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"THE JONESES" (2010) (David Duchovny, Demi Moore) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Extreme Mild Extreme Moderate None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Extreme Moderate Moderate None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Moderate Heavy Extreme Moderate QUICK TAKE: Comedy: The Jones family moves into an upscale, suburban community and immediately becomes the envy of their neighbors who don't realize they're not a real family but a stealth marketing unit instead. PLOT: The Joneses appear to be the perfect family. Husband and father Steve (DAVID DUCHOVNY) is obviously successful, drives a cool car, is an exceptional golfer, and is the picture of health. Wife and mother Kate (DEMI MOORE) seems to have it all together with her confident demeanor, trendy clothes, and great hair. All the girls at school want to be daughter Jenn (AMBER HEARD), who has the latest styles and the most cutting-edge mobile technology. Son Mick (BEN HOLLINGSWORTH), meanwhile, has a skateboard no one has ever seen before, drives a great car, and has immediately caught the eye of Naomi (CHRISTINE EVANGELISTA). But all is not as it seems. The Joneses are really not a family at all, but a stealth marketing unit out to convince their friends and neighbors to buy everything they are "modeling." Their boss is KC (LAUREN HUTTON), who shows up from time to time to give each of the Joneses a progress report on sales in the local community as a result of their efforts. Look a little closer, and even the "Joneses" are not the cold-hearted corporate shills they sell themselves as. Steve is really a wounded-heart romantic who has missed his opportunity to be a husband and father. Kate has planned out her career so thoroughly that she has forgotten to plan out her life. Jenn, shoehorned into her role as a teenager, seeks the sexual pleasure of older men. And Mick is really a closet homosexual. Their marketing eventually becomes too effective when bad things start to happen to their friends and acquaintances, most notably next-door neighbors Larry and Summer (GARY COLE and GLENNE HEADLY), caught up in their high-stakes game of monkey-see/monkey-do. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older teens will have some interest with the two teen subplots and the presence of Amber Heard from "Zombieland." WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language, some sexual content, teen drinking and drug use. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: DAVID DUCHOVNY plays a former car salesman now posing as a family patriarch for the purposes of selling lifestyle products such as cars and golf clubs to the residents of an exclusive gated community. He is a casual drinker and cigar smoker. DEMI MOORE plays a career stealth marketer, who pretends to be the wife and mother of the Jones household to get all of the neighborhood women to buy the products she uses. AMBER HEARD plays the teenage daughter of the fake Jones family, who becomes the most popular girl in school thanks to her beauty, trendy clothes, and cool gadgets that everybody wants. She is sexually promiscuous, though, attracted to older men. BEN HOLLINGSWORTH plays the teenage son of the fake Jones family, who also attracts a following at school thanks to the clothes he wears, the car he drives, and the skateboard he rides. He is hiding the fact that he is a homosexual, though. He is a casual drinker and smokes pot with a classmate. LAUREN HUTTON plays their demanding boss, who shows up from time to time to run each of their sales figures and give them progress reports. GARY COLE plays the Jones' next-door neighbor, who is openly envious of their possessions and spends to the point of bankruptcy and foreclosure to mimic them. He is a hard drinker and prone to depression. GLENNE HEADLY plays his wife, who tries to earn extra income by selling products such as makeup and household products to her friends and neighbors. She is a casual drinker. CHRISTINE EVANGELISTA plays a high-school girl who is attracted to Mick, but is unaware of his homosexuality. She smokes marijuana, is a party drinker, and makes the supremely bad choice of driving while drunk. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that has been rated R. Profanity consists of at least 9 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, as is adultery, nudity, implied sex, and the sounds of sex. Violence consists of one character getting injured in a car crash, one character getting punched after revealing his homosexuality, and another being slapped hard across the face for his duplicity. Some of this has mildly bloody results. One character commits suicide by drowning himself in a swimming pool. Bad attitudes are present throughout, as is potentially imitative behavior, tense family material and various thematic elements. Drinking is present during many scenes (including drunk driving), as is smoking cigars and marijuana. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, the film opens with a tracking shot of a car in motion with the camera first trained on the road and its blurry pavement. