We’re the Millers Review

Jennifer Aniston looking happy behind the wheel in We're the Millers

Photo Credit: Warner Brothers Pictures

We’re the Millers

B-

A Review by Frederick Cholowski

Road trip films come in all shapes, sizes and, forms. Usually the formula involves a family attempting to bond by going on a trip together where wacky adventures ensue. We’re the Millers, the latest in the road trip comedy genre tries to put a spin on the genre by making the family a rag tag group of strangers, and their “bonding time” is getting a “smidge” of pot from Mexico. The result is a generic and lowbrow yet pretty funny comedy that manages to be continuously entertaining despite its many flaws.

The plot of We’re the Millers is essentially a road trip movie with a raunchy twist. David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) is a small time drug dealer who sells pot to locals who loses everything he has while trying to protect a runaway Casey (Emma Roberts) from being mugged. Broke and in dept David is forced to go smuggle a “smidge” (which if you can’t tell by now is a lot more than it may sound) of pot from Mexico for his boss Brad (Ed Harris) to repay his debts. David ultimately decides that the best way to get across the border unnoticed is by pretending to have a family, so he enlists a local stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston) to be his wife, a dorky young neighbor Kenny (Will Poulter) to be his son, and the runaway Casey to be his daughter so they can just get in and get out. Safe to say it’s not as easy as anyone wants and crazy adventures ensue.

We’re the Millers isn’t by any measures highbrow comedy but for the most part it manages to be funny. Many of the sequences that work are funny not for their raunchiness though but for their comedic timing. There are several sequences that are laugh out loud funny without being overly gross (despite the general rudeness of the entire film) and the film allows for some good old fashioned jokes to get through here and there. It’s nice in a world full of random raunchy comedies to have one that feels a little more like a comedy and not like a jokeless gross out fest.

The problem with We’re the Millers is that it never goes anywhere particularly interesting, both comedically and plot wise. The film often slips right into all the tropes of the generic road trip film despite its premise being slightly different than other films of the genre. The film, despite being funny, ends up being particularly predictable and at times uninteresting and flat. The film didn’t need to be radically different or strange but maybe a surprise or two would have kept the film more interesting throughout its much too long almost two hour running time.

The other part of the film that is problematic is that some of the characters just don’t work. The biggest example of this is Ed Harris’ stupidly annoying boss character who doesn’t work in any scene he’s in. The character is shrill and unfunny. He’s supposed to be hateable in a funny way but just keeps me wondering why he’s such a prominent part of the film. There are some other characters like him that pop up here and there that feel like failed comic beets that drag the film down and ultimately make it feel much too long.

The performances here are all fine but no one really stands out. Sudeikis proves here that he can in fact being a vital leading man as for the most part he is charming and charismatic in the role. Jennifer Aniston is funny but ultimately, despite the viewer being constantly reminded that yes she is in fact a stripper, feels like many Jennifer Aniston characters of the past. The two younger actors are well cast and provide a lot of foil for some solid comedic moments. Oh and Nick Offerman shows up in the middle of the film as a part of another family on vacation; he is ultimately the one standout performance in the film as the sequences that involve him are quite funny.

Ultimately We’re the Millers is a funny but very flawed summer comedy. The film feels very generic, storytelling wise, but ultimately has many funny moments to keep the audience laughing at a consistent level. We’re the Millers may not be highbrow or interesting but at least it’s funny.

The Newsroom “Unintended Consequences” Review: What happens in Africa stays in Africa

Maggie looking sad on The Newsroom

Photo Credit: HBO 

Some brief thoughts on this week’s The Newsroom after I audit this class…

Let’s get straight to the bullets again because of repetition:

• Let me say before we get too far that this was easily the best episode of the season so far and that the “what happened in Africa” stuff was truly heartbreaking and powerful. Yes I don’t like Maggie, and she’s always been the worst character on the show but that’s usually because she’s stuck being or saying something stupid. But what happens in “Unintended Consequences” is truly great at not only humanizing this new version of Maggie but also kind of breaks the whole love pentagon thing. It’s just great because of the fact that it shows that Sorkin can do something good with these characters without them either being jerks or complete ditses. It’s a sign of good things to come and I was very happy with those developments.

