Battle of the flicks: Elysium vs. We’re the Millers

We’re the Millers

Jason Sudeikis plays a drug dealer in some very hot bong water. In order to make good with his kingpin drug lord, he needs to smuggle a massive amount of pot into the States.

As a beard, he hooks up with a stripper played by Jennifer Aniston and two teens (Emma Roberts and Will Poulter) ready to rebel hardcore by posing as the perfect nuclear family.

Sudeikis’ improv skills really steal the show and his chemistry with Aniston sizzles, even though Aniston’s good-girl persona never really gets extinguished. This movie is more cute than clever.

Here’s what some other women thought:

Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star said, “We’re The Millers asks you to believe that somewhere in this world there’s a pot dealer who prides himself on not selling to kids and a stripper who never takes her bra off.”

Kara Nesvig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said, “Though incredibly predictable from start to finish, We’re the Millers did make me laugh.”

Katherine Monk of Canada.com said, “We’re the Millers offers an interesting commentary on the endangered middle class by saying it may be little more than an illusion, a practical joke that’s become the punch-line of the American Dream.”

You can read my full review here.

Elysium

This film about a dark and gritty futuristic world mirrors much of modern-day society by creating an exaggerated class divide. The rich have everything up on a space station called Elysium (the Greek word for paradise), while the poor must scavenge like cockroaches on Earth to survive.

Sexy Matt Damon is ripped like nobody’s business and plays the perfect underdog, allowing the entire audience to root for him.

The action is impulsive and the stakes are high: life or death for Damon as the penniless earthling, who gives a performance that may excel beyond the rest of the film.

EXCLUSIVE: Matt Damon turns on the charm in Elysium clip >>

Here’s what some other gals thought:

Jocelyn Noveck of Associated Press said, “If Elysium doesn’t nearly live up to District 9, it shows enough panache to leave us waiting enthusiastically for his next effort.”

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times said, “Mr. Damon’s performance helps keep the movie from sinking under the weight of its artfully constructed horrors.”

Lisa Kennedy of the Denver Post said, “Elysium is a gripping, visceral, disconcerting bit of business. Just as writer-director Neill Blomkamp intended.”

You can check out my full review here.