This is a film all salespeople should watch, because it hammers close to home, and contains some nuggets of techniques to impart. Playing out like a social satire on consumerism and advertising, and just about poking fun at everyone who's guilty of keeping up with the Joneses, in literal fashion here a family of four becomes the quintessential personification of just those successful people whom we all aspire to become, emulate, or just plain desire to excel over.

We're introduced to what seemed like the perfect household, where Steve (David Duchovny) spends his time mowing the lawn and playing golf and you wonder how and how much dough and bacon he brings home. Kate (Demi Moore) occupying her time with all things necessary to look hot and beautiful, Jenn (Amber Heard) being the beautiful teenage daughter who's the flower of the school, and Mick (Ben Hollingsworth) the geeky but popular boy whose toys and gadgets make him the go to guy. Recently moving into a new neighbourhood, the Jones family soon become the envy of their neighbours, with everyone lapping up what they drive, drink, wear and have. If you want to be with the cool crowd, then you need to well, keep up with the Joneses.

Until of course the facade is pulled back, and we realize that it's all about in-your-face yet sublime piece of advertising, where product placement both in the reel, and don't forget the real world, are pretty much featured everywhere, allowing you to make mental note to get that golf club, or that Audi sports car if you have the dough. It's about the selling of a concept lifestyle, and this form of getting the word out, through actual talking about, and sampling the product, is nothing but a real world kind of inception, with the planting of mindshare firmly in the minds of the masses.

As mentioned, it's a must for sales people to watch, as it dwells on relationships or the lack thereof, when we fervently pursue numbers that define the occupation, with revenues, sales and profits being the sole focus of existence. Will we trade relationship for that climb up the corporate ladder? Will we not team up with fellow colleagues to ensure we capitalize on each other's strengths? And why not also go all out with joint marketing efforts? It also pays off for looking physically attractive, because like it or not, a beautiful face with the right kind of networking contacts and connections, get plenty of doors opened.

There's plenty to like from this Derrick Borte film from a Randy T. Dinzler story, which examines the effect of consumerism on relationships between family members, neighbours and society in general, critiquing in a nice manner without adding insult to injury when we see shades of ourselves in one or more of the characters. There's plenty of sharp wit, cheeky winks and double meanings going around, that you can't help but to chuckle at, and with the characters, who exercise the mantra of not mixing business with personal, but soon find themselves, through their various character arc subplots, crossing the line with various consequences.

In similar vein with Thank You For Smoking, The Joneses had plenty going for it as you sit back and watch society's faults and woes on display, with a dash of comedy and a tinge of pathos thrown in. For the cynic in me I would have liked it if it had ended on a bleaker note given how society self-destructs when some of us spend beyond our means just to show off, but I guess again in times like these where most parts of the world are bouncing out of a recession, that glimmer of hope about the light at the end of the tunnel would likely be more welcome. Highly recommended, and I'll not hesitate to shortlist this film as one of the best of this year!

I watched this movie on the note from a friend, who kept insisting that I just had to watch it, because it was such a cool movie. So I caved in and sat down to watch the movie, without having any clue what it was all about.

Now, I must say that I think it was a bold topic to make a movie about, but it actually worked out quite well. I am not much fan of movies that are raising debate about social issues, but this movie actually turned out to be interesting and alright.

The cast in the movie was phenomenal. David Duchovny, playing Steve Jones, and Demi Moore, playing Kate Jones, were really great opposite one another, and they had really good screen chemistry. Amber Heard, playing Jenn Jones, and Ben Hollingsworth in the role of Mich Jones, also put on good performances. But I think Gary Cole, in the role of Larry Symonds, was actually one of the better guys in the movie, he played his role quite well.

The story told in "The Joneses" about our consumerist society was somewhat interesting, and it manages to keep you riveted to the chair, wanting to see what happens next in the movie. But was it really one that was necessary being told? I found the movie to be adequate entertainment, but it didn't really raise any issues about consumerism after having seen it. Maybe because I just take a movie for what it is, a movie - a means of entertainment.

I noticed the movie was labeled as a comedy, which I would disagree with. Drama, yes, but comedy, no. At least not in the sense that it will make you laughing and rolling on the floor. Sure there were moments that were funny and somewhat outrageous, but as a comedy it just didn't do the trick for me.

"The Joneses", for me, is the type of movie that you watch it once, then bag it and tag it, never to see it again. To me, the story didn't have enough value for a second viewing.

"The Joneses" asks, can you keep up with the Joneses (David Duchovny and Demi Moore)? And the answer is yes. The plot has enough original twists and turns to keep it interesting, but not so many that you can still notice the few levels of nuance and intelligence that they added.

A very original take on the "keeping up with the Joneses" idea - everybody wants what the Joneses have. It may sound like any other film where we watch rich people live their selfish lives, but they quickly turn that on its head. It's much more clever and interesting. The creative premise can seem a bit far-fetched but it was immediately brought back down to Earth with the realism of the characters. I was completely intrigued by these characters, and particularly impressed with the emotion that was shining from beneath Duchovny's handsome surface.

I had no idea what to expect from "The Joneses". And, well, that's exactly what I got - something that I never could have expected. And it was great. This film is original and intelligent, especially with some of their perceptions of society. It can be a bit cynical at times but that just adds some dark humour which all the best films have. I highly recommend "The Joneses", especially for people who like a little bit of thought and originality in films.