“We’re the Millers” earns its “R” rating

R-rated comedies are rarely done right.

The last one that I particularly enjoyed was the first “Hangover,” before the subsequent sequels ran the material into the ground and marred the memories of the original for me. If the “R” movie isn’t laden with breasts then it is more than likely filled with gross-out moments that do nothing to progress the plot (if there is one). That’s where “We’re the Millers” gives a nice take on the genre and sidesteps the constant nudity and disgusting moments (sort of).

It’s not that there aren’t gross-out moments in the movie (one scene that involves a tarantula slipping into a character’s pants pops into mind), but it’s that the main reason the movie is rated “restricted” is that it has one thing most of us can relate to: good old-fashioned swearing. Like, a lot of swearing. It’s great. The movie plays out like something you’d expect a real-life road trip between a friendly drug dealer (Jason Sudeikis), a stripper (Jennifer Aniston), a “homeless” teen (Emma Roberts) and a sheltered, abandoned good kid (Will Poulter) out of his element.

The film stays particularly rude and mean throughout and, honestly, it’s refreshing. It’s hard to find a nice, mean movie that constantly stays self-aware, but “Millers” pulls it off for the most part. The film is not without the occasional sappy moment or unnecessary striptease and it has a few moments where you just kind of roll your eyes, but it manages to pull you back in enough with its crude demeanor and a nice, surprisingly meaty supporting role by “Parks and Recreation” funny man, Nick Offerman.

All in all, it’s a funny movie that focuses more on the actors than the shock factors and manages to progress the predictable, yet entertaining plot without forcing too many of the Hollywood clichés. Plus, the outtakes during the credits may have an actual better ending than the film itself so do yourself a favor stick around an extra five minutes.

jredmon@mavs.coloradomesa.edu 

Categorised in: Opinions

This post was written by critedev