Were the Millers

Plot

A low-level marijuana dealer named David Clark, who lives in Denver, is robbed of his money and stash, some of which he owes to his wealthy drug lord supplier Brad Gurdlinger. After David is brought to him, Gurdlinger forces David to smuggle a "smidge" of 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 and 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" but actually two tons. Because of the extra load of the marijuana on the RV that they are driving, one of the radiator hoses breaks while going up a steep incline. A family they had encountered at the border, the Fitzgeralds, consisting of Don, Edith, 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 Chacón'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, the shop owner is found tied up and gagged with duct tape in his office and Chacón and his henchman One-Eye are waiting for them and prepare to execute the family. They immediately tell Chacón that they are not a real family and that they 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, turns a steam vent onto Chacón, allowing the Millers to escape in the RV with Kenny behind the wheel. Due to Kenny's erratic driving, the RV veers off the highway and a Mexican redknee tarantula, hiding in a bowl of fruit, crawls up Kenny's leg and bites his testicle.

Kenny has a severe allergic reaction to the bite, and the Millers head to the hospital near a carnival for the 4th of July. This further delays the delivery of the contraband. During their wait, David and Rose begin to bond and Rose reveals her real name to be Sarah ("with an H"). The two of them scold Casey for leaving with an unknown boy, Scotty P, which leaves Casey feeling amused and happy for the attention she didn't receive from her actual, neglectful parents.

David renegotiates with Gurdlinger for a fee of $500,000 on the condition that it 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. Casey, Sarah, 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. Casey confides in Scotty about how she felt like she was actually part of a real family. Scotty tries to sexually harass Casey but is thwarted by Sarah and Kenny. David then arrives at the carnival, begging them to come back with him and offering each a full share of the profits. On their way to the RV, they encounter Edith and Melissa. In the ensuing conversation between the Millers and the Fitzgeralds, Kenny blurts out that they are smuggling the pot. One-Eye appears and is about to shoot everyone, but Don comes out of his camper and subdues him. Chacón then comes around the corner with Melissa held at gunpoint and again is about to kill them all, but is momentarily distracted by the 4th of July fireworks. David and Kenny then subdue him. Melissa and Kenny (with a newfound confidence) kiss, as do David and Sarah. Don arrests Chacón, but lets the Millers leave.

David delivers the drugs to Gurdlinger, who tells him he is 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, revealing that David sold him out. Don, the agent in charge, tells David that he will have to be placed in the witness protection program until the trials of Gurdlinger and Chacón. He then adds that anyone who was a witness to the crime will be in protection, which pleases David. The Millers are then seen together in a suburban house with several marijuana plants growing in the garden.

Cast

Production

Development of the movie first began in 2002. 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. In April 2012, various news media broke the news that Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis were in talks to star in the film. The film added Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Ed Helms and Kathryn Hahn in July.

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

Release

The film was released in theaters on August 7, 2013 in the United States, 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. 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 featuring over 8 minutes of new material. Special features included over 45 minutes of featurettes, outtakes and deleted scenes.

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.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 47% based on 149 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." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 44 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.

Sequel

On February 25, 2014, New Line Cinema announced that a sequel to We're the Millers was in development, with Adam Sztykiel writing the script.