KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES....when suburban life gets boring

Who ever says that life is full of surprises and that we like to spice things and get into new thing, trying to explore and experience new stuff, maybe lying if they haven't lived in suburbia at some point. We are pushed to follow the check list of life where society and family, plus media and government behind, push us to follow the same path of settling at some point of our lives, meaning moving to a better and quieter place like the suburbs, usually when get married, and want to raise children or want a bigger, nicer place to start a life of our own, people leave the cosmopolitan life, single life where everyday is full of possibilities, living in a city that offers multiple options for fun, careers, entertainment, relationships, try new things, but once we commit to along term project seeking those family values of a life shared with someone special and become parents, the biggest challenge for everyone , to raise a family and children of your one, the rule change dramatically focusing all your efforts and time into that group of people that is our own, and sacrificing all those dreams of travels and adventures for the best of raising new citizens to our society and feel proud of them, but when is enough or do we have a limit? is it right to pt ourselves on the side in order to achieve this goal or project or should we never abandon the possibility of continue a life full of excitement other than the one given by changing dippers or getting a diploma?

And this is the premise of a new action comedy titled "Keeping up with the Joneses" (2016), and the fact that even it's far from what it promises, no so many action and not many laughs, and also is doing poorly in the box office, not to mention was totally attacked by critics, can't denied is a fun ride, an entertainment for a sunday or rainy afternoon, if want to spent less than two hours in company of a talented cast that more than make us laugh will empathize with many of us, in ways to prove that our lives feel similar and what we are about to see feels familiar and for those who don't, is shocking to realize that the majority of the country moves and feels in that way, and that's a reality hard to deny or ignore and just for that, makes this movie as funny as any comedy and realistic as any action movie can be. With performances from a talented cast like Isla Fisher and John Hamm among others, and plot that moves fluently for less than two hours but is as predictable as any history lesson, not too mention his lack of great photography or editing but definitely an interesting soundtrack to remember.  So what went wrong? well after watching the preview at least a promise of a simplistic laugh and fun is almost a sure thing but once that we are able to see the full picture, they are just gone, not to say that is boring as what they try to project but their humor feels so force and exaggerated that can't but feel real, smart and natural leading it to a long speech about changing your life from monotony and taking new risks.

This is the story of the Gaffney's, a suburban family that finally seems the opportunity to take a break and have a vacation for their parents once they send their children to a summer camp, leaving the full house just for the grown ups that immediately start bringing ideas about how to spend all this time by themselves, putting on the side their obligations as parents and feeling again like humans and individuals able to enjoy the fact of doing nothing or be simply themselves, and of course as a couple trying to spend most of the time together doing what they always wanted to do, and try to bring the sparks again and spice things as when they met for the first time, but until then they'll realize that they have forgotten all what this means, and feels and how to do that without feeling like a parent, but all that fire has gone, they have become a boring couple with no ideas or energy to plan a fun date or just spend time together that can feel adventurous or exciting. The fact of being playing the same role for so long has turned into a kind of a new costume to a part of our personality that is uncapable to fade just like that. we don't even see ourselves as a sexy, confident, independent person, but as a family member trapped in this place and life. And part of it is being living in suburbs where nothing happens other than going shopping to the mall and watching your neighbors go by. That's why everyone tries to show up themselves as the new cool one in the neighborhood, turning the most simple thing like grocery shopping to the dinner plans into a competition to show off to everybody as the coolest family in the area or at work, the only place we spent more time that at home.

At this is the major issue of all, because work becomes our major issue to deal with since its the one binging an income that will aloud us to take care of our beloved ones, so our hungry for success and challenge to pursue a career that we love and feel passionate about transforms into find the spot that offers more benefits for our whole tribe. And since half or more of our daily basis moves around work, the people we work with, a.k.a as our co workers, become our best friends, confidents and an extension of that family, willing to listen what was our night adventure, family trip of the weekend or new addition for home improvement. As sad and simple as it sounds, that is the reality of most of the people in every country that choose this path in life. And nothing wrong with it but one of the major give and takes from it is the feeling of being trapped in a cycle that turns our lives into a monotony surrounded for the same people that will sneak in our lives and will look after us but no more than changing tires, sign up for the next bowling tournament or cooking competition for the local fair. So once that a new couple moves next door and exhales a fish air from all the trips they've been, all the stories the have to tell from all the places they've been living and all the adventures they've signed in, making the others feel so ordinary and simple that will make Karen, the mother of this family to smell something fishy from the new neighbors and will make her start spying on them to a point of paranoia and follow them, in hopes of find something that prove her right.

But not everything is about the new neighbors, but for herself, all this paying this is a new feeling of excitement to her that takes her from their routine and being stuck in the same place and moment for years that injects something new in her life and soon she will realize not only that she was right about them but how wrong was about her own life, realizing how much has she lost from his relationship with her husband and how much do they still have ahead to explore and share together and will make us better as persons, even still trapped in this suburban life they don't have to settle with what everybody sells as the thing to do, but they can be the cool guys and go by their own and mix things as they please and funny thing, they will also realize how others, that are far from this kind of lack, envy and desire to take a break and enjoy this comfort of knowing what will happen the next day and start the adventure of building your own family and all the chaos of raising kids and sharing life as a married couple, because what matters is being with the people you love and make all around them ,feeling inspired by the fact of have them in your life, and that's more than what any spy can afford, facing and fighting enemies that will try to kill you so they can defeat the enemy and win control and power but sometimes just to seek a challenge that can take you out of that boring life and monotony that only us afford to fall in, because we decided to follow a dictated path instead of choosing a unique life led by our own thoughts and desires and that's worse than any formula that will take you an expected ending, with lack of plot twists, poor box office and terrible reviews, So why not take new chances and what possibly can go wrong?