patrol with the hefty amount of drugs they have in their vehicle. 

As much of the fun this feature provides comes from the comedy of this family, the individuals they encounter on the way present some challenges and do so in a comedic manner. Who could ever forget “No Ragrets” to exemplify the type of individuals this family runs into. We truly run the gamut and some make the job and experience a bit easier while others make it drastically more difficult. Each of these interactions stress tests their resolve and the cohesion they have together where they get questions about their family and they need to continue to sell it. This is where Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn shine brightly as a family the Millers run into as they navigate this journey back with all of the drugs. 

With this lovely quartet, we have some lovely performances, particularly from Will Poulter who steps in as the awkward member of the group. Some of his line delivery ranks highly amongst the other actors here as he displays the highest amount of naivete among all others. He sits the most in the dark of this all happening and he brings such an endearing quality to the film where we constantly navigate a setting with drug dealers, supplies, and overall bad actors. Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, and Emma Roberts do quite well in their own right as well as they all contribute to the wild and fun ride this family takes us on. 

Loads of fun with several sweet moments as we get towards the end We’re the Millers hits the right spot with the comedy it seeks to deliver to its audience. We follow fun characters who step in and deliver some great work in creating this dangerous story that utilizes the demographic of its characters as they operate the world of drug smuggling. The film provides so much to enjoy and many laugh-out-loud moments all culminating in a comedy that will leave you thinking about it after the credits roll.