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Larry drinks a beer that Steve has offered him upon their first meeting. Larry is shown drinking beer with some golfing buddies. Larry drinks from a glass containing what looks to be whiskey or some other hard liquor while riding a lawnmower. Some golfers are so taken with Steve that they invite him to "go have drinks" with them. Much wine and many cocktails are shown being served and consumed at a neighborhood party thrown by the Joneses. Naomi asks Mick if he'd like to get high, and a couple of scenes later the two are shown smoking marijuana. Kate and Steve meet another couple for dinner and wine is visible on the table. Several background extras are also shown partaking in wine and other spirits. Kate and Steve return home and decide to open a bottle of what appears to be vodka and proceed to drink from it. Steve is shown drinking a beer alone as he eats a late-night supper in the kitchen. Kate and Steve share wine over a dinner date at a restaurant. KC asks the Joneses to stealth-sell a new rum juice packet to the community. Jenn and Mick throw a party for their high-school friends in which a lot of alcohol is shown being consumed, especially the rum juice packets that packed the Joneses' refrigerator. Naomi drives drunk, pursuing a car carrying Mick and driven by her brother (who has also been drinking). Many cocktails are shown being consumed at a party Summer and Larry throw. Larry drinks hard liquor from a glass and is clearly inebriated. Kate and her new "husband" move into a new neighborhood with Jenn and Mick in tow. They immediately have the next-door neighbors over for dinner and serve them wine. When Larry shows up and threatens to scuttle the whole charade, Kate's new fake husband confesses to really needing a drink and proceeds to open a new bottle of wine. BLOOD/GORE Steve sees Larry out his window walking his dog. Larry calls back to him, "I'm on poop patrol," and then proceeds to bend down and pick up the animal droppings (which we don't actually see) with a "mutt mitt." Mick has a cut across the bridge of his nose and a slightly swollen eye the morning after being punched. Naomi's face bears scrapes and bruising when Mick comes to see her a few days after her car crash. Her right arm is also in a cast. Kate's hairdresser raves about her toilet, admiring it for the thorough job it did in washing and drying his backside after defecating. A corpse is shown floating underwater in a pool, tied to a riding mower. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Nearly the entire film consists of the Jones lying to an entire community that they are a perfect family unit when they are really a stealth marketing group out to convince all around them to buy merchandise that they are essentially "modeling." Steve lies to Larry about having had tantric sex with Kate and hurting himself. Steve twice refers to a group of Kate's friends as "ladies" even though the gathering includes one homosexual man. Jenn flirts with a married man even though his wife is just a few feet away. The man then commits adultery by sleeping with Jenn. The wife later lies in wait for Jenn and tells her that she is one of many affairs the man has had. In a crowded restaurant, a man from Steve's past loudly interrupts Steve and Kate's meal with friends, eventually marveling at Kate having "tamed" Steve after he had so many sexual conquests in the past. Steve refuses to acknowledge the man, who clearly knew him from before he changed his name for work purposes. Naomi's brother calls Mick a "faggot" when he learns that he is gay. Naomi gives Mick the middle-finger gesture. Kate and Steve lie to a police officer to protect Mick. KC tries to convince Steve to take a promotion by bad-mouthing Kate, telling him she would take it in a second if offered to her. Larry disrupts Summer's Avon-like presentation at their party by loudly and angrily lamenting about his life and how much better Steve is than he. One spouse commits suicide, leaving the other spouse to find the body. No goodbye note is left behind either. FRIGHTENING SCENES We fear for the safety of Mick, Naomi, and her brother as they drive at high speeds through town after all have consumed alcohol. One character wakes up discover the house in disarray and a paper trail that leads out the back door and to a swimming pool where another character has committed suicide. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*ck you," "That has f*cked-up parent written all over it," "Get the f*ck away from me," "This family is f*cked up," "Holy sh*t!" "G*ddamn it!" "It's like riding on the ass of an angel," "This is your ass on the line," "We're trying to save your ass," "You lucky bitch," "The bitch borrowed it from me," "He's a miserable bastard," "You faggot," "Who the hell do you think drinks this stuff?" "The freak is back in action," "At least I'm not a slut," "Screw it," "Bite me," "Shut up," "You dog," "I'm on poop patrol," "Drop dead, Bob" and "Jeez!" Almost the entire film consists of the fake Jones family consciously making themselves hip, trendy, and attractive to the point where everyone around them comes to mimic their clothes, food, drink, household items, vehicles, and so forth. In turn, neighbors time and again imitate the Jones' behavior and buying habits. Larry talks with his mouth full of food. At different points in the film, Steve, Kate and various neighbors are shown jogging in the street as cars pass even though clearly there are sidewalks for them to run on. Some random kids are shown skateboarding outside of school, performing fancy tricks. Mick and Naomi's brother get into a car and drive away even though both have been consuming alcohol. The brother drives very fast. Naomi, who is quite drunk, gives chase in her car only to run a red light and get in an accident. Naomi gives Mick the middle-finger gesture. Kate and Steve lie to a police officer to protect Mick. Larry buys so many things that he falls behind on his bills and is unable to make his monthly mortgage payment. JUMP SCENES A vehicle Naomi is driving while drunk is hit hard from the side when she runs a red traffic light. