Keeping Up With the Joneses

Keeping Up With the Joneses

Keeping Up With the Joneses is an action comedy directed by Greg Mottola which was released on October 2016. The film stars Gal Gadot, Isla Fisher, Jon Hamm and Zach Galifianakis all of which are big names in the industry by not all are known for comedic roles. The film is set in the suburbs where a couple find out their neighbours are spies. The film had a budget of $40,000,000 but on the opening weekend made just under $5,500,000.

An important aspect of this film is definitely performance. Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher are known for previous comedic roles. Jon Hamm has had some comedic roles, (Minions) but is mostly known for more serious roles like Mad Men and Gal Gadot is mainly known for her roles in Wonder Woman and the Fast and Furious movies. The importance of this is that by having a mix of well known comedic actors and well known action actors could change how the viewer interprets the film. The doesn't take it self to seriously, purposefully making the characters appear comedic, but the characters act in a serious manner. They believe that everything they are doing is the proper response to what should happen in the situations they face. This makes the film, in my opinion, more funny because the characters almost seem oblivious. The performance in this film is significant because the audience know wha to expect from the film as due to the well known actors and the usual characters they play. The film almost mocks other spy films, like James Bond, because they are making fun of what is usually seen in spy films. Everything is not as smooth or as fancy as the audience may have seen in other films. The performance within the film backs this point up because the characters appear to be serious but still manage to get everything wrong or mess everything up.
A key scene in this film that clearly shows the impact of the performance is when Natalie and Tim (Gadot and Ham) show up to save Karen and Jeff (Fisher and Galifianakis). Karen and Jeff count down so they can run away and create a diversion, however, when they get to two Jeff runs off before Karen messing up their plan. This is significant because it shows both a serious and childlike side to the characters and also shows the main themes in the film which are Relationships and Friendship as they show how each character reacts to each other. Whilst they come up with a plan to get themselves out of the situation they mess it up by Jeff accidentally "getting a head start in his wife" and Tim and Natalie arriving to save the day as they usually do.

A film that could be compared to Keeping up with the Joneses is 'Kingsman: Secret Service'. Keeping up with the Joneses purposefully creates comedic elements through out the entirety of the film and contains the characters that are naturally funny, whereas Kingsman takes a more serious approach but also contains some comedic moments by showing what would really happen if 'normal people' were spies. Kingsman does the same as Keeping up with the Joneses in the sense that they mock spy films like James Bond by showing everything not to be as serious and fancy as films normally do.

Jack of the Red Hearts

Jack of the Red Hearts.

Jack of the Red Hearts is a drama directed by Janet Grilo which was released in may 2015. The film stars AnnaSophia Robb, Famke Janssenn and Israel Broussad and focuses on the story about a teenager who pretends to be a carer for an autistic young girl. The film shows not only just how the autistic girl lives her everyday life but how her family copes with it. The main theme in this film is family because of the focus on the family life and how they deal with the situations that arise.

A key component in this film is how the audience is shown the perspective of Glory's world. The editing in the film introduces us to how glory sees the world as vibrant colours are added to everything she sees. The editing is significant because even though the film is shown from the perspective of Jack (AnnaSophia Robb), the audience still gets to understand how Glory feels with everything going on.

A key scene in the film is shown at the end of the film when Jack comes back to help Glory like she promised at the beginning of the film. This is important because at the start of the film Jack's only intention is to get money which is why she lies about her identity to get the job. But as the film progresses the audience sees how Jack has grown to really care about Glory and her family. This is a significant scene because it changes our perception about teenager who live on the streets. She has a criminal record, she steals and she commits fraud which shows a negative representation of young teenagers. However by the end of the film, she decides to do the right thing and help Glory even though she has to give herself in to the police. We see a clear character development.

A film similar to Jack of the Red Hearts is 'The Fundamentals of Caring'. The reason why they could be compared is because they both show disability, arguably in a more positive light. Glory is shown to be smart and clever which could go against what the audience think about autistic children and in The Fundamentals of Caring shows that disability shouldn't be a barrier. The films are also similar in the sense that the carers both start of with little experience and aren't the most enthusiastic about their jobs, however both the carers develop and start to care about the people they are looking after. The films start off with a negative situation that leads them to a new path which creates a positive end.

The Way Way Back

The Way Way Back.

The Way Way back is a comedy drama directed and written by Natt Faxon and Jim Rash which was released July 2013. The film consists of well known cast including known comedy stars such as Steve Carell, Allison Janney, Toni Collette and Maya Rudolph, as well as younger stars like Liam James, AnnaSophia Robb and Zoe Levin. The film is about a young boy who goes on holiday with his unconventional family and ends up working at a water park where he makes some new friends.

