Echo Lake Productions
David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Amber Heard, Ben Hollingsworth, Gary Cole, Glenne Headly, Lauren Hutton, Chris Williams, Andrew DiPalma, Ric Reitz
Well, talk about your dysfunctional family! I don’t want to give away too much of the story as you might not have heard the premise this film is based upon, and if you don’t know the kicker going in, then it’s a lot more fun. I did not see previews for this, and I did not have any expectations going in. This is a clever concept for a film. Let us just say this is one of the most screwed up “familes” you’ll ever see. Mom is a control freak who is the “boss”. Dad is a golf nut who spends all his time on the golf course. Brother is in the closet. Sister is a nympho who can’t help hitting on every older man in sight. Mom and Dad sleep in separate rooms. But on the surface, they sure seem like the perfect couple that everyone wants to aspire to be.
“Keeping up with the Joneses” is obviously the theme of this movie, but you will have to admit, it’s a whole different ball game with this bunch.
Some of this film is funny, some is tragic. But mostly it’s a satire on modern life, but in a way I’ve never seen before. I think it was a very interesting movie and gave me lots to think about.
Demi Moore is not bad as the driven housewife, but Duchovny doesn’t quite cut it for me as the Dad. I think a better casting choice could have been made here. He’s not terrible, but he is probably the weakest link. The next door neighbors are a sad lot as well. Both are very good in thier roles. Everybody needs to step back and look at their flaws and try to redeem themselves. Some do, some don’t. Most people don’t change, they just continue making the same mistakes.
The Joneses are certainly not someone I’d like to follow, but since nobody in the family appears to have a job, I guess their life style is pretty amazing! Categorizing this film is a challenge too. It’s not overly a comedy, neither is it much of a romance. I guess the closest is Drama, but I’m checking all 3 because it’s definitely some of each.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
