Film Review: We’re the Millers (15)

Did you know Jennifer Aniston has an amazing body? No? Well, the former Friends star really wants you to know just how good she’s looking for her age as she strips down to her undies in We’re The Millers.

Understandably, there’s been a whole load of hoopla surrounding the scene given her good girl image, but in reality the scene plays out with more fizz than fanfare.

The same could be said for much of the movie, which wallows in rude, crude, smutty humour - which would be fine, bar the fact that the laugh-out-loud moments are few and far between.

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The story begins with David Clark, played by Aniston’s good pal Jason Sudeikis, a small-time drug dealer with small-time clients – think housewives or chefs (but no kids because he has scruples).

When a good deed goes wrong and his attempt to save a homeless girl (Emma Roberts) from being mugged results in his stash and cash being stolen, he’s forced to settle his debts by picking up what his boss Brad (Ed Helms) describes as a ‘smidge’ of drugs from Mexico. But if he’s going to make it across the border in a RV without raising suspicion, he’s going to need a fake family to keep the sniffer dogs off his scent.

And so he seeks help from his neighbours, stripper Rose (Aniston) and geeky teen Kenny, along with street-wise Casey (Roberts) in order to look like any other all-American family. As they take to the road in an obscenely large motorhome, dressed in nice, middle-class clothes and with sensible haircuts, they might look the part, but it’s not long before this dysfunctional grouping gets into all sorts of scrapes. Especially when it transpires that the ‘smidge’ of drugs is in fact millions of pounds worth of pot that fills every nook and cranny of their vehicle.

Laughter ensues at a pornographic game of Pictionary with the wholesome Fitzgerald family and a graphic spider bite on Kenny’s testicle. There are bum notes though, like the corrupt police officer’s sexual request, which is just plain uncomfortable – as is the underlying theme of the Millers truly coming together as a family. It just doesn’t ring true and adds unnecessary schmaltz.

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Saturday Night Live star Sudeikis, who’s new to leading man status, delivers the gags with aplomb. Aniston has a trickier time of it but does her best with an under-developed part, as does Roberts who seems at ease playing a moody teen. The real revelation is British star Poulter who plays Kenny with just the right amount of endearing nerdiness.

If you’re looking for a smutty ride this summer then We’re The Millers is just the ticket, but expect a gentle chuckle rather than splitting your sides.

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