The Milwaukee Post

August 9, 2013 • Milwaukee Post • 17 'We're the Millers' offers solid story, acting, but milks foul language, situations By TOM JOZWIK Special to The Post MILWAUKEE – In a trailer for Rawson Marshall Thurber's "We're the Millers," star Jason Sudeikis pronounces the film "edgy, R-rated fun." Sudeikis isn't incorrect, although others might choose to describe the movie, less charitably, as one that milks laughs from the kind of language that would put a shipload of sailors to shame – as well as from drug dealing, swinging, and, in one character's case, the unfortunate ballooning of a certain body part. "Saturday Night Live" veteran Sudeikis plays David Clark, a drug dealer (he prefers "drug smuggler") who enlists a stripper (Jennifer Aniston), a nerdy neighbor (Will Poulter ) and a street person (Emma Roberts) to pose as his wife, son and daughter. A family traveling between Denver and Mexico in an RV it , seems, will be less likely to attract attention while "moving enough weed to kill Willie Bleeping Nelson," in Clark's words (although Sudeikis doesn't exactly say "Bleeping"). Clark's dysfunctional faux family, who call themselves the Millers, manage to elicit audience empathy as, for the most part, wisecracking underdogs. Cops on both sides of the border, a double-crossed Mexican drug lord, a tattooed and imbecilic American carny and a bona-fide family of nettlesome RV travelers function as antagonists for the Millers, who often bicker comically among themselves to boot. "We're the Millers" represents a new take on the family vacation film, although 'We're the Millers' ★★ Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Will Poulter, Kathryn Harms, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber Running time: 100 minutes Rating: R Submitted photo From left, Jennifer Aniston, Will Poulter, Emma Roberts and Jason Sudekis are on the road in their RV in a scene from "We're the Millers." it ends predictably enough. (Come to think of it, "We're the Millers" actually ends with some very funny outtakes; then again, outtake finales have become almost standard with comedy flicks, haven't they?) Sudeikis commands the screen, especially after changing early on from scruffy loner to clean-shaven, pseudo-family man. The other three principals are quite watchable, as well (Aniston even when she's fully clothed and not plying her trade as a 21st-century Gypsy Rose Lee). Young Poulter's role as a goodhearted dullard, the one Miller who doesn't crack wise, is a deceptively demanding one wherein the actor ably negotiates a gamut of emotions. Another skillful performance is that of Kathryn Hahn as a cheerfully nosy vaca- tioning wife and mother who bonds – or thinks she does – with Aniston's character. At the preview showing I attended, the mostly youthful audience consistently yukked it up over the Millers and their cohorts. I'm still trying to decide, though, whether the solid acting and engaging story are hopelessly undermined by the four-letter words, outrageous discussion topics and situation upon situation that the good nuns who taught me in grammar school would've called occasions of sin – or worse. "We're the Millers" compares unfavorably with the Billy Crystal-Bette Midler vehicle "Parental Guidance" and doesn't hold a candle to "The Way, Way Back" with Steve Carell, two other recent family comedies reviewed on these pages. Finally, no matter how hard it may be trying, "We're the Millers" is unlikely to shock many viewers. Its R rating is wellmerited, though, so leave your kids and younger siblings at home if you decide to see it. If you don't – see "We're the Millers," that is – don't worry. You're definitely not going to feel left out when the Oscar buzz begins. 'Tigers Be Still' roars prominently at Boulevard By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic MILWAUKEE – Kim Rosenstock was always interested in being a playwright, but she never really thought it would or could happen. Her recent creation, "Tigers Be Still," being staged as the 2013-14 season opener for Boulevard Theatre, might be her dream realized. It is a quirky mix of comedy and drama, and is well-executed by a quartet of talented actors. I predict it will be a success. The story line goes like this: A tiger has escaped from the zoo. Joseph Moore, a somewhat paranoid principal of a local high school, has armed himself as a precaution. Joseph's son Zach, recently traumatized by his mother's death, is spending his time alternating jobs at Walgreens and CVS and hating his life. Meanwhile at another household in town, three women are bemoaning their fate. The mother, whom we never see, is tucked into bed upstairs suffering serious depression. She communicates with her two daughters by phone. Grace has just been jolted into severe malaise by a boyfriend, who has been unfaithful. She consoles herself by drinking Jack Daniels and watches reruns of "Top Gun." Having kidnapped her exboyfriend's Chihuahuas also gives her some small consolation. She pretty much lies in a ragged heap on the family couch. Sherry, the only functioning member of the family, has just graduated with a degree in art therapy. Not immediately finding a job to use her newly acquired skills has also put her in a funk. However, a ray of hope appears in a job offer from an old friend of her mother's – Joseph Moore no less. Besides teaching art, he also asks her to engage his son Zach in some art therapy. Now the scene is set. Will Mother ever leave her bed, and Grace, her couch? Will Sherry get through to Joseph? Will the tiger threaten Zach or anyone else in town? These are the questions that need answers, and by means of some pretty clever dialogue and interesting interactions between characters, we eventually have our curiosity satisfied. The emphasis in the play is on Sherry and Zach. Both Shannon Tyburski and Josh Wallace do an excellent job of eliciting our sympathies. By sharing their vulnerabilities, they both end up counseling and consoling each other. They conquer their own tigers, the basic metaphor in the play. One even gets the feeling as the story ends that Grace may find a way to move At a glance "Tigers Be Still" runs at 8 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, 8 p.m. Aug. 16 and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Boulevard Theatre, 2252 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.Tickets are $25. For details call 414-744-5757 or visit www.boulevardtheatre.com. past her loss of someone not worth keeping and her mother may be lured from her hideout by an old friend who still nurtures fond memories of her. Jaime Jastrab is very good at creating a feeling of anxiety, and Brooke Wegner evokes memories in all of us when we found getting out of bed in the morning a near-impossible challenge. Despair and hope do an alternate dance in this one. I think most of us can relate to the experience of both.

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