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We're the Millers

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Not to be confused with the television sitcom The Millers.

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

We're the Millers is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, 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.

The film was released on August 7, 2013, by New Line Cinema through Warner Bros. Pictures. Despite mixed reviews, it was a box office success, grossing $270 million worldwide against a $37 million budget during its theatrical run. It was nominated for four People's Choice Awards, and six MTV Movie Awards, winning two.

Plot

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In Denver, low-level marijuana dealer David Clark is robbed of his money and stash, some of which he owes to his supplier and college acquaintance Brad Gurdlinger. Gurdlinger forces him to smuggle marijuana from Mexico to clear his debt. Realizing that attempting to get through customs alone would be suspicious, David hires his neighbors—a stripper stage-named Rose; local runaway Casey; and naïve, recently abandoned teenager Kenny—to pose as his wife, daughter, and son respectively, dubbing themselves the "Millers".

When the Millers reach the compound, they learn it is not "a smidge" as Gurdlinger described, but two tons. They are stopped by authorities twice, but get by on bribery and sheer luck. Due to the extra load from the marijuana on the RV, one of the radiator hoses breaks. The Fitzgeralds (consisting of father Don, mother Edie, and daughter Melissa), a family actually vacationing in an RV whom the Millers had encountered at the border, catch up to them and tow them to a repair shop. On the way, they learn that Don is a DEA agent, alarming them.

Kenny develops a crush on Melissa. After he reveals that he has never kissed a girl, Casey and Rose give him kissing lessons while David films; Melissa sees them and assumes they are in an incestual relationship.

Gurdlinger misled David, as the marijuana is stolen from cartel boss Pablo Chacon. The next day, when the Millers head to the shop for the RV, Chacon and his henchman One-Eye are waiting for them. As he prepares to kill the Millers, they disclose they are not a real family and did not 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 to Chacon, she turns a steam vent onto him. 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 crashes. In the commotion, a tarantula that snuck aboard the RV in Mexico crawls up Kenny's leg and bites his testicles, resulting in him being hospitalized. This setback further delays the delivery of the drugs, but David renegotiates with Gurdlinger for a fee of $500,000 on the condition he arrives that night.

When Kenny is finally released from the hospital, 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. Disgusted by the revelation, Rose, Casey, and Kenny part company with him. David drives away, leaving them at the local carnival, but later regrets abandoning them and returns.

After David apologizes to the trio for not being upfront with them, they agree to rejoin him to get home. As the Millers make their way to the RV, One-Eye finds them but, before he can shoot them, 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; however, he is momentarily distracted by the 4th of July fireworks, so David and Kenny subdue him. Kenny kisses Melissa, prompting David to kiss Rose. Don arrests Chacon but lets the Millers leave.

Gurdlinger reveals that he never intended to pay David for smuggling the marijuana. When David delivers it to him, DEA agents arrive and take him into custody thanks to David's tip. Don tells David that he and any witnesses of the crime will be placed into witness protection until Gurdlinger and Chacon's trials. Later, the Millers, now under witness protection together, are living in a suburban house with marijuana plants growing in the backyard.

Cast

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  • Jason Sudeikis as David Clark, a drug dealer who forms the Millers. He poses as Rose's husband and as Casey and Kenny’s father.
  • Jennifer Aniston as Rose O'Reilly/Sarah, a stripper hired by David to pose as his wife and as the mother of his hired kids, Casey and Kenny. She later becomes David's love interest.
  • Will Poulter as Kenny Rossmore, a socially awkward 18-year-old neighbor of David's who is hired to pose as his and Rose's teenage son.
  • Emma Roberts as Casey Mathis, a 19-year-old runaway and thief hired by David to pose as his and Rose's teenage daughter.
  • Ed Helms as Brad Gurdlinger, a drug lord who hires David to smuggle marijuana from Mexico to the United States.
  • 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 C. Quinn as Melissa Fitzgerald, Don and Edie's teenage daughter and Kenny's love interest.
  • Tomer Sisley as Pablo Chacon, a Mexican drug lord.
  • Matthew Willig as One-Eye, Pablo's henchman.
  • Luis Guzmán as a Mexican cop who 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 and later sexually harasses Casey.
  • Ken Marino as Todd, the sleazy owner of the strip club where Rose works.
  • Laura-Leigh as Kymberly, one of Rose's fellow strippers.
  • Scott Adsit as Doctor.
  • Sam Richardson as TSA Agent.

