We're the Millers (2013) - Review

Nothing is worse than an insipidly unfunny comedy.  This movie is about 95% that, and 5% genuinely humorous moments, almost all due to the likable personality of Jason Sudeikis.  He gives an entertaining performance in this when nobody else is really trying.  He might not be trying all that much either, but his charisma definitely shines through, and he sells a lot of the moments with sarcasm.  Plus he kind of reminds me of Max Bemis, and that’s never a bad thing.

The other three leads are just bland.  I used to kind of like Emma Roberts (when I only knew her from Scream 4) but she impresses me less and less with each passing role, and I’ll be completely honest... I’ve never liked Jennifer Aniston.  The other kid, Will Poulter is okay but nothing special.

The plot might give some stoners a grin, but to anyone with even a fleeting memory of 90s comedies, this will be all too familiar in both its setup and its execution.  You know what this reminds me of more than anything else?  Bubble Boy.  It’s a dumb road trip movie with a lot of wacky, over-the-top characters along the way and a likable lead actor but little else.

Bye!!!  See you guys in better movies!

The main distinction with We’re the Millers is that there’s an out-of-place quasi action scene every once in a while to add some “weight” to the events.  Of course, it’d be boring if these people just delivered their cargo with no questions asked, so let’s let ‘em get hassled by goons at every turn.  Mostly this just bogs down the film, and even when this isn’t going on, the movie is lazily plodding around with bitten on the dick jokes, creepy other family run-ins, and sad attempts at character development.

While there are a couple of times where I grinned a little bit, this is one of those movies that makes you hate yourself for managing to find something in it funny.  It’s definitely not the worst comedy of 2013 (there are much worse parody movies abound), but maybe the worst original comedy of the year.