The new neighbors next door are harboring a top secret operation that has their neighborhood in shambles. In “Keeping Up With the Joneses”, Jeff and Karen Gaffney (Zack Galifanakis and Isla Fischer) are a suburban couple who’s level of excitement is the routine of children and jobs 24/7. That all changes when good looking neighbors Tim and Natalie Jones move in across the street. Taken aback by their perfect personalities and appearance, the Gaffney’s hatch a plan to learn more about their secretive neighbors after something just not clicking about their daily routines. With some deep digging, the Gaffney’s crack that their newest friends are secret agents for the government, thrusting them into the fast paced action of international espionage. “Keeping Up With the Joneses” is directed by Greg Mottola, and is rated PG-13 for sexual content, action/violence and brief strong language.
“Keeping Up With the Joneses” is the latest in spy comedies that tries a little too hard to push a circle peg into the square. With the exception of 2015’s “Spy”, very few films have exceeded the expectations of mixing two counter opposite genres like the worlds of comedies and spy thrillers. This one doesn’t offer much resolution to that continuing epidemic. It’s poorly timed, bland, and missing an exceptional leading actor to really bring everything together. Just two weeks ago, I mentioned my complete disdain for Zack Galifanakis, and with each role that he gives to his audience I can start to see an actor void of any kind of human energy to get him over the hump of such a thankless character. Simply put, this movie isn’t funny at all, and it’s not even trying. What can be described as the few comedic scenes in the movie were all placed repeatedly in each trailer across America. The people in my theater were loving it, and I always wondered how someone can laugh at something so much that they have heard a hundred times. “The Joneses” didn’t answer that question, but instead surrounded it with a flimsy storyline that they tried to pass off for a third act.
That story takes place once the mystique involving our new neighbors gets unveiled, and the Gaffney’s must help them take down an anonymous figure who is heading a group thirsty for insider secrets at the company Jeff works at. Considering this idea took place with forty minutes left in the script, it’s clear to see that the writers have no dedication or desire to persuade the audience into remotely caring about this story arc. This is made even more clearly when the big reveal happens to be someone that the television spots have been giving away shamelessly. So there’s no big surprise at the end of a dull and unfunny trip with these characters. Before this, the first half of the movie centers around the Gaffney’s figuring out why the Joneses are in their neighborhood of all places. It’s a predictable tier to this movie that takes far too long to fish out the answer. On top of it, there’s nothing ever memorable about the material that drifts away from telegraphed direction in every scene. If you like a comedy that you could sit down and write in five minutes, this is your bag baby.
What is enjoyable about this movie however, is the competent level that the action scenes are shot at. There are some legitimately thrilling chase sequences in the movie that really lend an homage to 90’s action directors like John Woo or Jerry Bruckheimer. This is the one aspect in the movie that I had some fun with, and it really inserts some much needed energy into a comedy that is hitting a speed bump at every turn with its limited PG-13 rating. The camera style here is revolving around the car, working with some quick edits that really diagraph the tension surrounding every character. For a movie as silly and ridiculous as this one, the action sequences really surprised me, and reminded me that there is still action in every spy comedy.
Also devilishly likeable was that of the performances of Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot as the title characters who are hiding a lot more than they’re letting on. This is the story that I really wanted to see throughout this movie. Every time the Joneses leave the frame and leave us the audience with the Gaffney’s, I couldn’t help but let out a wimper that described my regret. It felt like I was missing the better movie every time these two left the frame of the camera, and it makes me wonder what might’ve been if this movie had just entailed their origin story. It’s the “Mr and Mrs Smith” for this decade, and each of them compliment the other beautifully. What works so magnificently about their performances is the chemistry between them, exuding personalities that prove they are something more than just pretty faces. Gadot is somewhat the guarded wall in this couple, and this offers a different take on the young star that we haven’t seen. Hamm is still as charming as it comes, donning an attitude reminiscent of the 60’s ballroom gentlemen from the golden age of cinema. There’s nothing he can do that I wouldn’t enjoy, and it’s nice to see some heart to play opposite of his aggressive side within this movie.
As for Galifanakis and Fischer, they just kind of take up time bumbling around each other. I’m not even sure Zack can pass for a comedy actor anymore because this feels very much like a straight man role to Hamm’s off-the-wall secretive character. At least in “Masterminds” he failed at countless attempts. Here, it’s like he’s scared to ever swing the bat, and that loss of confidence feels evident in his delivery in this film. It’s nice to see Fischer again, but this role doesn’t give her a lot to do playing alongside such vibrant personalities. She’s kind of the voice of reason for a lot of the narrative within these scenes, and that makes for a boring turn for someone who has such notable comedic timing like she has proven in roles like “Hot Rod” or “Wedding Crashers”. This duo are clearly outshined by their co-stars, and that doesn’t always add up when you consider 70% of the movie is dedicated to the change within their boring and tedious lives. We hear they have two children, but we don’t see them in one scene in this movie. An example of shoddy backstory at its finest.
Overall, I had no problem keeping up with the Joneses, but this movie certainly had trouble keeping up with even my lowering expectations as the movie went on. The comedy in this screenplay falls flat at every turn, often leading to a bigger emphasis on the state of comedy films in 2016. The action gets your blood pumping, but there’s not enough laughs or energy to compliment such rare feats for this genre. “Keeping Up With the Joneses” needed two leading roles, not four, and as a result we get another floundering failure in the ever-diminishing career of Galifanakis.
4/10