The average American is exposed to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of advertisements each day. More often than not, these ads are direct and to the point — customers realize they are being marketed to and what it is the company is trying to sell — but sometimes the lines aren’t quite as clear. What if in keeping up with the Joneses you really are just falling victim to undercover marketing? Perhaps you thought your neighbor was living the American Dream, when in reality he or she is just selling it. This is the thought-provoking premise of “The Joneses,” an independent film that captivates at times despite suffering from an identity crisis regarding what genre it truly falls into.
From the outside looking in, Steve Jones (David Duchovny, “The X-Files: I Want to Believe”) has it all. He has a beautiful wife (Demi Moore, “Mr. Brooks”), two attractive children (Amber Heard, “The Stepfather” and Ben Hollingsworth, TV’s short-lived “The Beautiful Life: TBL”) and all the hottest toys, clothes and accessories, much to the envy of his wealthy suburban neighborhood. But Mr. Jones also has a big secret. He has no wife, no kids and none of his possessions are actually his. The truth is Steve lives with a fake family commissioned by a marketing company to introduce luxury products to their community.
In his debut film, writer/director Derrick Borte pens a fresh concept that’s not only timely to our current climate — where marketing companies are constantly striving to find new ways to advertise — but also provocative in that it’s not too crazy to think something like this could actually happen — or maybe it already has to an extent unbeknownst to the general public. Regardless, Borte’s screenplay is a spot-on blend of today’s pop culture and social environment that will keep audiences thinking.
Now, if only Borte knew how to translate his innovative ideas for the silver screen. The film’s pacing works well enough in that it reveals the Jones’ secret to viewers early enough so that things don’t get too weird — Steve’s daughter climbing in bed with him in an unexpected sexual encounter, for example — and moves along briskly afterward, effectively showing how this lifestyle affects each family member. However, Borte’s inexperience shows in his inability to fluidly keep his plot and dialogue in a genre that works.
The film starts out as a comedy of sorts, a lighthearted, sharp look at a fake family tricking its neighborhood into keeping up with its ever-changing hip lifestyle. Then the film unexpectedly takes a drastic, dramatic turn where everything starts going wrong and what little humor is left is surprisingly dark. Although this radical change actually works in Borte’s favor, creating a new, deeper look at how the Jones’ way of life negatively affects both the family and the neighborhood, the director decides to take a more optimistic approach toward the end of the film, resulting in a weak, unsatisfying ending that would have worked better had Borte decided to keep things dark.
Not only does this unexpected genre switching take a toll on the plot as a whole, but it also hurts the dialogue as well. When the film wants to be a comedy, the playful banter and witty jokes between characters give the film a cleverly funny feel, and when it takes a turn for the dramatic the dialogue is smart and compelling. Unfortunately, this is all lost near the end when lines become dumbed down to pure clich?.
The acting in the film is passable, managing not to distract from the plot for the most part, but with a few exceptions. Duchovny shines as the charming Steve, a man who’s good at what he does, yet wishes for a normal family life. Duchovny effortlessly shifts with the plot from a witty salesman to a conflicted individual who just wants out. He’s at his best, though, in his scenes with Gary Cole (“Pineapple Express”), who plays Steve’s envious neighbor, Larry. The chemistry between the two is riveting, and Cole’s performance is painfully realistic as he does whatever it takes to keep up with the Joneses. Although the film takes an interesting look at undercover marketing in a novel way, “The Joneses” is unable to fully sell the idea. At times, the film will compel you with an intriguing plot and sharp dialogue, but the overall pitch is flawed with confusion and missteps that make the film watchable but not appealing as a whole. If anything it will make you think the next time somebody tries to get you to buy into something.
2 1/2 stars out of 5.
