Review of Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016) by Dave M — 21 Oct 2016

Ah, the American Dream. Home ownership. Maybe on a quiet cul-de-sac. Neighbors who are also friends. Nice. Beautiful people. A couple of spies moving in across the street. Wait. What? Yup. That's the scenario in the action comedy "Keeping Up With the Joneses" (PG-13, 1:45).

The Gaffneys are living the dream. They're a small, happy family living in a nice house on said quiet cul-de-sac where the neighbors all know each other and sometimes get together for barbecues. Jeff Gaffney (a slimmed-down, goateed Zach Galifianakis) has a steady job that he enjoys - working in human resources at a local technology company. His wife, Karen (Isla Fischer), works from home as an interior decorator. They have the American average of two kids... who are only very briefly seen in this movie.

Jeff and Karen have just sent their tween boys off to summer camp, they have the house to themselves... and they start to realize how dull their lives have become. They're happy, but they're not excited - until they get some mysterious new neighbors. Tim and Natalie Jones (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot) move in across the street from the Gaffneys. Tim and Natalie are beautiful, obviously very much in love and pretty darned interesting. Tim talks about life as a travel writer (who blows glass as a hobby) and Natalie has a cooking blog and always wears the latest fashions. Why would relatively glamorous people like the Joneses want to move into such an ordinary neighborhood? Why indeed!

Jeff and Karen each seem to be making up for voids in their own lives by fixating on the Joneses. The earnest, but socially awkward Jeff admires Tim and sees him as a potential new best friend, so Jeff starts spending time with his man crush. Karen actually watches Tim and Natalie through a pair of binoculars. She becomes convinced that there is more to them than meets the eye. Jeff thinks that Karen's acting a little crazy, so she decides to take it upon herself to spy on the Joneses. She follows Natalie around town and even gets Jeff to join her in breaking into their house to investigate them further. It turns out that the couple whom the Joneses are spying on are actually spies. But are they good spies or bad spies? And now that the Gaffneys have gotten themselves wrapped up in such mysterious and dangerous (and exciting!) goings-on, will the Gaffneys be able to keep up with the Joneses - or will they die trying?

This film makes for a fun and pleasant couple of hours at the movies. The characters are agreeable, relatable and funny. Screenwriter Michael LeSieur delivers a well-constructed plot which will keep you guessing. Director Greg Mottola stages a raucous car and motorcycle chase scene with plenty of gun play late in the movie and keeps the audience smiling throughout. A combination of 2005's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and 2010's "Date Night", "Keeping Up With the Joneses" is well worth catching for yourself. "B".