Keeping Up with the Joneses
2016 · Directed by Greg Mottola
Original language: English
- action
- comedy
The story
An ordinary suburban couple finds it’s not easy keeping up with the Joneses – their impossibly gorgeous and ultra-sophisticated new neighbors – especially when they discover that Mr. and Mrs. “Jones” are covert operatives.
What it’s like
Bright, flat suburban daylight over manicured lawns, sunlit cul-de-sacs and pastel open-plan kitchens, shot with fairly conventional coverage: wide establishing frames of tidy houses, then close, quick cutting during the chases and set-piece fights. The palette is cheerful and slightly glossy, the sort of sheen you get from digital capture, and the score is bouncy and light, with spy-thriller stingers that puncture the domestic calm. Vibe: sunny, breezy suburban farce with a wink. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a light comfort rewatch, or something easy on a long-haul flight. Pacing is brisk and jokey, with an emotional arc that follows a timid, lonely husband gradually gaining nerve and a couple patching up their marriage. Intensity is moderate: there are action sequences with punches, gunfire, crashes and a few explosions, plus some sexual innuendo and crude humour, but no gore and nothing truly harrowing. It is for people who want a silly, mild thriller with broad comedy and a happy ending, and who are fine with cartoonish violence.
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