You know artistic integrity has gone out the window when actors get so large that their advisors start choosing their scripts, picking mediocre ones, just to rake in cash while they can. I’d like to think that was the case with Keeping Up with the Joneses.
If anything, the silver lining is, you, too could be a Hollywood screenwriter! Get a basic story, attempt to insert irony (living in suburbia is more difficult than being hit men), sprinkle in how adult men long for male friends to whom they can bare their true feelings about life (but for heavens sake, don’t make it touching-I’m being facetious), then add two hot women who are opposites. Forget that you’re dealing with one of the most intelligent comedians (Galifianakis) whose dry wit is killer on its own, or a former tv star (Jon Hamm) who can be both dramatic and genuinely funny. Just let them do your pablum script and cha ching, cha ching.
Too bad for Mottola, the director of Superbad and Adventureland, two quality movies. LeSieur, the screenwriter, on the other hand, what can I say? His IMDB oeuvre pretty much says it all.
Do yourself a favor and simply watch or re-watch Birdman to see what Zack can do with a real script and director.