• The other part of the episode which I’m happy with is the Genoa storyline. As I said last week I like the mystery that the show is building up and every new revelation (including the mentions of people with fresh eyes eventually looking over it) has me intrigued with where the show plans to take these characters.

• The part I didn’t like was about everything to do with Occupy Wall Street this week. Will hasn’t had all that much to do over the last few episodes and when he did have things to do here he was pretty annoying. The whole resolution of him being lonely and sad as why he crapped on the occupy lady was a stupid excuse that she should never have bought. Sure Will is a sad man but that’s entirely out of his own doing and really should have nothing to do with his interviewing skills. I just hate all the excuses that the show makes for Will being an utter jerk and that in the end apparently he’s just a great guy in disguise. I just can never buy it.

• Oh and Jim didn’t look like an utter jerk this week! Yay! Although I still don’t get how that woman liked him that much… Oh well he’s back in New York now!

That’s all for this week! Overall good episode because of the emotional tug of the Maggie storyline and Jim not seeming like a total jerk.

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?

The Killing “Up from Here; The Road to Hamelin” Review: One final Red Herring

 Linden's got a gun on The Killing

Photo Credit: AMC TV

Some thoughts on the season three finale of The Killing as soon as I run to the lake…

So that was an interesting mess. Before the finale aired the third season of The Killing had been a step up on the first two seasons. It was a tighter and more connected show that while had troubles with its plot, had some amazing raw character moments that propelled the series forward. Then there was the finale, which managed to throw a lot of that away all for a big plot twist. I don’t get it, as it seems that the Killing learned nothing from its mistakes in the past and the two hour finale grew more and more frustrating as the hour went on. I don’t have much time to go through it all in great detail so here are some bullet points to describe my thoughts on the finale:

By the way big spoilers ahead!

• So was it not obvious that Linden’s boss was the killer as soon as it was mentioned that the possible that a cop was a murder. Also was it just me or did that just come out of nowhere too, I mean the episode started phenomenally with each of the show’s many parties dealing with the aftermath of the situations. This could have been a beautiful bookend to the show where each of the parties gain bitter closure to their situations. It could have just been a single hour of the characters grappling with the situations they were given and the lives that they are going to live. It could have been a finale that would have looked like a great David Simon written Wire finale. It could have been great without anything case related happening at all.

• But then it did and well it was kind of awful. Not that the Linden dealing with her boss and lover being the murderer wasn’t emotionally devastating for the character but it just was bad plotting wise. The show had already given closure to everyone within the first 20 minutes of the finale and then went onto some strange direction that was frankly unneeded. It’s another case of the show being slow paced and measured throughout its season until the finale where everything just seems rushed and unnecessary. The killer didn’t need to be the lieutenant to keep me interested I liked all the emotional strife that came with these characters and was super disappointed when it dedicated the last hour to him and Linden in the car. It just wasn’t all that great and it felt like the show that seemed to learn things throughout the season had ultimately thrown all of it away because they needed to fill 13 hours. It was just frustrating.

• The other thing is that if there is another season of The Killing (which signs point to there being) that the show is going to have to revisit the events of Linden killing the lieutenant next season, which is very aggravating for a number of different reasons the first and foremost being that we’re not done with this case at all. The show, if it comes back, will most likely not throw all these details out the window and have to pick up its next season with the aftermath of all of it. Which is fine if it could fit within the context of a similar case but it feels like these events have to be the centre of the storyline next season. One of the many reasons The Wire worked so well is that it provided some closure to the storylines of a season while carrying over emotional problems or strife and ultimately allowed for things to move on. The problem with the Killing now is that the show has to address all of this and assumedly for multiple episodes. Sure it’s Linden falling into the trap of the killer in “Seven” like fashion is a good emotionally shocking ending to something finite but to a show that is continuing it leaves more messes than it’s worth.

• On a more positive note Joel Kinnaman and Mereille Enos have been fantastic with what they have been given and if the plot in this episode hadn’t been so kind of awful I would have had the chance to praise their fantastic work for a lot longer.

So in the end the season finale leaves this season of The Killing in the big time mess category. The show managed to have some great moments this season (The Jonathan Demme episode “Reckoning” was fantastic) but ultimately by the end really didn’t seem to learn anything. It had a wildly contrived ending that really has put the creative team in a hole for next season (if there is one but with Breaking Bad and then Mad Men ending I don’t see AMC having much of a choice). I guess it will be interesting to see how the creative team gets out of this one.

