We're the Millers is a 2013 film about a drug dealer who ropes in pretend family members as part of a plot to smuggle drugs from Mexico into the USA under the guise of it being a family vacation. Although it has mediocre reviews, I rather enjoyed the film. It's pretty funny and has some great performances from Jason Sudeikis as the drug dealing 'dad' (who exudes a vibe similar to that of Chevy Chase in the National Lampoon films), Jennifer Aniston as the stripper 'mum', Emma Roberts as the sassy 'daughter' and Will Poulter as the virgin 'son'.
Filmed a decade later (on 28th and 29th June 2023), We're the Taylors is a parody from studio MYLF (part of TeamSkeet). Although it clearly takes heavy influence from We're the Millers, there are also many differences.
For one, the Taylor family is an actual family, although the son (Elias Cash) and daughter (Gal Ritchie) are unrelated siblings who have been adopted by Kenzie Taylor (a porn director here, as opposed to a stripper) and Chad Alva (who is just a regular dad here, not a drug dealer). I found it interesting how in the original film, the son was played by a Brit, but here it's the daughter who has a distinctly English accent. Well, that's just more proof that they're not blood relatives, I guess!
Since the drug dealing plot has gone, the Taylors do not take an RV to Mexico. Instead, they take an RV to visit their Aunt Barb (Whitney OC). It's unclear how exactly Aunt Barb is related to the Taylors (Chad first says she is Kenzie's aunt, but then it's suggested she may instead be her sister). Either way, all the characters are introduced in a funky opening title sequence which, aside from misspelling Gal's surname as "Richie", reveals that the spider's name is Lydia. I think Lydia is a fine name for a tarantula (Gal's "emotional support animal", it turns out).
Before the family sets off, Gal and Elias discover their mum's occupation. It transpires she usually works in mainstream film, but due to the writers' strike, she has had to take on porn productions to make ends meet. Anyway, Gal and Elias are enthralled by her porn, which leads Kenzie to teach them all about sex. A threesome results.
Once they're on the road, a re-enactment of the kissing scene from the original film takes place. Seeing Kenzie and Gal take turns to snog Elias is pretty hot. One difference, however, is that in this version, the father is completely oblivious to the antics taking place.
A police officer (Charles Dera) pulls them over for speeding. Of course, this isn't Mexico like in the original, but for some reason Chad speaks to him in Spanish. Anyway, Charles wants to get some action in exchange for letting the family off the hook. Fortunately, Kenzie and Gal are up for some.
When the family finally arrive at Aunt Barb's home, Gal realises Lydia has gone missing. Both Chad and Elias yelp in pain as their balls are sequentially bitten. However, fear not: Whitney has the bright idea that she and Gal can suck the venom out of their balls. Dear reader, if you should ever be in the unfortunate situation of being bitten by a spider, please seek advice from a medical professional!
The film's production values are pretty poor, with dialogue often being inaudible (the final scene at Aunt Barb's home frequently being an echoey mess). But it still manages to be an entertaining experience, and I particularly enjoyed the performances of Gal and, of course, Lydia – the true star of the show.
★★★☆☆ 3/5