From Sunset Boulevard to Wisteria Lane, there is no shortage of controversial happenings in the world of on and off screen Hollywood families. Therefore, we are lead to believe that everyone has a neighbor that is doing something so outlandish it is only believable as a film or television show. And if we don’t have that crazy neighbor, it must be us with the dark and scary skeletons hanging in our closet. The latest film to spread paranoia about what our neighbors are doing, in a somewhat lighthearted way, is The Joneses.
The film takes place in a wealthy suburb where the average income is $100,000. Needless to say every house on the street is beautiful. We don’t know what the Joneses do for a living or why they are moving nor do we know where they are coming from. Kate (Demi Moore) and Steve (David Duchovny) along with their two teenage children Jenn (Amber Heard) and Mick (Ben Hollingsworth) move into the largest and most elaborate house on the street.
They appear to be the perfect family who has everything except a worry in the world. However, questions begin to rise when we see that Kate and Steve sleep in separate bedrooms. One night, their daughter Jenn sneaks across the house and tries to seduce Steve. When Kate catches her she responds by saying, “sorry dad!” It is obvious that this family is hiding some major secrets.
Secrets can be fun, that is, unless they are embedded in a film about how people only buy things because their neighbor has them. Yep, the Jonses are a fake family put together by some major corporation (i.e. the villainous corporation) in order to push some kind of super-consumer lifestyle. They call it “stealth marketing,” and each family member has a certain group of potential buyers that they target. As a whole, they are selling the American Dream (or at least what the filmmaker feels is the American Dream).
The Joneses is directed by Derrick Borte, which is his first time up at bat. Being a rookie director is never an easy task, so I would be willing to see Borte’s next film regardless of my distaste for his first try. This film had many things going for it; the problem is that almost all of it was left unexplored or at least unfinished. The only thing we are left with is a blurry anti-capitalist/anti-consumerism message that doesn’t hold much water. The film endorses and idea that Americans are so stupid that they feel the only key to happiness is to spend a lot of money.
The film takes a few familiar and painfully predictable turns that leaves it as a rushed combination between American Beauty and Boiler Room. We get it, Hollywood hates capitalism. The nice thing about this film is that is attempts to poke fun at how movies utilize product placement as well. Of course, that is strategically left buried under the mountain created by its “capitalism kills” message. Ultimately, this is the kind of film Michael Moore would make if he was a halfway respectable filmmaker and slightly less combative.
Even though the film stands strongly against the idea of marketing and capitalism, it would have been enjoyable had it been either cast differently or written with more control. The film tries to blend comedy and drama, which is not easy to do. If it would have followed a single tone (serious or humorous), it would have been better off and found the solid grounding that it was lacking. There were many characters to explore but were left lightly brushed over. The only consistent aspect was a weak attempt to “tell the truth” about the “evil” corporations.
The bottom line is that when this film tries to be funny it isn’t. When it takes a turn towards serious drama, it feels awkward and forced. There are messages looming everywhere, but they mostly remain free floating at the end and we are left with a complete mess to untangle. Unfortunately, it cannot be saved from its somewhat enjoyable production value.
I have to say, seeing this film was certainly the longest 96 minutes I have spent in a long time.
Film Grade: D
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