“Keeping Up with the Joneses” is a movie destined to live out its days on TBS or Comedy Central on repeat. To be clear, that’s not a compliment. Much like “Date Night” or possibly “Knight and Day,” this is a middling, underachieving, decisively middle-of-the-road PG-13 action comedy that almost goes out of its way to make you forget about it as soon as it ends. It’s safe and edgeless, and therefore there are few surprises. It’s about as lovable as toothpaste or laundry detergent.
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The film follows Jeff and Karen Gaffey (Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher), two settled suburbanites with little excitement in their lives. That changes when their sexy new neighbors Tim and Natalie Jones (Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot) move in overnight. Confident, rich and suave, the Joneses are everything the Gaffeys are not. They’ve traveled the world. They’ve mastered cooking delicacies.They can open a bottle of beer with one hand or throw a perfect game of darts. They’re perfect. Maybe a little too perfect.
Upon investigation, Karen discovers the Joneses are not who they claim to be. Little does she know that they’re spies on a covert mission to gather information pertaining to Jeff’s high-end tech company, where he works as a lowly HR representative. Soon, Jeff and Karen get caught in the action, and their relationship is bestowed with more danger, suspense and thrills than they ever found settling down on the couch to watch the next episode of “The Good Wife.”
One should applaud the likable cast —which also includes Matt Walsh (“Veep”), Maribeth Moore (“Workaholics”) and one unexpected cameo from one particularly popular comedian constituting the film’s sole surprise— for doing what they can. Michael LeSieur’s rote, charmless screenplay is given some semblance of life through the cast’s genuinely appealing onscreen presence. Hamm and Galifianakis in particular both do what they can to spice up an otherwise unexceptional comedy. Hamm provides his bonafide charisma, while Galifianakis’ knack for delivering dry asides provides a few unexpected chuckles, particularly towards the beginning. Gadot seems to enjoy flexing her comedic muscles a little, especially after years upon years of playing stiff roles in the otherwise-playful “Fast and Furious” films and her rendition of Wonder Woman in the ultra-serious (for now) DC Extended Universe franchise. But their efforts are rarely rewarded. The conventional nature of the film leaves them stuck in neutral.
This cul-de-sac action comedy is simply too genial and toothless to work, which is a shame since it is helmed by Greg Mottola, the comedy-oriented director behind “Superbad,” “Adventureland,” “Paul” and HBO’s “Clear History,” which also starred Hamm. Perhaps the biggest issue is the film’s PG-13 rating, Mottola’s first. The comedy here rarely ever gets a chance to expand or protract —its wavelength remains a consistent flatline, failing to raise its pulse or tone, even when bullets and bombs fly. Similarly, Mottola’s action style is also uninspired here, which is doubly disappointing because he proved surprisingly adept as such in “Paul.” He appears to be strictly in director-for-hire mode.
It’s frustrating because one knows there’s a stronger comedy in here —especially in light of these performers. Though the lack of momentum might suggest that it was never going to be their best effort, Hamm and Galifianakis have surprisingly pretty good bromance chemistry, and the four leads play well together. Considering they’re working with what amounts to little more than a slight “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” rehash, there’s a nagging sense that Mottola’s latest is basically a dusted-off 2006 comedy which somehow got a greenlight ten years later, and they’re simply enjoying themselves while they can.
Much like “Central Intelligence” earlier this year, “Keeping Up with the Joneses” sometimes clicks, thanks to the commitment brought by the cast, but it’s too often shackled with a tired plot to really make the most of its potential. Harmless yet ineffective and deeply underwhelming, it’ll find a long life on basic cable. If nothing else, it will give TBS an excuse not to replay “Out Cold,” “Hot Rod,” “Death at a Funeral” or “The House Bunny.” I suppose that’s a victory of some kind. [C]