Film: We're the Millers

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Genre: Comedy
Source: USA (2013)
Rating: R
Location/Format: Glynn Place Stadium Cinemas
Grade: C

I had the opportunity to choose between this and Fruitvale Station, and since I was in the mood to laugh more than cry, I chose We're the Millers. I wouldn't say it was a mistake exactly, because I really would have struggled with a serious drama, but I wouldn't say this is a particularly funny movie, either. It tries to be, though at times it confuses raunch for comedy (I think they can be related but they're not interchangable). Jason Sudeikis is doing his usual "keep an awkwardly plastered on smile going while terrible things happen around you" for much of the film, but I happen to enjoy that shtick so that's ok. And there are a couple of really funny moments. Will Poulter has great potential, and of course Nick Offerman and Ed Helms are pretty solid. But there's a lot of "wacky scenarios" that are just dumb, and overall I laughed a lot less than I had expected to. 

Part of the problem is a horribly miscast Jennifer Anniston, who I never bought as a stripper, or really as anything other than Jennifer Anniston. She's cute, but in a girl-next-door way, not in a smoldering sex symbol way, which would really fit the part better. Instead, when she transforms into her "role" as Mrs. Miller, she basically just looks the way we always see her, so there's no real interest there. She's a funny and talented comedienne, in her way, but she just never seems to fit comfortably in the role.

Similarly, Emma Roberts' character is given very little to do, and her inclusion in the film seemed mostly to set up a mildly funny scene with a carny later in the film. Character growth seems forced and inauthentic (though perhaps that's expecting too much from the film in the first place), and the predictable ending is somewhat anticlimactic.

I guess in the end it was pretty much what I expected, I just thought it could have been more.

Alternate Film Title: "Killer Whale Lust"