We're the Millers

We're the Millers is a 2013 American crime comedy film directed by Rawson M. Thurber and starring Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Quinn, and Ed Helms. The film's screenplay was written by Bob Fisher, Steve Faber, Sean Anders, and John Morris, based on a story by Fisher and Faber. The plot follows a small-time pot dealer (Sudeikis) who convinces his neighbors to help him by pretending to be his family, in order to smuggle drugs from Mexico into the United States.

Not to be confused with the television sitcom The Millers.

We're the Millers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRawson Marshall Thurber
Produced by
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Bob Fisher
  • Steve Faber
Starring
Music by
CinematographyBarry Peterson
Edited byMike Sale
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
Running time
110 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$37 million[2]
Box office$270 million[3]

The film was released on August 7, 2013, by New Line Cinema through Warner Bros. Pictures. Despite mixed reviews, it grossed $270 million worldwide during its theatrical run, against a $37 million budget. It was nominated for four People's Choice Awards, and six MTV Movie Awards, winning two. In 2014, New Line Cinema said a sequel was in development.[4]

Plot

A low-level marijuana dealer living in Denver, David Clark, is robbed of his money and stash, some of which he owes to his wealthy drug supplier, Brad Gurdlinger. After David is brought to him, Gurdlinger forces him to smuggle marijuana from Mexico as a solution to clear his debt. Realizing that one man attempting to get through customs is too suspicious, he hires a stripper neighbor stage-named Rose, a runaway 19-year-old petty thief named Casey, and his 18-year-old neighbor Kenny to pose as a bogus family called the "Millers". When the Millers reach the compound, they find out that the amount of marijuana they were picking up is not "a smidge" as Gurdlinger had informed them, but actually two tons. Because of the extra load of the marijuana on the RV, one of the radiator hoses breaks while going up a steep incline. A family they had encountered at the border called the Fitzgeralds, consisting of Don, Edie, and Melissa, catch up to them and tow the Millers' RV to a repair shop. On the trip to the shop, David learns that Don Fitzgerald is a DEA agent after finding his badge and gun in the glove compartment.

The marijuana turns out to be stolen from Pablo Chacon's cartel where Gurdlinger had David pose as an agent of Chacon. The next day, when the Millers head to the shop to pick up the RV, Chacon and his henchman, One-Eye, are waiting for them and prepare to execute the family. They immediately tell Chacon that they aren't a real family and that they didn't know they were stealing from him. Rose is given a chance to prove that she is a stripper by dancing, and when she gets close, turns a steam vent onto Chacon. The Millers then escape in the RV, with Kenny behind the wheel. Due to Kenny's erratic driving, the RV veers off the highway and a tarantula, hiding in a bowl of fruit given to them when they picked up the marijuana, crawls up Kenny's leg and bites his testicle.

As Kenny has a severe allergic reaction to the bite, the Millers head to the hospital. This further delays the delivery of the drugs, but David renegotiates with Gurdlinger for a fee of $500,000 on the condition that it arrives that night after mentioning how he encountered Pablo Chacon. When Kenny is finally released, David rushes him to the RV in a wheelchair and accidentally tips him over. In the ensuing argument, David inadvertently reveals how much he is getting paid, in comparison to how little he offered to pay each of the others. Casey, Rose, and Kenny are left in disgust by the revelation, and so David leaves them at the local carnival.

Shortly after leaving, David regrets abandoning them after hearing "Waterfalls" by TLC on the radio and returns to the carnival, begging them to come back with him. On their way to the RV, they encounter Edie and Melissa. One-Eye discovers them and is about to shoot everyone, but Don comes out of his camper and subdues him. Chacon then comes around the corner with Melissa held at gunpoint and is about to kill them all, but is momentarily distracted by the 4th of July fireworks. David and Kenny subdue him. Don arrests Chacon, but lets the Millers leave.

David delivers the drugs to Gurdlinger, who tells him he's late and that their deal is off, but then admits that he had never intended to pay at all. DEA agents crash into the room, arresting Gurdlinger. The agent in charge is Don who tells David that he will have to be in the witness protection program until the trial of Gurdlinger and Chacon. He then adds that anyone that was a witness to the crime will be in protection and David smiles. The Millers are then seen together in a suburban house, with several marijuana plants growing in the garden.

Cast
  • Jennifer Aniston as Rose O'Reilly, a stripper hired by David to pose as his wife and as the mother of his hired kids, Casey and Kenny
  • Jason Sudeikis as David Clark, a drug dealer who forms the Millers. He poses as Rose's husband and as Casey and Kenny’s hired father
  • Will Poulter as Kenny Rossmore, a socially awkward and eccentric 18-year-old neighbor of David's who is hired to pose as his and Rose's teenage son and Casey's brother
  • Emma Roberts as Casey Mathis, a 19-year-old runaway from neglectful parents, and thief, hired by David to pose as his and Rose's teenage daughter and Kenny's sister
  • Ed Helms as Brad Gurdlinger, a drug lord who hires David to smuggle marijuana from Mexico and one of the film's two main villains
  • Nick Offerman as Don Fitzgerald, Edie's husband, Melissa's father and a DEA agent who befriends the Millers
  • Kathryn Hahn as Edie Fitzgerald, Don's wife and Melissa's mother
  • Molly Quinn as Melissa Fitzgerald, Don and Edie's teenage daughter and Kenny's love interest
  • Tomer Sisley as Pablo Chacon, a Mexican drug lord and one of the film's two main villains
  • Matthew Willig as One-Eye, Pablo's henchman
  • Luis Guzmán as a Mexican cop, demands a bribe from the Millers
  • Thomas Lennon as Rick Nathanson, a former college classmate of David's
  • Mark L. Young as Scottie P, a kiddie ride attendant who befriends Casey
  • Ken Marino as Todd-strip club owner, the sleazy owner of the strip club where Rose worked
  • Laura-Leigh as Kymberly, one of Rose's fellow strippers
  • Scott Adsit as Doctor
  • Sam Richardson as TSA Agent

