Peep World

This dysfunctional-family satire revolves around the 70th birthday celebration of Henry Meyerwitz (Ron Rifkin), a nasty, self-centered Los Angeles real estate mogul with four neurotic adult children. Introduced by an unseen narrator (Lewis Black), oldest son Jack (Michael C. Hall) is supposedly the responsible one, except that his architectural firm has failed and his pregnant wife (Judy Greer) mutters obscenities at him in her sleep. To escape his troubles, Jack frequents a peep-show porn parlor. The other siblings are bitchy Cheri (Sarah Silverman), a sulky actress/singer/songwriter with a Jews for Jesus boyfriend (Stephen Tobolowsky); Joel (Rainn Wilson), a perennial ne'er-do-well pursued by a pair of persistent loan sharks—a fact hidden from his police officer girlfriend (Taraji P. Henson); and Nathan (Ben Schwartz), who's just published a sleazy bestselling novel titled Peep World (spilling all the family secrets), and is accompanied by an admiring publicist (Kate Mara) who gamely helps him deal with his premature ejaculation problem. Joining the gathering is Henry's long-suffering first wife (Lesley Ann Warren), her new husband (Nicholas Hormann), and Henry's young actress girlfriend (Alicia Witt), who's been cast as Cheri in an upcoming Peep World–based movie. Directed by Barry W. Blaustein, this is a sour entry in the black comedy genre, a mere shadow of similarly-themed films such as The Royal Tenenbaums and Denmark's The Celebration. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (5 min.) and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a lame film.] (S. Granger)