This film is so fucking awesome.. I just wished it ended better.
So remember how a few months back I loved a movie called Daybreakers for it's original concept but was let down by a conventional, less inspiring ending? Well that's how I feel about them Joneses here. Don't get me wrong, this is still a pretty amazing movie, it just wasn't good enough.
So the film is about Joneses, a seemingly perfect, happy, upscale family who moves into a suburban neighborhood and slowly begins to have an effect on the community. They drive the latest cars, they have the latest gadgets, the wear the trendiest clothes and soon after, the neighbors start to follow their trend. But the Joneses ain't no ordinary family. They're a group of actors hired by an advertising company to pose as a happy family to influence people to buy their lifestyle. And let the wacky insueeeee!
I love the concept of this film. I love it. I love it. I love it. The film completely eviscerates the American dream Arthur Miller style, evoking the emptiness and loneliness of a life built solely on consumerism. And you watch this and laugh at how stupid these people are for being so easily influenced by the Joneses but the truth is we are all like that. I admit it, I buy shit I don't need cause a cool dude with a hot chick has them to.
David Duchovny is back baby! Damn I miss his X-Files days. Duchovny plays the charming newcomer to the family struggling internally with his ethics and increasing infatuation with his boss Demi Moore. I love Duchovny's style of comedy, very Ty Burrel-like, choosing to play out his funny scenes in subtle awkward, yet charming performances that will catch a lot of people off-guard. Demi Moore was fantastic in this. Not since The Hunchback of Notre Dame has she had a character that is both the hot cocktease and the woman in control. While I did prefer Duchovny to her, she was excellently cast to be his "love interest".
The Jones kids weren't that awesome. Amber Heard and Ben Hollingsworth were kinda typecast to be one-dimensional characters who only know how to subliminally sell luxury products. But they were given a lot to do in the film, they just didn't take full opportunity of it. By the way, Amber Heard gets stark ass naked in this and it was heaven.
But The Joneses gets derailed midway when the writers decided they weren't going to continue with the satirical ruse of the movie and opted it to end in the cliche Hollywood love story archetype. It was really disappointing seeing how this movie ended because The Joneses could have been so so so much better than this.
The Joneses isn't a bad film, but it isn't a great film either when it so easily could have been. But it's a film you gotta watch, it's still hella funny, original and has a great message of consumerism. Ending still sucked shit though.
RATING: 6/10
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