Director Greg Motolla managed to capture the storylines of many different romantic comedies and compile them into one film with his new release, “Keeping Up With The Joneses.” But the problem with this lies in the execution of the film. He just didn’t create this mixture all too successfully.
The plot creates some kind of fusion of Shawn Levy’s “Date Night,” starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell, with Doug Liman’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Instead of Fey and Carell, this storyline surrounds Karen and Jeff Gaffney (Isla Fisher and Zach Galifianakis), who portray a similarly nerdy, middle-aged, suburbia-enthused couple. But when Mr. and Mrs. Jones — the fabulously attractive, too-perfect-to-be-true couple — move in next door, Karen and Jeff are unable to keep to themselves. This sparks the dangerous discovery that their new neighbors are not who they say they are.
Meet Motolla’s version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith: Tim and Natalie Jones (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot), espionage professionals disguised as a suburban couple.
Although I harbor issues with the unoriginal character development, the storyline is not entirely clichéd. Once the couples become tied up in one another’s lives, there is a good balance between the hilarious subplots. Cheesy comedy, fierce action, and sentimental facets of the film really carry it to the next level.
The cheesy comedy can better be described as “middle-aged parent humor,” which, although I can appreciate, I do not recommend for college kids in their late teens/early twenties. The comedic scenarios throughout the film combine slapstick situations encountered by the nerdier of the two couples — the relatability that normal people have with Karen and Jeff Gaffney — with puns and references to songs from the ‘80s.
Action scenes are produced from the espionage subplot, and are surprisingly not half-assed. This expands the audience of the film to more than just those looking for a romantic comedy. I was impressed at the level of special effects used in the film; the fast-paced, high-tech characteristics of the movie definitely made me more inclined to recommend it. It doesn’t seem right to turn down a cool car chase, especially one that is humorous and has little to no true violence shown on screen.
Of course, this type of movie would not be complete without some “Aww” moments. Luckily, “Keeping Up With The Joneses” did not drop the ball on this.
The long, drawn out plot point of Jeff Gaffney holding a heavy investment in his job as a Human Resources worker finds its way into tender, bonding moments between Gaffney and Tim Jones. Meanwhile, the two men’s wives find a way to relate to one another on real-life levels, despite having almost completely opposite domestic lives.
The story resolves well, in a classic romantic comedy, cutesy way. However, I maintained the feeling that the film could have been more successful had it been less ambitious and stayed true to just one kind of film. Rather than trying to be “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Date Night,” it could have tried to be something entirely different. The implementation just didn’t quite work for me.
In the end, the film didn’t surpass any expectations I had after watching a two and a half minute trailer, but it also didn’t entirely disappoint. But beware, the jokes targeted at an older generation might mean your parents will end up relating to it more than you will.
The verdict: If you’re looking for a simplistic, escapist film that meets somewhere between a few different genres, this one may be for you
Reach Opinion Editor Rebecca Gross at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross
