We’re the Millers (2013) Film Review

A small-time drug dealer, David (Jason Sudeikis) is robbed and owes his supplier a lot of money. His supplier, Brad (Ed Helms) makes him go to Mexico to pick up a ‘smidge’ of dope and bring it back, a real suicide mission. But David has the idea of travelling in a mega-caravan-truck-thing posing as a wholesome family. The problem is he is a single man. Wait! All he needs to do is get the stripper from next door (Jennifer Aniston), the weird kid downstairs who is always being abandoned by his family (Will Poulter) and a homeless chick (Emma Roberts) and he’s got a family!

I totally expected to hate this film. The premise seemed weak and I figured it would just be an awful film that I would cringe through and then slam. But it’s alright. In fact, it’s pretty good. The characters are unlikable enough, and when it turns sweet and sickly, it’s just the right balance of sweet and sickly to work really well. Plus Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn turn up in it, and that can never be a bad thing.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011) Film Review

There’s a guy called Jeff and he lives at home. That much is clear. Jeff (Jason Segel) is in his late-twenties and spends his time watching Signs (the 2002 M. Night Shyamalan film) and smoking dope. He is convinced that he is on the earth for some greater purpose, much to the despair of his mother (Susan Sarandon) and his brother, Pat (Ed Helms).

It’s fairly ridiculous, really. However, the last ten minutes or so blew me away – I guess I’d been lulled into such a state of boredom that when something actually happened, I got a bit too excited. For most of the film, I couldn’t really see the point of the Susan Sarandon sub-plot.  In fact, even looking back, it’s not really necessary. Plus, Ed Helms really annoyed me. He’s fantastic in The Office; an over-the-top character blends in there. This film seemed to generally be pretty realistic, and his portrayal of Pat for much of the film didn’t blend well. It was only in the final sequence that I really believed that Pat could have been a real character, and not simply comic relief.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home is a great title, but not a great film. Worth watching, but not really worth going out of your way for.