We’re The Millers | 3/5

SINGAPORE — Imagine a road trip comedy that alternates between being outrageously funny and plain crude. That pretty much sums up We’re The Millers.

The film begins by capturing the life of David Clark (Jason Sudeikis), a foul-mouthed underachiever who has spent all his adult life as a small-time drug dealer. A foiled attempt to help his neighbour, the inscrutably big-hearted Kenny (Will Poulter), save runaway a lass, Casey (Emma Roberts), results in David getting robbed of his entire stock of weed. He’s then forced by his boss Brad (Ed Helms) to do the easier-said-than-done task of smuggling a “smidge and half” of marijuana from across the Mexican border.

In order to improve the odds of making it past the border, David decides to fake his own family with Kenny and Casey. Roping in his down-and-out stripper neighbour, Rose (Jennifer Aniston), they all pretend to be the Brady Bunch — or in this case, the Millers — on a family holiday.

The trip from Mexico back to America is one hell of a riotous journey filled with adventure and excitement. Sudeikis is splendid with his consistent on-the-face one-liners. He is funny but not arrogant or smug, and, in fact, came across as extremely natural playing David. Aniston pulls off her role as believably as Jennifer Aniston can — her celebrity is so blinding that you never really see her anyone other than herself pretending to be an unbearable boss (such as in Horrible Bosses), a florist (Love Happens) or, in this case, a super sexy stripper. She is a treat to watch, though, and does attempt to shake up her goodie-two-shoes American sweetheart image with a raunchy dance sequence or two succeeds in making us gawk at her 40-something lithe bod.

But ultimately, what adds punch to the story is presence of the ever-entertaining Kathryn Hahn and Nick Offerman as Edie and Don of the ultra-conservative Fitzgerald family whom the Millers meet on their trip.

While it isn’t exactly the slickest fun flick you will see this year, We’re The Millers is enough for a few worthy chuckles and, quite likely, even the odd guffaw.

The trouble is the film gets too predictable after a point. Thankfully, you’ve got a “family” of four that totally fits the unusual bill.

(M18, 110mins)