We're The Millers

⭐⭐⭐ ½ based on 1 review.

tl;dr: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it and how three-dimensional the main characters were. Throw in some excellent comedy and great actors and you're left with a genuinely fun ride.

Review

Spoilers Ahead: My reviews are not spoiler-free. You have been warned.

I really only decided to watch We're The Millers to kill time; Prime has been suggesting it for a while and I remember it being in cinema without any obvious negative, so heck, why not, right? Well, as it turns out, the suggestion was spot on.

I really enjoyed We're The Millers, which consistently exceeded expectations. The story isn't groundbreaking, but it was much tighter than I would have presumed and actually a lot more heartfelt. The initial setup, both of the plot and the core characters, is definitely a little "by the numbers", but I was really surprised that the stereotypes really ended there; definitely side characters remain nothing more than comedic over exaggerations, but the core "family" fleshes out very nicely and doesn't just stick to tired tropes. The stripper has had bad luck in love and clearly regrets some life choices, but actually spends the entire film showing how together she really is, becoming the emotional and moral rock. The drug dealer isn't just some low life layabout with no desire to engage with life, but a clearly intelligent individual who just became a little trapped and is still unsure of where the next step is. Basically, everyone was far less two dimensional than expected.

Then there's the supporting cast. Nick Offerman is fantastic, making a number of "could have been awkward" scenes instead very amusing, often via his own brand of understatement (I'm looking at you, "swingers in a tent" scene) and rounded it all off with possibly the funniest action sequence I've seen in a long while: big gulps have never been as deadly! Plus, Ed Helms is great. His crime lord buffoon could have been hammed up to high heaven, a la Mugatu in Zoolander, but instead he treads a fine line between caricature and reality that made his character far more enjoyable.

All in all, I have to say, I was really pleasantly surprised. Not sure what they're possibly going to do in the proposed sequel and definitely don't think it needs to happen, but as a standalone couple of hours of fun I would recommend We're The Millers.