I think The Oranges is meant to be a comedy,
though I would be hard-pressed to think of one moment in the film which was
able to make me smile, much less laugh. The actors all seem committed to the
comedy, though the chemistry is so off between the characters that it often
feels as though they are all starring in different films from one another. The
biggest problem is the lack of any seemingly believable connection between the
two characters we are meant to believe like each other enough to break apart
two families and lifelong friendship.
Perhaps the
biggest problem of The Oranges, though there are many preventing it from being
more than adequately forgettable entertainment, is narrative’s confused idea of
a protagonist. The film is about two families living across from each other for
years, developing a long-lasting friendship which is shaken with an affair. Our
narrator is Vanessa (“Arrested Development” co-star Alia Shawkat), the daughter
of David (Hugh Laurie) and Paige (Catherine Keener). They also have a son named
Toby (Adam Brody), who seems to be pushed towards the daughter of neighbors
across the street, Nina (Leighton Meester). Nina’s parents (Oliver Platt and
Allison Janney) seem especially eager for this pairing to occur, unaware that
by encouraging their 24-year-old daughter to spend time across the street she
might spend it with Toby’s father instead.
Nina and David
begin an affair, which is less than secret for most of the film. The movie
isn’t about hiding indiscretions, but instead about the audacity that they have
in pursuing an actual relationship together, right in front of their loved
ones. Toby is the only one not told about this development, as he is out of
town on business for a length of time, resulting on one of the film’s only
memorable scenes. Years on “The O.C.” gave Brody skills at making even this poorly
executed family drama slightly amusing.
What gets lost
in the midst of Nina and David’s difficulties with the affair is our narrator’s
voice. Although Vanessa provides voiceover at the beginning and the end of the
film, she is more of a book-end to keep this loose narrative together. Her
character is missing from far too much of the film. The Oranges
The Blu-ray
release of The Oranges has a high definition presentation of the film, which
takes place in New Jersey
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Disc Features: 4/10
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