The Joneses

  • Review Date: April 15, 2010
  • R
  • Genre: Drama
  • 2010
Review

Common Sense Media says

Teen sex, drugs, drinking pop up in satire on materialism.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this worthy satire pokes fun at materialism while making it look very tantalizing in the process (thanks to a load of product placement throughout the film). One of the teen girl characters is sexually intimate with at least two older men, and we see her breasts briefly and hear sexual sounds, though no activity appears onscreen. A teen boy kisses another boy before being rebuffed. Teens drink alcohol and drive drunk. There’s some pot-smoking and diet pill-popping, along with a good amount of swearing ("f--k" and "bitch"). Yet the movie has the potential to start some meaningful discussions about materialism and how products are sold to consumers.

  • Positive messages2
    It’s simple, really: Things won’t make you happy. They can even make you downright miserable. Still, there’s a reason why spending to get them is so alluring. But there’s a bigger price to pay than what’s on the receipt; and behind every product is a salesperson who cares not a whit about what happens to you if you buy more than you can afford.
  • Positive role models0
    The Joneses are seen as role models in the movie, and yet clearly they’re flawed and, more important, happily so. (They sure do make the pursuit of products look so good.) Others covet what they have and make spending decisions accordingly. Teenagers drink and drive drunk, and hold in high regard those who have the latest and greatest (just like their parents). Many of them suffer the consequences, and the downsides of their seemingly perfect lifestyles are unmasked.
  • Violence3
    A teenager punches another guy who makes a pass at him and yells out a homophobic slur. A couple argues loudly. A character commits suicide by drowning himself.
  • Sex3
    A teenager is seen quickly getting into the bed of an older man naked, though the audience doesn’t get a glimpse of anything else but her breasts (and only briefly at that). She is also shown under covers with her shoulders bared, making out with another, also older, man. They’re also heard moaning off-camera. A couple kisses passionately a few times. Some sexual innuendos.
  • Language4
    Some strong language, including “bitch,” “s--t,” "ass" and "f--k.” Also, one "Goddamn."
  • Consumerism5
    Where to start? The film is laden with labels, everything from Van Cleef and Arpels, Audi, MBT sneakers, Dell, YSL, Style.com, and even a toilet named Toto. Many logos are visible, many products name-checked. The movie is practically the Home Shopping Network. But all this is intended to poke fun at our cultural obsessions with products like these.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking4
    Social drinking; teens imbibe alcohol at a party and drive while loaded; teen pot-smoking and diet pill overuse.
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What's the story?

They’ve just moved in, and yet it’s already hard to keep up with the Joneses. First, they’re gorgeous. Steve (David Duchovny) is witty and wired with all the latest gadgets, and has a mean golf swing. Kate (Demi Moore) looks half her age, hosts a mean dinner party, and keeps a beautiful home filled with covetable things. Their kids (Amber Heard and Ben Hollingsworth) are stylish and instantly popular at the high school. It’s no surprise then that their next-door neighbors, Larry (Gary Cole) and Summer (Glenne Headly), want to be them. Little do they know, however, that the Joneses are picture-perfect for a reason, and that reason strikes at the heart of every American consumer. They have products to sell, and their role is to make their neighbors buy them.

Is it any good?

 

How wonderful it is to fall in love with David Duchovny once more; THE JONESES gives him another chance to dazzle with his dry wit and observational stance. As Steve, he leads the audience in this satirical journey into the heart and soul(lessness) of abject consumerism. (Moore is a revelation, too. Finally, she has a part that doesn’t just trade on her looks, even though appearances matter much here.) It’s mostly successful; first-time director Derrick Borte handles the enterprise assuredly, and the supporting cast, especially Cole, adds layers to what could have been a superficial indictment of materialism and advertising. We are living in a material world, indeed.

Nevertheless, a shift in tone near the end, though adding gravity to the proceedings, diminishes the cheeky glee that earlier gives the film such lift. (Think Ocean’s 11.) The Joneses has a message, we understand that, but in making sure it gets delivered, it loses its verve. Must a movie become self-serious in order to make its very true, and very important, point?

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the marketing tactic that the Joneses employ: Is it believable? Is it, in fact, happening now to a certain extent?

  • What is marketing, and how does it work in everyday life? What makes consumers want to buy what they do?

  • What are the consequences of overspending? What is its allure considering how destructive it can be?

This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
Kid, 13 years old
June 21, 2011
AGE
14
 
preety good movie but is dark at times
this movie starts out really fun but then issues start happening in the family the "daughter" wants to get sexually involved with the "father" and then she has an affair with a married man and then things get emotional one of the characters committs suicide because he doesent have any money left and a persons girlfreind gets into a violent car crash the first half of this movie is fun but the second half gets more emotionally intense
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This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
Studio:Roadside Attractions
Director:Derrick Borte
Cast:Amber Heard, David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Gary Cole
Genre:Drama
Run time:96 minutes
Theatrical release date:April 16, 2010
DVD release date:August 9, 2010
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:language, some sexual content, teen drinking and drug use
This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
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BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
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