Pass the Popcorn review

Rating: 7/10 (4 September 2013)

Here's something I never thought I'd see again: a funny modern comedy. Because of the horrendous Movie 43 and all those Adam Sandler shits everyone seems to love, mainstream comedy is a genre I'd suggest to avoid, even if it has an amazing cast - unless it was filmed at least 20 years ago. But We're the Millers, surprisingly, manages to be an exception and makes you laugh easily. Even though its director isn't well known, and the cast features only a few famous actors, We're the Millers shows filmmakers something they should never have forgotten: to make a great comedy it really takes nothing else than good jokes and a good script. Are you taking notes, Adam Sandler? David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) is a successful pot dealer who, one evening, is robbed of all his drugs and money. The next day he's kidnapped and brought to Brad Gurdlinger (Ed Helms), a rich drug lord whom David owes money. Brad forces David to smuggle marijuana from Mexico in order to erase his debt. Realising him going alone would cause suspicion, David convinces a stripper (Jennifer Aniston), a young runaway (Emma Roberts) and his teenage neighbor (Will Poulter) to come along and pretend to be his wife and kids.
The premise of this movie is pretty obvious and not too original: it's about a dysfunctional (and, in this case, fake) family in which everyone hates each other until they end up realising they are almost perfect for each other. You also learn that "all you need is love" and "no one likes to be alone" and all that sentimental stuff. But, interestingly, We're the Millers succeeds in making something so obvious come up as fresh and new. Even though we know that will happen - it must, it's a comedy! - this doesn't make the movie boring or predictable. This might sound contradictory, but the only thing you really do see coming is the happy end, and that's just because We're the Millers follows the standard comedy pattern - as it should. This again confirms what I said before: to make a good comedy you just need a good script and good jokes. And the jokes are good - unexpectedly, since they are mostly based on dirty words and slapstick humour.
The characters are very well developed and work good together. Although Jennifer Aniston is way more famous than anyone else in this movie, you never think of that, as the movie doesn't focus on her, and consequently doesn't forget there are other, equally important characters in this movie. This also helps turn the protagonists themselves into good jokes: sure, they are somewhat stereotyped, but in a truly funny way. Ed Helms is fantastic as the rich and spoiled drug lord, even though he gets little screen time: you hate him as soon as he opens his mouth! Emma Roberts as the angry teenager, and Will Poulter as the 18 year-old who's never been kissed, are both remarkable. As you can easily understand, the movie's best quality is the ability to make old, stereotyped, already-seen humour funny again. Do not trust the cocky, wannabe-intellectual critics on Rotten Tomatoes and their bad ratings - this is truly a movie worth seeing that will make you laugh!
Rating: 7/10 Read more at http://passpopcorn.wordpress.com/