Duncan (Liam James), from the beginning, comes across as an awkward character and very shy. This is particularly evident when he tries to talk to Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb). Their relationship grows more as the film goes on but Duncan still isn't quite sure how to talk to Susanna, which often brings up some awkward situations. A scene that is important in the film occurs after Duncan is involved in a family fight. Susanna and Duncan are sitting on the beach discussing what has happened. Duncan ends up trying to kiss Susanna and it doesn't end up happening. The reason why this is a significant part of the film because it shows the audience that Duncan finds it hard to make friends or interact with people. He comes across very antisocial which is a vital part of his personality. However by the end of the film we see that he has come to make lots more friends as his confidence starts to develop. From this the audience is able to see the development and progression Duncan has made and how far he has come with making friends which is a main theme in the film (Friendship).

Performance plays an important role within the film especially when it comes to the character Trent (Steve Carell). Steve Carell is mostly known for his comedic roles within films such as Little Miss Sunshine and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. What is important about Carell's role in the film is that it totally goes against what the audience may expect from him. In the film he plays a serious and overbearing step father which is not a role that the audience may associate Carell with. Performance is important because of this fact because it changes the expectations of the film. Although it is a comedy, it does depict some important issues of 'unconventional families' and cheating. 

A film could be compared to Perks of Being a Wall Flower in the sense of the character development. Charlie (Logan Lerman) starts of the same as Duncan. He is very shy and socially awkward who has very little friends. As the movie progresses like In The Way Way Back, Charlie becomes more confident and makes a whole new group of friends. The films are the same in the fact that they are part of a similar journey of becoming more positive and self confident.

Exam Prep.

19^th June 2014 ESSAY PAPER

“The complexity of spectator response suggests that documentary offers much more than just a window on some aspects of our world”. Discuss this statement with references to the films you have studied for this topic.

-Discuss: look at both sides of the argument referring back to statement and films watched.

-Stay away from plot. Discuss the statement in detail rather than plot.

-Spectator response. Reception theory, hypodermic needle theory. Talk about audience and the          different ways in which they respond.

-Documentary doesn't just tell a story it displays an issue. 'Complexity of spectator response', means how an audience responds and receives the text. If an audience cant or don't relate to the story (relating to the complexity of spectator response) then it offers much more than that but educates and informs them.

-Active and passive audience is related to spectator response. Some people may decide to be an active or passive meaning that documentary offers more than just a story of a life that the audience doesn't live in. 

Audiences respond differently to different media texts which is the main idea behind the reception theory. Documentaries don't only tell stories but depict real life events or people. This is significant when it comes to the how an audience/spectator may respond to a documentary because there are many ways in which they can respond. Because most audiences are used to fictional characters and story, when they do watch a documentary and are put into a real life situation or life they may not be able to relate to the relate to the documentary because they don't understand the message behind it. This links back with the statement as people who may be able to relate will be able to see past the story of the documentary and want to do something about the issues raised or people who cant relate may just see it as someone else's story. Due to 'the complexity of spectator response' a documentary may offer more or less to some people.

For example, in the documentary Undefeated directed by Daniel Lindsay (2011) some spectators may just see it as a sports documentary. In this case the viewers may not have been able to relate fully to the young boys who played on the Manassas football team and their situation. However some audiences may have seen past the initial story and saw that it is a film based on poverty and under-privileged students. Linking Undefeated with the statement it could be argued that because of the reception theory some spectators may be given more than just a look into another life/world. Depending on the way the spectator receives the documentary, it can change the overall impact of the film for the them. Undefeated is a clear indication of the reception theory as behind the main genre of sport other issues are raised.
Being an active or passive audience member could also demonstrate how documentaries offer much more than just a window. In the film Bowling for Columbine directed by Michael Moore (2002) it touches on the serious issue of gun crime in America. An active audience may decide to involve themselves with the information they have been informed with meaning that they become an active participant because of the film. However some spectators may not be influenced by the film making them a passive spectator. It could be argued that the film Bowling for Columbine is more relatable to an audience because of the issues that the film depicts. The issues raised are part of current events that the audience is more likely already aware of meaning that the film is not informing them about the issue but further educating them.

In conclusion, I agree with the statement as I think that because there are so many ways in which a spectator can respond or react to a documentary, it can offer more than just an insight into another life. Whether the spectator relates to the documentary is also important because it changes how big of an impact the message has on an audience.