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) Very tense music occurs during two key sequences - when Naomi drives drunk in pursuit of Mick and when one character walks frantically through a house and outside the back door to find another character has committed suicide. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 9 "f" words, 6 "s" words, 1 slang term for male genitals ("The Hammer"), 3 asses, 2 damns, 1 hell and 1 use of "G-damn." SEX/NUDITY Steve leers at Kate applying lotion to her bare legs. He suggests sex, but she turns him down. Jenn sneaks into Steve's room late at night, disrobes in shadow, and climbs into bed with him. Naked under the covers, she then proceeds to try and seduce the older man, kissing his neck and nibbling on his ear. This prompts Kate to enter the room, pull the younger woman out of bed, and order her back to her room. As Jenn moves between shadows, we can see brief glimpses of her bare breasts. The camera then follows all three characters to a stairwell where we get a longer shot of Jenn topless. Mick hides his homosexuality from the world. Throughout the film, Kate, Jenn, and especially Summer wear outfits and tops that show off their cleavage. Summer, in particular, is found of an especially low-cut nightgown as is Kate late in the film when she and Steve start to become romantically involved. A girls' locker room scene at the local high school shows several female students walking around in bras and other stages of undress, but no nudity. Steve lies to Larry about having had tantric sex with Kate and hurting himself. To which, Larry responds that it has been a while since he and his wife have had sex. Later that night, Larry tries to initiate sex with Summer, who rejects him. In front of other men, Kate plants several long and suggestive kisses on Steve so that he appears even cooler to the guys. Jenn and a married partygoer make a date to have sex even though the man's wife is only a few feet away. In the conversation, he refers to his penis as "The Hammer." Soon after, we see an exterior shot of a yacht in the local marina that bears the name "The Hammer." From inside, we can hear Jenn and the man having loud sex with lots of moans and cries of pleasure. A man who knew Steve from his past life marvels at Kate having "tamed the savage beast" after boasting of Steve's many past sexual conquests. To the amazement of their friends and neighbors, Steve plants a long, lingering kiss on Kate, who is wearing face cream at the time. Jenn and her married lover are shown cuddling in bed soon after off-screen sex. The sheets cover any nudity. The man's wife tells Jenn that she is nothing more than a "plaything" to her husband and that the affair will be over soon. Mick misreading Naomi's brother, kisses him hard on the mouth in the front seat of his convertible. Steve is shown shirtless in bed with Kate after implied off-screen sex. One character is shown floating dead in a swimming pool wearing only underpants. Kate and Steve share a romantic kiss in the front seat of a car before driving off. SMOKING Steve is shown smoking a cigar on the golf course. Other golfers are later shown smoking cigars and invite Steve to have drinks with them. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Reality sometimes becomes blurred for Steve, who has never had a wife and a family. Each time, he starts to play husband or dad, his coworkers point out to him that this is not a real family unit. Before it is technically revealed in the film that the Jones are not a real family, Jenn appears to try and seduce her own father by climbing naked into bed with Steve only to have "Mom" Kate enter and throw her out of the room. A man commits adultery by sleeping with Jenn. The wife later lies in wait for Jenn and tells her that she is one of many affairs the man has had. One spouse wakes up to find the other spouse floating dead in their backyard swimming pool. Kate, Mick and Jenn are re-assigned to a new "husband and father," and a dinner with neighbors becomes tense when Steve shows up. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Consumer culture. Stealth marketing and other forms of subliminal advertising. The dangers of getting deep into debt. The dangers of driving while drunk. Hiding one's sexuality. Adultery. Suicide. VIOLENCE Naomi runs a red light and is broadsided by another vehicle. Naomi's brother pushes Mick off of him and punches him hard in the face after Mick kisses him. Summer slaps Mick hard across the face after he confesses to the stealth marketing scheme he has perpetrated. One character commits suicide (off-screen) by driving a riding mower into a pool and being tied to it. Reviewed April 13, 2010 / Posted April 16, 2010

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