THE JONESES

I always have grave misgivings when a film claims to have a moral or give a message. Even if it purports to consumerism and the ills thereof – a worthy moral indeed – I still have doubts. Sure, giving a message while entertaining is great in theory it is rarely anything more than a theory – the two don’t usually mix very well… You will invariably either lose the message, making all that “led up to it” look rather pointless or lose the fun, making it more of a didactic fable… The Joneses is one of those rare gems that actually pull it off. Amusing, yet fun to watch – really fun to watch…

The film opens on a seemingly normal day in suburbia. Grand homes, top of the range cars, perfectly manicured lawns and a new family moving in next door. And they are… Annoying – in the good sense. You, see they are perfect. Fit, good looking, two well mannered, cool children, top of the range everythings, very soon the entire neighborhood’s eyes are out on stalks! There is, however, something very wrong with The Jones family. They are not a real family. They are a sales team – working for a marketing company called Life Images and their job is to move into rich neighborhoods, to act like a family and to “push” the various products their clients want to sell… It’s all very serious and very competitive with monthly reviews and sales numbers monitored… Kate (Demi Moore) is the “unit leader” and is pushing to get to “icon” status. Her “husband” Steve (David Duchovny) is a rookie but has ample experience as a car salesman – everyone is high hopes of him. The only problem is, life has this annoying habit of slipping through the cracks of even the best-conceived plans… And Kate’s plans are just about to become completely unhinged…

Like I said, I didn’t have much hope for this film however; it has managed something quite extraordinary. It has struck a balance between the didactic and the amusing. Yes the lesson is there, the very real harm that can be done when one gets too caught up in marketing – in buying and in the consumer society we live in today. It comes down to what is valuable, right? Remember Oscar Wilde; very few people know the actual value of things. The story is original and the acting is good. Demi Moore is a pleasure to watch as always and Ben Hollingsworth – who makes his first transition from theatre to the big screen as Mick, the Joneses son – is also well worth looking out for. I found myself actually getting quite wound up about some of the plot twists! Another interesting fact is, in case you didn’t know, “families” like this actually exist. And incidentally, I’m sure you’ve heard of people who have been paid to sit at a bar and drink a certain brand of beer or smoke a certain brand of cigarette – quite widespread in the States apparently… Scary stuff – and food for thought.