Director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball: a True Underdog Story) has delivered one of the more surprisingly humorous comedies of the year. At a time when the genre “Comedy” does not necessarily imply “funny”, Millers fairs as a refreshing “both.”
Premise: In an effort to pay off a drug debt, a man unites with a motley crew of outcasts to smuggle drugs over the U.S.-Mexican border. Result: An extremely entertaining comedy that will keep audiences intrigued from beginning to end.
Millers starts out slowly, focusing on developing the characters and their current life crises: David Clark (Jason Sudeikis), a low-level pot-pusher who thrives with minimal responsibilities and haircuts; Rose O’Reilly (Jennifer Aniston), a stripper struggling with the fact that at 44 she still is, well, a stripper; Kenny Rossmore (Will Poulter), David’s neighbor with as much street smarts as Justin Beiber in Watts; and Casey Mathis (Emma Roberts), a runaway hood rat with all the warmth of a xenomorph from Aliens.
But all their disparate lives collide when David, along with neighbor Kenny, inadvertently finds himself involved with the mugging of young Casey and subsequently a victim of the crime himself. He then must plead with drug czar Brad Gurdlinger (Ed Helms) who proposes that David smuggle drugs across the Mexican border as repayment.
As the task is impossible alone, David recruits Kenny, Casey and Rose to join forces as a typical American family in the hope that as an ordinary family they will fare better crossing the border. To say that the four do not get along is the grand understatement and much hilarity ensues.
The remainder of the film is a hilarious sequence of absurd events that pit the “family” against a series of obstacles such as a perfect family -Don (Nick Offerman), Eddie (Kathryn Hahn) and Melissa Fitzgerald (Molly C. Quinn)-, a mob boss (Tomer Sisley) and his goon “One-Eye” (Matthew Willig), as well as themselves.
There is nothing directly unique about the plot or the characters in this film which under most circumstances would have degraded this story into a painful snoozer. However, the nature of the characters and their story is what really hits home. Joke after joke hits its mark and audiences will find themselves invested in the plot and characters and thoroughly amused by their shenanigans.
The on-screen chemistry these characters deliver is ultimately what makes this film work so well. Each actor is fearless and their delivery effortless, transforming their characters from one-dimensional clichés into roles we root for. Aniston is phenomenal in this type of bold comedic role, proving once again that her range is far wider than our expectations. Sudeikis is also spot on, helping drive the film through each obstacle with his signature charisma and confidence. “Go fu#k yourself real life Ned Flanders!” may still be the best line of the film.
Roberts, for her part, somehow manages to be both awful and deeply likable in almost the same breath while Poulter transforms from some sort of geek-bot into an actual person we expect could live on this planet, a feat thought unthinkable for at least the first half of the film. Helms, Hahn, and Offerman are all flawless in their respective roles and help to round out a perfect cast.
Ultimately, Millers works from beginning to end. It is funny, clever, and manages to create lasting, believable characters even in the midst of the genuinely absurd. While it may not be the best film of the year, and perhaps not even the best comedy, it is certainly one of the more entertaining experiences in recent memory.
Rating: 8 – An expensive red wine and juicy steak