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Here's another one in the long list of movies with thoroughly interesting and inventive plots that get watered down in their execution due to an apparent fear to go too far into emotionally dark territory. The idea for THE JONESES could've made for a brilliant cinematic critique of the rampant consumerism in American society as well as a satire of family dynamics and of how people hide behind masks in order to adhere to social conventions. Unfortunately, the movie deals simplistically with its subject matter, and even worse, there's very little chemistry between the two leads, and the two supporting players don't get as much screen time as they deserved.
From an outsider's perspective, Steve (David Duchovny) and Kate (Demi Moore) look like the perfect couple. They move into an incredible new house, they start making great acquaintances with their fellow neighbors, and their kids, Mick (Ben Hollingsworth) and Jenn (Amber Heard) quickly become the most popular stars at the high school they attend. As we discover almost immediately, though, these four people aren't actually related in the least bit. They are posing as a family, planted in this new neighborhood so that they can give off the impression that they're the perfect American family, and more importantly, so that they can convince their friends and neighbors to buy all the same products that they've got in their house. Every once in a while, "the Joneses" get a review on how each of them has individually performed in increasing the sales of the products they've been marketing around their neighborhood.
There's some good fun to be had during the first hour of THE JONESES, as the pretend-family puts on such a great act while people visit them, and then once they're alone in the house, everything turns to business talk. Of course, it's not long before feelings start settling in and it starts becoming harder than anticipated to continue the charade. There's a wonderfully executed scene in which Steve and Kate are at a restaurant with some of their neighbors, and suddenly, a person who knows the REAL Steve recognizes him and tries to come over to the table to say hello.
Unfortunately, while David Duchovny and Demi Moore give decent performances, it's impossible to believe the chemistry between them. There's supposed to be a moment in the film in which Kate relents and suddenly starts developing feelings for Steve, but it's impossible to tell how or why it happens. It's also impossible to tell why the film chose to give such little screen time to Mick and Jenn - it would've surely been interesting to see more of them pitching certain items to fellow friends and classmates at school. There's a twist involving Mick's character that is not only predictable, but also, it's the kind of twist that is now starting to become cliched and tired (certainly not something that'll shock people as much as it would've if they were watching a movie 15 years ago).
But what truly damages the film is that the delightfully breezy tone it had during its first hour takes a jarring turn for the tragic during the last half hour. The film tries to make a point about the hazards of people's obsession with having as much stuff as they can and chooses to go way too far rather than sticking to subtlety. The scene in which everyone is gathered outside of a house and a confession takes place feels misplaced and more like something out of a sitcom rather than something that belongs in the excellent dark comedy that THE JONESES should've been.
5/10
