Karen (Isla Fisher) and Jeff Gaffney (Zach Galifianakis) are the typical parents with two sons whom they just sent off to summer camp. Living in a cul-de-sac suburban neighborhood on Maple Circle in Atlanta Georgia the Gaffney’s have always considered their neighborhood to be safe. Jeff works for BMI an Aerospace and Defense Company in Human Resources and deals with his employees on a regular basis as they deal with everyday work stress. Because Jeff has a no security clearance position he is about the only person at BMI allowed to have internet in his office but known to the other employees several of them use his computer for various personal reasons including his neighbor and associate Dan Craverston (Matt Walsh) who is married with four kids to Meg (Maribeth Monroe). Recently a beautiful home in their circle has been put up for sale and before they can blink an eye someone bought it for cash sight unseen.
Its move in day at the sold home and Karen has her binoculars out to check out the neighbors. Yep they are both sexy, attractive and a bit mysterious they are Tim Jones (Jon Hamm) and his wife Natalie (Gal Gadot) a true wonder woman. Both are seasoned travelers, Tim took up glass blowing and Nat is a social media consultant and have taken to the Gaffney’s like fish to water. Karen thinks things are a bit fishy so she begins keeping a close eye on the new neighbors going so far as to follow Natalie one day in town leading into a very provocative situation. Meanwhile at the same time Jeff and Tim are bonding in the Cobra Room over some fresh snake so fresh it’s able to take a bite out of you.
As the friendship grows so do the suspicions that the Joneses are a little suspect so Jeff calls in BMI security Carl Pronger (Kevin Dunn) but sometime later he is no longer useful and the Gaffney’s find themselves right in the middle of an espionage plot with bullets flying and an explosive ending. So they thought! It turns out someone has been using Jeff as a pawn at BMI to make a deal with an arms dealer known as Scorpion. Before they know it the Gaffney’s find themselves deeper in the middle of international espionage and covert operations and that everything they thought they knew were all lies. Bruce Springstine (Patton Oswalt), gravity, plan B and one summer later one never knows who they might bump into in another part of the world.
Ironically I just got back from a trip to Atlanta and loved it but that aside there is several shots of the city in this film that absolutely look phenomenal. The direction and writing s is exceptional even with a few burps along the way this film is intriguing as well as hysterical. I found myself laughing out loud several times thanks to some great production but mostly to a wonderful cast. Galifianakis who has obviously lost weight is hysterical, love him, and Fisher is the perfect side kick who happens to control her scenes from beginning to end. Hamm is a great selection for the new neighbor slash agent role and Gadot works her body to fill the gaps in some of her not as prefect acting moments which are few but a bit noticeable when they present themselves. Monroe, Walsh, Oswalt and Dunn are great supports along with a number of extras but it is the leads Galifianakis, Fisher, Hamm and Gadot that truly control this movie from start to finish. Love the Bulldogs and feel sorry for the snake and the mice but in the end this film is super funny and well worth seeing in the theater on opening weekend.
