Review: The Joneses (2009)

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"I don't want to keep up with the Joneses", an aunt of mine declared one time, when she was talking about luxury goods and high standards of living in people she had encountered. From then on, I wondered who the Joneses are and why people want to keep up with them.

A few months later, I caught the movie "The Joneses" during one of my couch-potato-weekends. Its cast is led by David Duchovny and Demi Moore, as Mr and Mrs Jones. Their family appears to be well-off and they always had the coolest toys, clothes, and beauty products. They ate and drank nothing but the best food and beverages. They eventually got their neighbors into buying the stuff that they're using because these things are marks of affluence, of coolness.

Even though it's a fictional story (about a unit of stealth marketers), I finally understood why there are people who go the opposite direction from the Joneses. Real-life Joneses wannabes are examples of lives lived in excessive consumerism and brand-consciousness; some of these lives are driven to the bottom of the debt pit. 

Imagine seeing a neighbor being showered with jewelry by her husband; a lot of them being given for no apparent reason (or just because it's Tuesday). Or the kids being given the latest gaming consoles just because their parents could afford them (but don't have time to spend with them). It's like watching a picture-perfect family and it's hard not to compare what they're wearing and what they're owning to one's own stuff. That's when aspiring to get what the neighboring family has begins. Then starts living beyond one's means just to keep up with the Joneses. Unpaid bills then begin going into the mail.

Keeping up with the Joneses is certainly NOT a bad idea if one's funds can support such a lifestyle. Good appearances can certainly make good impressions. It is important, however, to remember that moderation in such a lifestyle is key.

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