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THE JONESESMovie Reviews
Comedy drama about a picture-perfect American family who are secretly shills attempting to entice their unsuspecting neighbors to part with their money. Cast:David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Amber Heard, Gary Cole, Lauren HuttonDirector:Derrick BorteRelease Date:April 16, 2010DVD Release:August 10, 2010From:Roadside AttractionsRating:RLength:1 hr. 36 min.
The Joneses played in national release to good not great reviews. • Marc Mohan wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "...a smart little comedy... Once it becomes clear where the story's headed, some fizz escapes from the film, but it's still a pretty spot-on satire..." • And Rennie Dyball wrote in People, "...boasts an intriguing premise, but its uneven tone and contrived ending weaken the sale." More Reviews Below...
The Joneses Positive Reviews (37 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD "Tone is everything in a social fable, and for most of the movie Derrick Borte, a German-born video director making his first feature, shows an impressive command..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 747 words, 04/06/10
David Germain, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...makes for good, though not great, satire of the consumer culture that helped wreck the economy, a gotta-have-it mindset that continues to flare up even in hard times..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 488 words, 04/15/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...fun until the plot turns maudlin... this cautionary tale might be easier to swallow if all that stuff didn't look like it came from a Sky Mall catalog."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 96 words, 04/16/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...begins with so much promise. It has its share of amusing moments but, in the end feels like a satire that never blossoms because of a fear of becoming too dark."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 777 words, 04/14/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Duchovny is charmingly wry. He's always best in cynical mode, but unfortunately, he's forced to sermonize.... an uneven cautionary tale... devolves into preachiness."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 04/16/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: MODERATE "...the stiletto it should be concealing seems to have gotten lost on the way to the third act, when the sharp humor turns into a dull, blunt drama..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 04/16/10
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...first-time writer-director-producer Derrick Borte delivers on its promise, with plenty of help from his fine cast.... the film never leaves behind the humanity of its characters..."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 04/16/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...reeks of phony sympathy for recession-wracked consumers... made by a filmmaker who's evidently much too close to the subject to bite the hand that feeds him."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 04/16/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "Borte goes for an indistinct tone and suburban-malaise vibe that was dated (as well as patronizing) when 'American Beauty' came out."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 447 words, 04/16/10
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "It's a brilliant premise... brims with potential for sharp commentary.... But first-time writer-director Derrick Borte keeps his tone disappointingly light and safe."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 04/16/10
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "What plays hard and dark for the film's first half goes squishy and blindingly bright as calamity and then outright tragedy lead to the saw-it-coming resolution..."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 04/14/10
KEY CITIES (15 Reviews)
Dan Kois, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "For a while, it's a smart, nervy satire... Unfortunately, the movie's second half drags, never again achieving the first half's level of narrative dexterity."(See all of Dan Kois's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 674 words, 04/16/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "For all its timely allusions to living beyond one's means, writer/director Derrick Borte's film fails to add anything new, or illuminating, to the Great Recession debate."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 358 words, 04/16/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a shrewd examination of consumer culture... a parable contrasting consumerism with the true yearnings of the soul."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 04/16/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sets us up for a fairly predictable payoff.... Still, as cautionary tales about consumerism go, it manages a deft blend of the sexy, the sad and the silly."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 442 words, 04/16/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The film asks welcome questions about what price we should be willing to pay for 'the good life,' but ultimately it can't close the deal."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 04/16/10
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...perhaps because the director came to filmmaking by way of commercials, he overstates how easily free will is contorted by the free-marketing come-ons."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 04/16/10
Janice Page, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "It's cute and clever to a point... but then the cleverness runs on like the one-note punch line of an interminable 'Saturday Night Live' sketch, sponsored by Audi."(See all of Janice Page's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 04/16/10
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...initially promising but finally unremarkable... Duchovny's low-key charm and Moore's interesting tension between strength and vulnerability work quite well."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 04/16/10
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a smart little comedy... Once it becomes clear where the story's headed, some fizz escapes from the film, but it's still a pretty spot-on satire..."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 250 words, 04/16/10
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a sassy satire of conspicuous consumption and what happens when con men sell the sizzle, letting someone else pay for the steak."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 04/15/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD(cg) "...offers an uneasy balance between what's funny and what's not, staying just edgy enough to be uncomfortable while hitting its targets."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 239 words, 04/16/10
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Borte loses his nerve about halfway through and turns what should be a biting satire on American greed into a melodramatic lesson of conscience."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 550 words, 04/16/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "What plays hard and dark for the film's first half goes squishy and blindingly bright as calamity and then outright tragedy lead to the saw-it-coming resolution..."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 219 words, 04/14/10
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...a slice of social commentary that loses focus as it unspools. There's a good idea here.... Yet the truth of the matter, clever at first, becomes confused at best."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 165 words, 04/15/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a dark vision of maxed-out 21st-century suburbia where advertising is not only inescapable, but the essential fabric that bonds friends and family."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 04/15/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: MODERATE "...the stiletto it should be concealing seems to have gotten lost on the way to the third act, when the sharp humor turns into a dull, blunt drama..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 04/16/10
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...first-time writer-director-producer Derrick Borte delivers on its promise, with plenty of help from his fine cast.... the film never leaves behind the humanity of its characters..."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 04/16/10
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...first-time writer-director-producer Derrick Borte delivers on its promise, with plenty of help from his fine cast.... the film never leaves behind the humanity of its characters..."(See all of Michael Ordoña's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 04/16/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: MODERATE "...the stiletto it should be concealing seems to have gotten lost on the way to the third act, when the sharp humor turns into a dull, blunt drama..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 04/16/10
14.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Joneses's reviews are separated by an average 14.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Joneses (37 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Joneses's reviews cover 72.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 16,176 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 437 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Joneses Coverage, Volume & Length (37 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 5 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Joneses's reviews on average broke 5 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Joneses's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Joneses (37 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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