Production

Development of the movie first began in 2002.[5] By 2006, the film was announced with Steve Buscemi as the pot dealer, with Will Arnett in another role, but no further development was made.[6] In April 2012, various news media broke the news that Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis were in talks to star in the film.[7][8] The film added Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Ed Helms and Kathryn Hahn in July.[9][10]

Production began in Wilmington, North Carolina on July 23, 2012.[9] Filming also took place in New Mexico.[11] It was presented during the 2013 Traverse City Film Festival.[12]

Release

The film was released in theaters on August 7, 2013 in the United States,[13] and on August 23, 2013 in the United Kingdom. It was released on September 18, 2013 in France, and was released on November 8, 2013 in Spain.

Home media

We're the Millers was released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 19, 2013 by Warner Home Video.[14][15] The DVD was released as a two-disc special edition, containing two versions of the film: the original theatrical version and the "unrated" extended cut with 8 minutes of new material and 45 minutes of featurettes, outtakes and deleted scenes.

Reception

Box office

We're the Millers grossed over seven times its $37 million budget, earning over $150 million in North America and $119 million internationally for a worldwide total of $270 million.[13]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 47% based on 156 reviews with an average rating of 5.46/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "We're the Millers squanders its potential with an uneven, lazily assembled story."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 44 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[18]

Accolades
YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
2013 Key Art Awards Best Trailer – Audio/Visual Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Trailer Park Nominated
2014 People's Choice Awards[19] Favorite Movie Actress Jennifer Aniston Nominated
Favorite Comedic Movie Actress Jennifer Aniston Nominated
Favorite On-Screen Chemistry Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis Nominated
Favorite Comedic Movie We're the Millers Nominated
British Academy Film Awards BAFTA Rising Star Award Will Poulter Won
Empire Awards Best Male Newcomer Will Poulter Nominated
MTV Movie Awards[20][21] Best Female Performance Jennifer Aniston Nominated
Best Breakthrough Performance Will Poulter Won
Best Shirtless Performance Jennifer Aniston Nominated
Best Kiss Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Jennifer Aniston Won
Best Song from a Movie Will Poulter – Waterfalls Nominated
Best Comedic Performance Jason Sudeikis Nominated
Teen Choice Awards[22] Choice Movie Actress: Comedy Emma Roberts Won
Choice Movie: Liplock Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Will Poulter Nominated
Choice Movie: Hissy Fit Jason Sudeikis Nominated
2015 Casting Society of America Big Budget Comedy Lisa Beach, Sarah Katzman, Lisa Mae Fincannon, Jeremy Gordon, Beth Lipari, Dana Salerno Nominated

Sequel

On February 25, 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema announced that a sequel to We're the Millers was in development, titled We're Still the Millers, with Adam Sztykiel writing the script.[4] As of 2020, there have been no updates on a sequel.

References
  1. "WE'RE THE MILLERS (15)". British Board of Film Classification. June 14, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  2. McClintock, Pamela (August 6, 2013). "Box Office Preview: 'Elysium' Aims for $35 Million-Plus Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  3. "We're the Millers (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  4. Anderton, Ethan (February 25, 2014). "New Line Hires 'Due Date' Writer to Script 'We're the Millers' Sequel". firstshowing.net. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  5. Eisenberg, Eric. "Jason Bateman To Play A Middle-Aged Pot Dealer In We're The Millers". Cinemablend. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  6. White, James (December 5, 2006). "New Line High Again On We're The Millers". Empire. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  7. Fernandez, Jay; Kit, Borys (April 9, 2012). "Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis in Talks to Star in New Line's 'We're the Millers'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  8. White, James (December 5, 2006). "Aniston Could Say We're The Millers". Empire. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  9. Abrams, Rachel (July 13, 2012). "Emma Roberts in talks for 'We're the Millers'". Variety. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  10. McNary, Dave (July 12, 2012). "Kathryn Hahn joins 'Millers' cast". Variety. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  11. "'We're the Millers' to film in NM – Albuquerque Business First". Bizjournals.com. September 5, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  12. "Traverse City Film Festival gets underway Tuesday with early showing of "We're the Millers," starring Jennifer Aniston". The Oakland Press. July 29, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  13. "We're the Millers (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  14. "We're the Millers (DVD)". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  15. "We're the Millers (Blu-ray)". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  16. "We're The Millers (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  17. "We're the Millers". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  18. Subers, Ray (August 11, 2013). "Weekend Report: Audiences Travel to 'Elysium' Over Crowded Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  19. "People's Choice Awards: Fan Favorites in Movies, Music & TV – PeoplesChoice.com". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  20. "2014 MTV Movie Awards: Full Nominations List". MTV. March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  21. "MTV Movie Awards: Winners List". Variety. April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  22. Nordyke, Kimberly (August 10, 2014). "Teen Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.