The Joneses is a golden opportunity missed. Why? It isn't that the film is bad, but it's hugely disappointing, particularly given its interesting premise. If you've seen the trailer, then The Joneses has more or less been spoiled for you. Rather then spoil what the film is about in this review, I'm going to pretend that you the reader have'nt seen the trailer. In The Joneses, David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Amber Heard and Ben Hollingsworth play the title characters--a dysfunctional family who move into a suburban neighborhood and virtually turn it upside down with their very persuasive behavior.

The big reveal in The Joneses is unleashed early on and it's perfectly clear that the film makers don't want to treat this reveal as a twist but rather as a device to propel the plot. Sadly though, The Joneses runs out of steam by the midway point and the final act of the picture is just a mess. It features an ill conceived tragedy that actually evoked laughter in a screening I attended, and a cheeseball ending that would have best remained on the cutting room floor. Through it all though, there's some pretty good performances here. Duchovny is warm and appealing while an offbeat Glen Headly and a dry Gary Cole are hilarious as The Joneses next door neighbors. The Joneses plays as a dysfunctional family dramedy with a twist, and while its hilariously shrewd look at consumerism starts off with a lot of promise, it slowly degenerates into an inferior fusion of American Beauty, The Stepford Wives, and The Burbs'.