Cliché but Still Very Funny

Rating: 6/10 (12 August 2013)

I love surprises for the most part and We're the Millers was a pleasant surprise. I saw trailers for this movie and it seemed like a typical summer comedy that would have a few laughs in far-fetched situations. Basically this is a typical summer comedy with a few laughs in many far-fetched situations. The only difference is the interesting premise. The movie starts out very cleverly. Jason Sudeikis plays a drug dealer who gets robbed so he has to make up for it by smuggling drugs from Mexico. He figures it will be easier if he has a fake family to ease the suspicion. That is very interesting and almost brilliant. It takes the family road trip cliché that has been done before and adds a twist.
The twist was there but the clichés were also there and I really hoped they wouldn't have been. The drug dealer dad and stripper mom was great. It is something different and worked really well for the story but the cliché children were a little annoying. The tough and rugged sister was everything you expected with her adult humor and attitude. The brother was a sissy and added his own form of comedy that was also expected, but he was so funny. The brother stole the show and the family was believable.
The clichés were there and the story was one that has been done time and time again. The family starts as opposites and they hate each other but slowly start to grow on each other comedically. Is this movie funny? Yes, the movie is very funny at moments. It isn't constant laughter but each scene brings out at least a chuckle. There are parts where the story slows down and it gets a little ridiculous with an obvious solution but it plays out in a way it probably should have. The cliché of all clichés in this movie is the other family.
Why? Why does every movie with an RV involved have a crazy family in another RV in which the family constantly crisscrosses with? The other family was funny and probably necessary for the movie but they were so cliché. Some clever writing should have been in place instead of a story we have seen time and time again. This family took the good twist in the premise and diminished it. It was like the Purge. The clever premise disappears with the same old cliché. The family didn't destroy the entire movie but I sat in my chair and couldn't believe that I was watching a dirtier version of the Robin Williams movie RV.
Sure a few things annoyed me with the characters and the story, but let's be honest; I went to see this movie to laugh. I laughed a lot during this movie a lot more than I thought I would to be honest. Will Poulter stole the show as the son of the family. Every scene is funny because of him. The best scene is when he sings Waterfall by TLC. He sings the one verse and I was rolling in my seat laughing. Then he is being taught how to kiss from Jennifer Aniston and Emma Roberts. Come on, that is hysterical and I was hoping there was a scene like that. This kid had no career before this movie but this will put him on the map. This kid has a bright future, mark my words.
A major flaw in the movie was the marketing. A lot of the funny moments were shown in the trailers. This isn't the movies fault but I would have laughed more if I didn't see so much in the trailers. OK, this isn't going to be popular but I didn't think Jennifer Aniston was that sexy. That scene shown time and time again in every trailer did nothing for me. That is the scene where she is in her bra and panties but I didn't like it. It was over the top, forced, and I expected it to be later in the movie. This happens and then there is like another 45 minutes left. Don't get me wrong, Aniston was the perfect choice for the role and she did a great job but that one scene was too much.
If I wrote this movie I would have done a thing or two differently. With the idea of sneaking in and out of Mexico I was looking forward to some chaos in Mexico with a lot of buildup to actually crossing the border. That didn't happen. They make it over and back over the border before any chaos even happens. It was a missed opportunity. This movie could have went in many different directions but again played into the clichés. Luckily they worked and it was still very entertaining. Was this movie how I wanted it to be? No. Was it funny enough for me to enjoy? Yes. Would I see it again? Probably not. Once was enough and I'm content. Don't expect me to buy it on blu ray or go out of my way to see it. It was good the first time but if it's on TV I'll give it another go. Other than that I'm done with the Millers.
Overall, We're the Millers was a good time. I have no "ragrets" about seeing this movie and if you see it you should enjoy it. It had its obvious flaws but I was able to loom past them and enjoy a fun summer comedy. This movie is nothing more or less than a solid WillyT Recommendation. I give it a high recommendation. I liked more than I didn't like in this movie and the Millers were an entertaining bunch. They basically did their job.