Keeping Up With the Joneses parents guide

Keeping Up With the Joneses Parent Guide

This date night distraction is likely better suited for the parents than the kids.

Overall B-

A suburban couple (Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher) can't believe their new neighbors are as perfect as they appear to be. And they're right! When they spy on Tim and Natalie Jones (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot) they discover the pair have a few secrets behind their closed doors.

Release date October 21, 2016

Violence C
Sexual Content C+
Profanity C
Substance Use C

Why is Keeping Up With the Joneses rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Keeping Up With the Joneses PG-13 for sexual content, action/violence and brief strong language.

Run Time: 106 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Karen and Jeff Gaffney (Isla Fisher and Zach Galifianakis) live a Hollywood-esque boring and ordinary life—meaning they have a large, beautiful home on a quiet cul-de-sac in suburbia, often mistaken for hell on earth in movie scripts. While Jeff works at an aerospace company (where many of his neighbors are also employed), Karen is usually at home with the kids. But today their sons are off for two-weeks at summer camp, leaving mom with all sorts of ideas of what she can do with her spare time. After the house across the street sells quickly, friend and real estate agent Meg Craverston (Maribeth Monroe) reveals the buyers completed the cash transaction online and didn’t even look at the place. Karen’s curiosity is piqued and when the new occupants eventually arrive, she’s quick to have them over.

Tim and Natalie Jones (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot) are as mysterious as they are beautiful. Yet his claim of working as a travel writer and her professed career as a social media consultant ring hollow to Karen. After a less-than-stealthy attempt to discover what these people really do, the mother’s intuition is confirmed: The neighbors are engaged in top secret work that involves a security leak at Jeff’s company. With their cover blown, the Joneses conscript the Gaffney’s to assist in the covert task of finding the culprit. And that means dealing with some very dangerous dudes on motorcycles, sneaky snipers and gun wielding henchmen.

A little like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but with less violence and more comedy, Keeping Up With The Joneses was an unexpected, pleasant surprise. Although the humor features a number of sexual references that poke fun at the difficulties parents have finding private time when the kids are at home, there is an overall sense that marriage and family are good things. With great chemistry between Fisher and Galifianakis, the hijinks and slapstick mayhem are funny and often feel authentic.

Despite these positive depictions, parents should approach this title with some caution. First, there is a fair amount of sexual banter, innuendo and fondling scenes that accompany the married humor. The plot contains violent depictions typical of espionage films, such as a character shot in the head (little detail is shown) and many more action sequences featuring weapons and cars. And a sexual expletive is used—however other profanities are relatively infrequent.

Adults at that point in life where responsibilities are getting in the way of feeling like a couple may be willing to overlook some of these inclusions. Still, if you wish to consider this spy spoof as a date night distraction, it would likely be better to entertain the kids with a sitter.

Directed by Greg Mottola. Starring Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, Jon Hamm, Zach Galifianakis. Running time: 106 minutes. Theatrical release October 21, 2016. Updated

Keeping Up With the Joneses
Rating & Content Info

Why is Keeping Up With the Joneses rated PG-13? Keeping Up With the Joneses is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sexual content, action/violence and brief strong language.

Violence:
This spy spoof contains frequent, non-graphic violence including weapons use, explosions, vehicle crashes, car chases and brawling. Most of these depictions are intended to be comical. Characters are killed, one is shot in the head (off screen) and another is stabbed in the neck. Discussion of torture occur. Characters jump from heights and crash through glass windows. A snake is decapitated, then chopped, cooked and eaten. A character is bitten by a venomous snake, another is shot with a poisonous dart. Other slapstick antic are portrayed.


Sexual Content:
The script includes frequent sexual banter, along with crude and anatomical terms. Some scantily clad female characters are seen—one is ogled by men and envied by women. Women are seen in lingerie and discuss sexual topics (this prattle is not very detailed). Married couples kiss, embrace and fondle each other through their clothes. Sexual relations are implied and some sounds heard. A few homosexual and gender jokes are used and two women kiss each other.


Language:
One sexual expletive is used, along with a smattering of mild profanities, scatological slang and terms of deity. Some potty words are heard. A character makes some racial jokes.

Alcohol / Drug Use:
Frequent social drinking is depicted and one character gets drunk. A character makes his own beer. Characters smoke a hookah pipe. A needle is used to administer an antidote when a character is bitten by a venomous snake. A character shot with a poisonous dart loses her inhabitations and begins saying everything on her mind. Some prescription medications are mentioned.

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Keeping Up With the Joneses Parents' Guide

Why are the Gaffney’s jealous of the Joneses? What sort of lifestyle does the gorgeous, multi-cultural couple seem to have? What do the Joneses admire about the Gaffney’s and their quiet suburban life? What are the pros and cons of each?

The Joneses are used to handling problems with weapons. The Gaffney’s tackle their troubles with talk. How can good communications skills improve relationships and solve challenges? How does the script poke fun at these two styles of getting things done?

 

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Keeping Up With the Joneses movie is January 17, 2017. Here are some details…

Keeping Up With The Joneses releases to home video (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD) with the following extras:
- Deleted Scenes – Four hilarious deleted scenes, plus the original opening
- Spy Game – The stars reveal their roles in the car chases, love story and goofy bromance that melded into the perfect blend of ‘burbs and bullets
- Keeping Up With Georgia – Go on location and see how Georgia doubled as the backdrop for both a sleepy, idyllic neighborhood and a stunt-filled setting for spy craft.

Related home video titles:

In The Spy Next Door a family discovers their neighbor has a secret identity. Another couple gets more excitement than they were counting on when they are mistaken for someone else while on a Date Night.