After a few months of unfunny ‘comedies’ (Grown Ups 2, The Hangover Part III, The Internship & Movie 43 to name a few) I feel we’re due a movie that literally makes us laugh out loud.
The writing team behind Wedding Crashers and the director of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is involved with We’re the Millers. Has the team that’s been behind genuinely funny films once again produced the goods, or are we in for yet another disappointment?
The plot sees a small time pot dealer, David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) being robbed by local teens, leaving him unable to pay his supplier. He’s left with the difficult decision of either smuggling ‘a smidge’ of marijuana across the Mexican Border, or die.
David, of course, decides to risk sneaking the drugs across the country with the idea that he’d avoid arousing suspicion from the Border Control if he travels with his family, which he doesn’t have… yet. He recruits a stripper called Rose (Jennifer Aniston) to be his wife, with teenagers Kenny (Will Poulter) and Casey (Emma Roberts) acting as his kids. Together, can they pull off the job without anything going wrong?
Of course not! What a rubbish movie this would be if things went smoothly.
We’re the Millers is unfortunately not the laugh-out-loud flick I had hoped for, but is better than most comedies released so far this year. Don’t get me wrong, there are some big laughs to be had here, just not as frequently as the trailer would have you believe.
What works best is the casting. By the time the credits role, you feel great warmth towards the Millers, thanks to the actors that play them. Ed Helms, who plays the drug lord, particularly deserves a mention. His brief moments on screen give us more laughs than any of his scenes in The Hangover Part III.
Overall, after a summer of big and explosive action blockbusters, this light-hearted comedy is a breath of fresh air.
Catch We’re the Millers now at Showcase, Peterborough. For show times visit www.showcasecinemas.co.uk and follow them on Twitter @showcasecinemas.
Mikey Clarke
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