Production

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The development of the movie first began in 2002.[4] Steve Buscemi, Will Arnett, and Jason Bateman were all attached at one point to play David Clark, and Peter Cattaneo had signed on to direct at one point. Burr Steers and eventual rewriters Sean Anders and John Morris were considered to direct.[5][6] In April 2012, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis joined the cast.[7] Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Ed Helms and Kathryn Hahn were added in July.[8][9]

Production began in Wilmington, North Carolina, on July 23, 2012.[8] Filming also took place in New Mexico.[10] It was presented at the 2013 Traverse City Film Festival.[11]

Release

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The film was released in theaters on August 7, 2013, in the United States,[12] 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

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We're the Millers was released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 19, 2013, by Warner Home Video.[13][14] 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

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Box office

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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.[12]

Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes, We're the Millers has an approval rating of 48% based on 159 reviews with an average rating of 5.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "We're the Millers squanders its potential with an uneven, lazily assembled story."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 44 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[17]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2013 Key Art Awards Best Trailer – Audio/Visual Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Trailer Park Nominated
2014 People's Choice Awards[18] 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[19][20] 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[21] 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

Canceled sequel

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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.[22] In March 2023, while promoting Murder Mystery 2, Jennifer Aniston confirmed that the sequel was scrapped.[23]

See also

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References

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  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. ^ Eisenberg, Eric (July 26, 2011). "Jason Bateman To Play A Middle-Aged Pot Dealer In We're The Millers". Cinemablend. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  5. ^ White, James (September 7, 2010). "New Line High Again On We're The Millers". Empire. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  6. ^ Kit, Borys (November 3, 2005). "Arnett eyeing 'Millers' role for New Line". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 5, 2006. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  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. ^ a b Abrams, Rachel (July 13, 2012). "Emma Roberts in talks for 'We're the Millers'". Variety. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  9. ^ McNary, Dave (July 12, 2012). "Kathryn Hahn joins 'Millers' cast". Variety. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  10. ^ "'We're the Millers' to film in NM – Albuquerque Business First". Bizjournals.com. September 5, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  11. ^ "Traverse City Film Festival gets underway Tuesday with early showing of "We're the Millers," starring Jennifer Aniston". The Oakland Press. July 29, 2013. Archived from the original on July 29, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  12. ^ a b "We're the Millers (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  13. ^ "We're the Millers (DVD)". Amazon.com. November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  14. ^ "We're the Millers (Blu-ray)". Amazon.com. November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  15. ^ "We're The Millers (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  16. ^ "We're the Millers". Metacritic. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  17. ^ Finke, Nikki (August 12, 2013). "'Elysium' #1 But Can't Break $30M, 'The Millers' #2, 'Planes' #3, 'Percy Jackson: Monsters' #4; 'Smurfs 2' Now $156M Global". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  18. ^ "People's Choice Awards: Fan Favorites in Movies, Music & TV – PeoplesChoice.com". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  19. ^ "2014 MTV Movie Awards: Full Nominations List". MTV. March 6, 2014. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  20. ^ "MTV Movie Awards: Winners List". Variety. April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  21. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (August 10, 2014). "Teen Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  22. ^ Anderton, Ethan (February 25, 2014). "New Line Hires 'Due Date' Writer to Script 'We're the Millers' Sequel". firstshowing.net. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  23. ^ Olson, Savannah (March 29, 2023). "Jennifer Aniston says that a We're the Millers sequel almost happened". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
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