The Tribes of Palos Verdes (2017)

This film tells the story of a seemingly perfect family falling apart.The portrayal of the family falling apart is very gripping and engaging. It feels very real as well. I find the film captivating. I feel very connected with the characters, and feel sorry for all their predicaments.

Jennifer as always is absolutely phenomenal. However, the main characters voice throughout the movie is just awful. I don't know what it is, but I her voice just irked me. The entire movie was predictable and cheesy and the voice on top of that just made it all worse. Jennifer garner helps keep this at a 2.

The Mason family has just moved from Michigan to the exclusive community of Palos Verdes, California. There's the noted heart surgeon father (Justin Kirk), the emotionally troubled mother (Jennifer Garner) and their extremely close twin siblings (Maika Monroe and Cody Fern).The film is narrated by Monroe's character Medina, as they all settle into their palatial home overlooking the gorgeous Pacific Ocean. However, all is not idyllic in this family, as we actually watch them deteriorate before our eyes.The acting is solid all around but I found the story led me on a depressive and mean-spirited slog, with the parents particularly despicable here as they manipulate their teenage kids for their own purposes no matter what the cost. Without giving too much away here, the cost will be very high.Overall, some may find this unrelenting melodrama to their liking but for me it was a difficult view and far from entertaining.

I think the reviewer David Ferguson said it perfectly in his review, "Since there is always "trouble in paradise", perhaps living in paradise shouldn't even be a life goal." LOL - I frequently wonder the very same thing. I work in a family lawfirm in Manhattan Beach, CA. Over 30 years, I've met a lot of families, have seen their multi-million dollar homes, the way they make and spend their money, listen to them cry or complain about their infidelities, etc. This is just another sad story of a family going to s**t as the result of drugs, alcohol, abuse, infidelity, emotional issues. If you want to get sad or more depressed - watch this movie. If you want to be happy - watch a comedy or a movie about a family that works together through s**t - a man who is there for his wife and not running into another woman's arms (what happened to "through sickness and health"); parents taking charge and acting proactively in raising their kids (not leaving the child rearing to the nanny).