The Joneses

Keeping up with the Joneses has never been so much fun. At least that was the first thought that popped into my head as I was walking out of the theater.

IMPORTANT: I cannot get into this review before telling you what is really going on here. So if you are not into spoilers, then stop right here, go see the movie, and then come back after you've seen it. And you should see it.

So what is this movie about? Well, let me first start off by saying that The Joneses follows a unique storyline that I have never seen before in a film. This movie follows the story of  four professional trendsetters who are hired to pose as the cool, new family in town that everybody wants to be like. The idea behind this is to make everybody in the community want to "keep up with the Joneses" by buying all of their products.

David Duchovny is very convincing as Steve Jones, the newest member of the Jonse unit. Throughout the movie Duchovny's character, who has never been married, desperately tries reaching out to his newfound "family" in attempts at a real relationship and because of this Steve Jones becomes the sympathetic character who inevitably grows on the audience. Demi Moore plays the leader of the Jones unit who has to keep reminding herself that this is just business as she starts falling for Duchovny's character. Demi is okay.

Finally we reach my favorite aspect of this film- Derrick Borte. As a first time writer-director, Borte really brings his dark dramedy to life with a clever script and very nice camerawork. Borte has definitely made a fan out of me and left me looking forward to his future work.

The only downside to this film is the end. Borte builds up the rising action with lots of intensity, humor, and drama only to leave us with an ending that is highly anticlimactic. However, the ending will not make you feel like you have wasted your money. The Joneses is a smart, dark, modern dramedy that deserves credit for its expression of American materialism and its all-so-true message that we should be happy with who we are and what we've got.

Highly recommended.