That's just me though. What did everyone else think?

Mad Men Rewatch 2013: Season 1 Ep. 9 “Shoot” Modeling!

Betty shooting pigeons on Mad Men

Photo credit: AMC TV 

It’s rewatch time!! For the first time ever this summer we will be watching an old season of a television show over the course of several weeks. Installments will be posted Sundays and Wednesdays with the posts spoiling only the episode that is being talked about. This summer the rewatch is on the first season of Mathew Weiner’s 1960’s period piece Mad Men, one of the great first seasons of television.

Thoughts on Mad Men’s ninth episode “Shoot” coming up after I take another shot at those pigeons…

“Look around here at what you have. Do you want to start over?”

-Roger

Before we start anywhere, man that final scene. That final shot of Betty shooting at those pigeons is sure something isn’t it? It’s a great mix of both kind of disturbing, yet at the same time a little bit triumphant and in an even stranger way kind of hot. It’s a great way to end an episode revolving around the struggles of Betty and a culmination of the feelings and emotions she’s been feeling all season.

The whole shooting sequence works because of the build of the overall episode both with literal and metaphorical factors coming into play. The whole plotline starts with a high level Maccan Ericson executive wanting to take Don away and bring him to the agency. It starts with a little talk at a Broadway play and begins to take off from there through pampering and attempted negotiating. This is where Betty and her emotions begin to play in as Maccan also offers Betty a modeling job, something that she hasn’t done since marrying Don. It brings back nostalgic memories ones that allow her to attempt to get away from the life of a housewife. Thus the pigeons being let out of a cage at the beginning of the episode.

As the episode progresses Betty continues to regain confidence in herself as the modeling continues. Of course the modeling is clearly a ploy to get Don over the Maccan and as soon as the executive starts sending Don pictures of the modeling session Don sees right through the dirty tactics the agency is employing. Of course with Betty being naive and just happy to be working the idea never passes through her head and thus she happily goes through the motions of modeling and escaping from her life as a housewife.

Of course the initial metaphorical attack on the freed bird comes from the Draper’s friendly dog and for Betty it comes from Don’s unwillingness to come to Maccan. Of course as soon as the people at Maccan can’t have Don they don’t want or need Betty at all. Thus comes the disappointing dumping of Betty and the crushing of the somewhat naïve dreams that she has of escaping the life. Of course well it is ultimately Don’s fault that Betty ends up the way she does, but really you can’t blame him because the tactics are dirty and the relationships he’s built at Sterling Cooper are too large. The other part to the story is that Don doesn’t like to be tied down (as we learned from the flashbacks last week) and three year contract simply doesn’t work. 

 Either way he ends up unintentionally crushing Betty and leading her to shoot her last bits of freedom from the housewife world down along with the pigeons (see metaphors).

The rest of the episode revolves around Peggy and her continued weight gain. It’s a mystery where Peggy is gaining this weight (many different people have many different guesses throughout the episode) but everyone seems applaud by it. The sequence allows the viewer to guess along with the characters and also develop Peggy’s fearless personality. It never matters to Peggy what the guys think of her but instead where she’s going with her career and the only place that is going is up. The other part to the Peggy equation is Pete who still, despite seeming over with her last week, seemingly has feelings for her and decides to take out his anger out on Ken after he gives a little bit of an insult towards Peggy’s direction. The scene is perfectly dramatic yet hilariously comedic as it’s intercut with Don and Roger quickly brushing it up and walking out of the office. 

Overall the storyline in general is a nice diversion to the Don and Betty story and works quite well.

“Shoot” is another great character episode revolving around Betty’s life as a housewife. The episode is great for continuing to build the detailed salk of characters who are becoming more and more complicated as the episodes tick by. It’s truly fascinating to watch in every way.

Some other musings:

• Gotta love Pete getting shut down by everyone throughout the episode even as he makes some good agency related moves as the episode goes on.

• Still love Don and Roger’s calm exit after the fight; truly hilarious!

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?

Mad Men Rewatch 2013: Season 1 Ep. 8 “The Hobo Code” When the going gets tough…

 Shh they're having an experience on Mad Men man...

