Keeping Up with the Joneses

Keeping Up with the Joneses follows Tim Jones and his wife Karen Gaffney, an ordinary suburban couple who feel their routine slide when a stylish new family moves in next door. The neighbors exude effortless polish, turning every block party into a contest of who has the better life. Tim struggles to keep up, while Karen worries their grounded world is slipping away. As the neighbors pull them into a glittering world of parties and precision, the situation grows more complicated and dangerous. Secrets emerge and the quiet cul de sac becomes a playground for double lives and risk. The film mixes humor with suspense to explore envy, loyalty, and the price of normality.

Directed by Greg Mottola, Keeping Up with the Joneses is an original screenplay by Michael LeSieur, released in 2016 as a light summer blend of satire and action. The cast is led by Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot, with Isla Fisher and Zach Galifianakis delivering ensemble energy.

Worldwide box office totals around 29.9 million, a modest showing against the 40 million budget. The result placed Keeping Up with the Joneses in the middle of the pack for mid range comedies released that year.

Patton Oswalt appears as a wryly comic sidekick, delivering a running gag about a fictional alias Bruce Springstein / Scorpion that pops up in the background. The cast chemistry helps the jokes land, and the movie reflects a 2010s habit of pairing suburbia with light spy antics. Beyond a handful of memorable gags and teaser-worthy lines, it left little lasting imprint on pop culture.

Critical response was mixed, with praise for Hamm and Gadot’s rapport while some critics found the plot predictable and the humor uneven. The film probes envy and the pull of status, suggesting that chasing a glossy image can complicate real life. It uses brisk action, pratfalls, and sharp dialogue to keep audiences entertained without claiming deep insight.