First, the Recap:
Just your average, everyday people. Most of us would comfortably fit into this category just like Jeff and Karen Gaffney (Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher), who live a rather mundane, routine-filled (honestly, rather flat-out boring) existence on a quiet cul-du-sac in suburban Atlanta. Working at a tech firm MBI, Jeff still strives to make life for the two of them at least a little less insipid. Things, however, take a radical turn upon meeting the new neighbors across the street, Tim and Natalie Jones (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot), who are the exact opposite of the Gaffneys. Fun, intelligent, well-traveled, and quite simply perfect, the two couples manage to hit it off. That is until some ill-advised snooping by Karen reveals that the Joneses are much, much more than they seem.
Worth Seeing: Kind of
Don’t get this reviewer wrong–the film is some silly fun and invokes some decent laughs along the way. There are some solid action sequences, and the whole “fish-out-of-water” scenarios between the “average-but-want-excitement” Gaffneys and the “blow-your-mind-with-total-perfection” Joneses are also both endearing and goofy. Yet, somehow, it still wasn’t the uproariously funny comedy I personally desire. While it’s not necessarily “Tommy Boy” zaniness being sought after, still, I wanted to be laughing beyond a chuckle more often. Galifianakis and Fisher are quite amusing as the Gaffneys, perfect as the comedic foil to Hamm and Gadot’s affluent, secretive, and highly skilled Joneses. But again, the whole affair manages to come up a little short.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
