‘The Joneses’ Trashes Consumer Culture
You know that perfect family on the block that owns all the latest toys and gadgets before everyone else? In this film, the name of that family is the Joneses. When they become the newest family in a prosperous gated community, the Joneses are an instant hit with their neighbors. There is one big secret no one suspects about the new folks in town though: they’re actually not a real family.
These sneaky devils are actually paid employees of advertising agencies, hired simply to make products cool by association. The Joneses do not follow trends, they set them. As employees of the marketing giants, their only real goal is to make people envious of whatever they own. Once the seeds of envy have been planted, everyone else will go out to buy those products in an effort to fit in.
Steve (David Duchovny), a former car salesman, has just been appointed the replacement patriarch for the Jones family. This group, which also includes children Jenn (Amber Heard) and Mick (Ben Hollingswoth), is led by its fake mother Kate (Demi Moore). Steve is looking for compensation, but it becomes clear from the start, that he joined the program out of boredom with his single life. A small part of him hopes that by joining a family unit will help fill the void he feels in his life.
What Steve unfortunately discovers is that none of his co-workers are interested in being a real family; they don’t want to get to know one another. Keeping their eye on the prize is what keeps them strong, and prevents them from getting attached.
Even though he is a newcomer, Steve realizes he is quite adept at selling gears to the men who frequent the local country club. He uses his golfing abilities and his charm to befriend one of the club employees, who passes all of Steve’s insight on the hottest brands to the members. Steve also befriends his neighbor Larry (Gary Cole).
Larry is one of the victims of the Joneses’ spell. He is instantly jealous of their cars, their interior decoration, and their appliances. Desperately he tries to become more like Steve, buying all the toys until he has maxed out his credit cards, further driving his wife away from him.
The Joneses is a very unique and fascinating concept as a film, something refreshing in an age of reboots to classic franchises. It’s a biting social commentary that distinctly trashes our consumer culture as Americans, and shows us the damage our greed can do to our daily lives.
In places the film is funny, but in a darker sort of way akin to Little Miss Sunshine. David Duchovny’s timing is really what generates most of the laughs, not the script itself. Duchovny’s performance is the strongest one in the film, making it quite obvious he threw himself into the role. His sense of guilt and frustration with what he has done to the community of people is palpable.
Demi Moore however gives a very bland performance. The only thing she seems to give energy toward is her character Kate’s disgust with the concept of spending intimate time with her fake husband. She does not really have much chemistry with Duchovny which feels appropriate for part of the film when they are just co-workers. When the two become romantically involved though it’s still difficult to believe they would be an item.
Even though its dialogue is not very snappy, The Joneses is still an entertaining movie based on an interesting concept. It takes serious jabs at our American way of life and our unhealthy obsession with possessions. Larry’s descent into spending is meant to provoke analysis of our own desire for unnecessary high-priced goods.