Review: The Oranges

There is an old saying: "Show me a family, and I will show you dysfunction." Human beings living in close proximity are a formula for dysfunction, and The Oranges kicks open locked doors so we can take a look at this ailment firsthand.

The Oranges tells the story of two families, the Wallings and the Ostroffs, across-the-street neighbors in the small suburban town of Orange, New Jersey. One holiday season Nina Ostroff (Leighton Meester) returns home after a rough breakup with her fiancé and is thrown into the fetid routine she tried to escape. Almost immediately, Nina's mother attempts to set her daughter up with the dashing Toby Walling (Adam Brody). Things don't go as planned with Toby, and Nina finds herself falling for the head of the Walling clan, David Walling (Hugh Laurie). This is where a new level of dysfunction is reached. This "Lolita"-like relationship threatens to break apart decades of marriage and close friendships. We have The Oranges.

When watching this movie's trailer you get the feeling that it is probably going to be your common romantic comedy pablum. You know the formula:

1. Old(er) man meets younger woman.
2. Old(er) man and younger woman fall in love.
3. Conflict happens.
4. Conflict is resolved.
5. Rinse, lather, repeat steps 3 and 4.
6. Everyone lives happily ever after.

The Oranges does exhibit a lot of these familiar patterns but in fresh and unexpected ways. Yes, the old(er) man and young woman fall in love, and yes, there is conflict. Nina's mother and father (Allison Janney and Oliver Platt) freak the heck out, young Vanessa Walling (Alia Shawkat) sees her father fall for someone who could literally be his daughter, and finally Paige Walling (Catherine Keener) is left to swing in the breeze as her marriage comes crashing down.

It's through these conflicts that the real heart of the story comes out. This movie challenges the idea that routine is a good thing. You learn that marriages can become stale, friendships rote and boring, and that love is a strange beast that doesn't necessarily follow rules and conventions.

Julian Farino directed The Oranges and his work brings out out performances that feel authentic. As mentioned already, the casting is pretty amazing. Each actor brings a measure of realness to their characters and at no time do you feel they are putting on a show. You feel the characters' uncertainty, hopes, dreams and fears -- all complex emotions brought to life by skilled thespians. These feelings come from the actors, the director and let us not forget the screenwriters. Ian Helfer and Jay Reiss write dialogue and create believable situations that feel true and once again do not take us down the path of the formulaic rom-com.

The Oranges is not romantic comedy pablum, but an honest attempt to show how shaking up the foundations of life can be be both tragic yet beneficial. You will take away the idea that if you do not work at keeping your life fresh and invigorated, you run the risk of tragedy. The Oranges shows that life in suburbia is not all that it's cracked up to be.