The Oranges (2011)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie is about two neighbour families who are unusually close. None of the characters is likable. Hugh Laurie plays a father who has an affair with his teenage neighbour. The teenage daughter is an airhead. His own daughter is envious, spiteful and overweight with strangely shaved eyebrows. I could never tell the wives apart. They are both shrill, overreacting and controlling. The other husband is quite obese. He has a charming attachment to electronic gadgets which befuddle him, the source of most of the humour in the movie. Laurie has a handsome son, who is bland as a bowl of Pablum. He studies commerce. The most colourful character is the daughter's dead-beat ex-fiancé who manically tries to woo her back, reminiscent of Benjamin in The Graduate.There is one crazy scene when Laurie's wife drives her car to destroy all his elaborate Christmas decorations, then tries to kill him. Not that much else unexpected happens, except opening a bottle of wine with a preposterously complicated electronic opener.

In the conservative West Orange, New Jersey, the Ostroff and Walling families are very close to each other. David Walling (Hugh Laurie) and Terry Ostroff (Oliver Platt) are inseparable best friends and they use to run together everyday. David has problems with his wife Paige (Catherine Keener) and he frequently sleeps alone in the office. Their daughter Vanessa (Alia Shawkat) is a frustrated young woman since she was not well succeeded in her career of designer and their son Toby (Adam Brody) is moving to China in a temporary assignment. Terry's wife Cathy (Allison Janney) ignores him and their daughter Nina (Leighton Meester) moved to San Francisco five years ago.Near the Thanksgiving, Nina's boyfriend Ethan (Sam Rosen) betrays her in her birthday party and Nina returns to the house of her parents. Nina has frictions with her mother and she stays close to David. Soon they have an affair and fall in love with each other, turning the lives of people close to them upside-down. "The Oranges" is an original movie about rules, happiness and selfishness. The story shows how selfish people are in an unusual situation that does not follow the establishment. Paige is estranged from David and they are living in separate beds, keeping up appearances. But when David finds a young woman that brings happiness to his life, she has very selfish attitudes instead of divorcing him. Vanessa is a frustrated woman and when she sees the happiness of her father, she never tries to understand and supports him. Ethan is a complete douchebag and Leighton Meester is an adorable young woman. The reaction of Nina's parents is what the viewer would expect from the parents. The conclusion is decent and well resolved. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "A Filha do Meu Melhor Amigo" ("The Daughter of My Best Friend")

A bit of fluff…or is it? This smart script written by Ian Helfer and Jay Reiss explores the conflicted views of society toward off kilter relationships through the tragicomic reactions of the two families and a few friends. These reactions, which range from awkward to furious, form the heart of the warm, funny, and occasionally touching movie. Some viewers may be distraught by the moral neutrality of the film, but since when did an intimate relationship between consenting adults, one of whom happens to be unhappily married, require censors to issue a strong moral condemnation? Not since the 1950's, yet we still talk about (and film) May- December coupling and other aspects of relationships that are far more detrimental to Good Housekeeping mentality than this story. David (Hugh Laurie) and Paige (Catherine Keener) have a flat-line marriage and a handsome young son Toby (Adam Brody) and funky daughter Vanessa (Alia Shawkat). They live across the street from best friends Terry (Oliver Platt) and Cathy (Allison Janney) whose wayward daughter Nina (Leighton Meester) has returned home from San Francisco for the holidays after breaking up with her fiancée Ethan (Sam Rosen) after she catches him cheating. Cathy sees the perfect timing for Nina to re-connect with the very eligible Toby, tries all tricks to make this happens, but Nina will not be told how to respond. Instead Nina and David become entangled in an affair, which cause all manner of alterations in the 'friendship' between the two families and the relationship between the parents of each.In the hands of other actors this would just be a silly, flippant Rom-com, but given the cast and direction by Julian Farino it is a fine examination of human foibles. Grady Harp

I remember seeing the trailer for this film a long time ago and thinking it looked sort of fun. I do love Hugh Laurie and my wife loves Leighton Meester so we were both excited to watch it. I love a good indie film and this is certainly "good." It doesn't go much beyond mediocre-ville but that's okay. In some aspects it tries to do much and then at the same time doesn't do enough. It's a "Graduate" type May-December romance, a story about best friends and family and a coming of age story all rolled into one. The film perhaps doesn't do quite enough to explore each facet of this concept but it still does it well. In a real-life situation like this, it would be incredibly awkward for everyone and guess what? The film perfectly captures that family and friendship tension and awkwardness. There are certain scenes where you're almost squeamish feeling how these characters must feel. That being said I wasn't the least bit awkward over the romance between Meester and Laurie. I actually thought they were pretty good together and while the film NEVER implies their romance is right, it does explore the feelings and the concept of what makes a person happy.The ensemble cast is very good. I will start with Hugh Laurie because I've liked him for a very long time since House. Laurie in this film plays a softer, likable, misunderstood guy trying desperately to hang on to his family while doing what makes him happy. They could portray Laurie as a jerk but you never feel that way about him. Mostly you feel sorry for him and wonder what he will do and what is right for him. He proves he can star in a film for sure. Leighton Meester gives an intelligent and provocative performance as Nina, the object of Laurie's affections. As I said before her chemistry with Laurie is actually very good and unlike most "other women" in films she isn't someone you hate. It actually feels like just a bad situation that they've dug themselves into. Catherine Keener is someone I usually find very dry and in this film she is appropriately dry right up until her melt down on the front lawn in her car (which is one of the best scenes in the film.) Kenner works for this role because of her ability to seem a little rigid. That is a backhanded compliment I suppose. Oliver Platt is great as he almost always is...I wish he did more. He is a fun, lovable, misunderstood guy who has lost his best friend and daughter and is trying to hold his life together and his family. I think they really under-explore his character and his relationship with Laurie but he still does a great job. Alia Shawkat is the daughter of Laurie and Keener and former best friend of Meester who is truly caught in the middle of this. She does an okay job but sort of falls in the shadow of better performers like Meester and Laurie and Platt. Her character could have been far more explored too but she serves her purpose. She is best when trading jabs with Meester physically or verbally. Adam Brody is featured as main cast but he is really hardly in the movie. He comes and goes as almost a cameo and I can't say much to his performance because outside of a few good lines he doesn't have much.Shakespearean family dynamics. That's what this movie is. Its like when you're spying on a couple arguing because you want the real life drama...well this is non-stop drama and its fun to watch because its so awkward. Its well performed, a decent script and good direction by Julian Farino who comes mostly from Television but good Television so that's something. Honestly, by the end of the film I almost hoped Laurie and Meester would stay together but you know throughout the movie that it literally just can't happen. Still their relationship shakes up their entire lives and turns everything on end. Somehow everyone learns something and finds their "coming-of-age." The film's real feat is not making you feel angry at any of the characters but actually root for them and want to see everyone get what makes them happy. The film is in some ways a Christmas film but the most bizarre one in many aspects. The ending is almost too cut and dry and yet perfect also. I can't even call the film a dark comedy but it certainly has its moments for laughing and moments for being serious. All in all, very entertaining and while it doesn't knock anything out of the ballpark, it is absolutely worth seeing. 7.5/10