"Keeping Up with the Joneses" (Guardian 21/10/16)

Keeping Up with the Joneses **

Dir: Greg Mottola. With: Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm. 105 mins. Cert: 12A
 
The umpteenth runout for the old suburban-squares-versus-sexy-superspies plot unfolds in predictable fashion. Isla Fisher and a newly svelte Zach Galifianakis commence curtain-twitching with the arrival of glam neighbours Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot; covers are blown in modestly budgeted action setpieces; everyone exits feeling shortchanged in the laughter department. The shopworn conceit begs lampooning, yet director Greg Mottola – seeking a return to the studios’ better graces seven years on from Adventureland – plays matters blandly straight. The leads huff and puff accordingly, but Michael LeSieur’s dull-edged script squanders their timing, more concerned with reducing the actresses to their lingerie than with raising anything other than the very occasional snicker. 

Keeping Up with the Joneses opens in cinemas nationwide today.