leplatypus We use this term in France to speak about the new economy about an individual doing business instead of firms, shops, official sellers. So here it's the case as this fake family is in truth a team of sellers who have sales objectives and reward bonus. I'm surprised to see that an American movie dares questioning this trend because usually this materialist way of life is considered like paradise ! At first, the movie is thus intriguing as those facts aren't not told immediately so if you notice that the family is a bit unusual, you can't tell why. Next, if the movie plunges into dark waters as tension and problem arises inside and outside the family : in short, consumerism and objects are not what people needs because they look for feelings and ties. If Moore is well casted here because she is surely this calculating, cold business woman (look her look !) and "Fox" is his usual cool guy until he experiences a revelation, the real problem comes with the kids : the girl is ecstatic to have sex with an older married man (a bit like in her real life) while the boy is the poor persecuted gay coming out of his closet! so this is what the real problem with America today, its lack of familial values ! But i understand that this movie says it's bad to sell but it's OK to have sex with whom you want ! I say no to both so maybe this movie is indeed original in economics, but at the end, it totally misses what's it's essential….

abbywts If you're thinking about seeing this movie, stop reading. If you go in knowing too much about it, you will enjoy it far less. Just a warning. Basic plot summary: perfect family moves into great neighborhood, taking said neighborhood by storm. But all is not what it seems. That is ALL you need to know.Myself, I was just a fan of Duchovny and Moore, I had no clue about the other actors and just went in head first. Fairly early into the movie, before it was revealed, I said to myself, "These people are professional trendsetters. My God, what a great idea for a movie!" They're actually called 'stealth marketers' or some such terms. They do exist in the real world, but usually for something like cool people buying certain drinks in upscale bars to get others to buy them-as far as we know (wink wink).All the actors are brilliant, and there's even Mr. Lumbergh (Gary Cole)! There are no dead spots or extraneous exposition, everything fits and is well paced. Lots of little moments of sly, subtle humor, no loud belly laughs here. The fantastic premise of the movie is fleshed out by the exploration of the characters personal lives and this draws the majority of the movie going public in. How much would you give up for great personal wealth? To look at the answer, just look at the world around us. This movie asks, 'is it worth it'?Do you know why you like what you like? How do you know? Bill Hicks, the late comedian, once told his audience, "If there's anyone in sales in the audience-go kill yourselves. No I'm not joking, just kill yourselves". If Bill Hicks were to pitch a movie to Hollywood, it might look something like this. After a lot of 'notes' I'm sure.

dansview I hate that so many movies mock suburbia, because I think suburbia is a nice concept, and that there are many wonderful hard working, well meaning people in suburbs.But I do think the concept of this movie is quite clever. Duchovny is the reason it works, if it does at all. He was very natural and appealing as a guy who has gotten by his whole life on low key charm and good looks. He was a nice guy, so we rooted for him. That saved the picture.Thankfully we see the human and redemptive side of these people, which is something we rarely see in satires about dishonesty or materialism. I just wish there could have been more character development and some profound statements about materialism or what matters in life, the way the movie Network did so well. We get character development about Duchovny in a round-about sort of way, but not enough or any on the others in the family, or the neighbors.I enjoyed the Atlanta suburbs setting and the products themselves. I almost felt like the "ripple effect" was affecting me personally. I wanted their cars and gadgets too.Demi Moore has played so many tough characters over the years. She rarely shows sweetness in her facial expressions. There were parts in this one where she should have, but she didn't or couldn't. Maybe she doesn't remember how. It seems she often plays a woman trying to keep up with men in man-dominated fields. (A Few Good Men, G.I.Jane,etc.) Not a bad movie. I was pleasantly surprised by the happy ending and the moral resolve. That's rare. No wonder it didn't make any money though. Not much violence, no profanity, no special effects, and only very brief nudity. There were also no A-listers. Moore is not one anymore.Worth seeing though.

kosmasp Not really of course. This is anything but a conventional family movie. Saying more would be a spoiler (at least in my book), but let me tell you that if you like wicked social commentary, you will also like this movie. It is also nice to see Demi Moore in a role that requires her to act, with David Duchovny doing his thing. The whole concept is really well though of.It's not a perfect movie by all means of course, but I personally liked the humor in it (even if understated). Try not to read too much about the actual story though (as I stated above) and watch it with a free mind, to get the full effect of the movie