Author: Sydney Reade

Whenever I ask my friends what they want to watch on Netflix, the answer is always “a comedy.” There’s something about light hearted movies that make them universally palatable enough so as not to completely divide a friend group during movie night. A recent favorite that can be watched on repeat is We’re The Millers.

David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) is just your average small-time pot dealer when he gets mugged trying to help out a few neighborhood kids in trouble. His drug lord-boss Brad (Ed Helms) says he’ll forgive the lost inventory and money if David can just sneak on over to Mexico and pick up a small shipment of marijuana. David devises the perfect plan—pose as a clean-cut American family, get the drugs, make a lot of money, come home unscathed. He recruits his strapped-for-cash neighbor Rose (Jennifer Aniston) and the two neighborhood kids to be his “family”—The Millers. Of course, nothing goes according to plan.

 

 

This movie has a lot of elements that make for good comedy: endless, tastefully edgy jokes, bodily humor, quirky characters, and an epic sing-along to TLC’s “Waterfalls”. What’s more, it has a certain poignancy to it. Each of the characters have their own demons that the audience is aware of and empathizes with, but not to the point of making this a sappy drama. Just as audiences often watch comedy to escape tough realities, the characters in this film seem to be going along with the craziness of David’s plan to escape their own. But just when you start to feel bad for someone, the moment rallies with a joke.

 

 

As if The Millers weren’t enough of a fascinating car crash to watch, they meet another vacationing family on their journey. Enter Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, and Molly Quinn as an unexpectedly hilarious jolt in the middle of the movie that spices up what could have been a tired road trip saga. Kathryn Hahn’s whole character is an absolute joy to watch from her dialogic zingers to her over-the-top body language.

 

 

For a good laugh and a movie you’ll be quoting with friends for a long time, give We’re The Millers a try.