Photo Credit: AMC TV

It’s rewatch time!! For the first time ever this summer we will be watching an old season of a television show over the course of several weeks. Installments will be posted Sundays and Wednesdays with the posts spoiling only the episode that is being talked about. This summer the rewatch is on the first season of Mathew Weiner’s 1960’s period piece Mad Men, one of the great first seasons of television.

Thoughts on “The Hobo Code” as soon as I feel like Dorthy…

“So one morning I freed myself with the cloths on my back. Goodbye! Now I sleep like a rock.”

-The Hobo

Poor Sal, Poor Poor Sal. I know the quote I started with is a part of Don’s story this week (which we’ll get too) but my goodness if there was ever a great example of Mad Men’s greatness it’s what is done with Sal in “The Hobo Code.” The episode has very little plot yet has some of the most fantastic character developments throughout the entire season. It’s an episode where little happens but yet so much is revealed, one that truly continues to deepen these characters as they go into much more complicated situations.

Ok back to the most miraculous thing about “The Hobo Code” which is the development of Sal. In a way much like Pete in the fourth episode of the show, “The Hobo Code” managed to take Sal Romano from a broad two dimensional caricature that popped up briefly and turned him into a beautifully tragic three dimensional character. The scene at the bar with the young Belle Jolie client is so perfect because its outcome is so unexpected, given both what we know about Sal and how scenes like the one that was presented usually pan out. Given what we know about Sal one would expect the client either not to be gay and Sal to misread him or Sal being the confident one while the client backs away out of fear. What happens is the exact opposite, it’s the client who’s leading Sal on and Sal has no idea what to do about it. Normally in every other situation Sal seems at ease but when faced with a situation that he actually wants that is outside of the normal he panics. It’s unclear whether it’s because he has no idea what to do or whether it’s because Sal is trying to keep his true feelings secret still but he backs down and leaves. It’s the perfect opportunity, one that most likely not happen again and Sal is too nervous and so he completely blows it. In that sequence alone Mathew Weiner and Chris Provenzano, who wrote the episode, turn a once two dimensional caricature into a full on tragic hero. It’s a truly amazing Mad Men moment, a true example of the power of stellar character based storytelling, no matter how little plot is involved.

The second of the main storylines revolves around Don’s childhood and continues to reveal who Don actually is and what he gets particular habits. In “The Hobo Code” the flashback revolves around young Dick Whitman’s encounter with a local homeless man after his family feeds him for the night. In the encounter the hobo tells Don of his life and his commitments and how he got rid of them because he felt “too heavy” with them on. He got rid of his responsibilities by just leaving his life and sleeps better despite the lack of constant place to sleep. So there we find that young Dick Whitman learned the lesson that he would apply numerous times throughout his life including in this episode where he seemingly leaves Midge for good after their relationship becomes too complicated. Don (sorry about the name switching it’s just a thing that has to happen) just leaves the check he got from Bert (who by the way seems to read Don’s present personality correctly but misses on his past) in Midge’s shirt and takes off maybe not to be heard from again. It’s the smallest of Don’s escapes (an example of a bigger escape would be I don’t know his whole previous life) but we can see the presence of the Hobo’s “teachings” in Don’s life quite consistently.

The final big character storyline is that of Peggy and Pete’s relationship-fu. Yes again after Pete has a big life event (the first time he sleeps with Peggy he’s getting married, the second time he’s getting an apartment) he decides that he’s going to sleep with Peggy again, this time in the office (with the maintenance man watching creepily through the glass). This time though it’s not as simple as before as Pete is beginning to have second thoughts on his feelings for Peggy (after just being a stressed out jerk for most of the episode). Meanwhile Peggy is having a fun day after their “encounter” as after Don pushes a bit (or a lot in a great putting the feet on the fire pitch) her pitch is accepted by the Belle Jolie people. The two meet again during Peggy’s dance party where grumpy Pete shatters Peggy by telling her that he doesn’t like her “like this.” It’s an emotional roller coaster ride of a storyline that works well but to develop the pitfalls of sleeping with married people but isn’t quite as utterly fantastic as the other thirds of the episode.

“The Hobo Code” is a great example of Mad Men at its character developing best. The episode has such little plot but yet at the same time provides so much insight into the characters and where they are coming from. The episode also continues the fantastic run of amazing episodes that Mad Men season 1 has had and will continue to offer down the line. On to the next episode!

Coming up on Sunday: “Shoot” staring Betty with a rifle!

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?