We're The Millers
Release Date: August 7 Oscar Prospects: Bad We're the Millers is a broad comedy about a man (Jason Sudeikis) who creates a fake family, consisting of a fake wife (Jennifer Aniston), a fake son (William Poulter), and a fake daughter (Emma Roberts), in order to help him smuggle drugs across the border from Mexico to the United States. The film is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, a man who had some success almost a decade ago with the Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, but who since then has mostly squandered that success, only making one film, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, which received poor reviews and minimal attention from audiences. This may be his attempt to get back in moviedom's good graces by going broad again, but with a August release, four credited screenwriters, and no bankable comedian leading the way, We're the Millers wreaks of the "throwing crap against the wall and seeing what sticks" mentality studio's have with films they don't have much confidence in. Who knows though, the early August period in the past has proven to be successful for initially questionable comedies. The Ben Stiller directed and starring Tropic Thunder debuted on August 13 in 2008, and while some may have been skeptical beforehand, the film proved be an enormous hit, grossing over $110 million domestically as well as receiving glowing reviews and even a rare comedic Oscar nomination for Robert Downey Jr's hilarious "black-face" performance. Back on August 19, 2005, a little comedy that no one expected to do much business by the name of The 40 Year Old Virgin took cinemas by storm, becoming a smashing success and pretty much immediately launching long-time television vet Judd Apatow as the comedic czar of American film comedy. Whether We're the Millers can join the illustrious ranks of these past comedies (probably not) remains to be seen, but Robert Downey Jr's Best Supporting Actor nomination not withstanding, these types of films rarely get the slightest glance from Academy members. On the rare occasion the Academy deems comedies worthy of their approval, it is usually a comedy that has a tinge of drama streaking through it, or at least is a comedy that is unique enough to be considered sophisticated. These things We're the Millers certainly is not, so an Oscar nominee it will certainly not be. Possible nominations: None