The Family That Criticizes Together Stays Together

Peep World

Directed by Barry L. Blaustein

Running time: 89 min.

At IFC Center

As an ambitious TV pilot, Peep World, with its large cast,
name actors and promise of family dysfunction, would be the beginning of a
promising series. A family of weirdos, from the peep-show-addicted older
brother to the self-deluded actress-sister to the youngest sibling, who has
written a novel about all of them, the show would be a nice fit on Showtime or
HBO. As a feature film, the entire thing fizzles.

Biting off way more than he can chew, screenwriter Peter
Himmelstein has crafted too large a canvas, and works furiously to fill it in
for the 89-minute running time. But for some reason, recognizable actors have
signed on, which means we get just glimpses of comedic stars Lesley Ann Warren
and Judy Greer, while Himmelstein tries to cover too many bases with the
extended family he’s created and director Barry L. Blaustein contributes
nothing but managerial work. No time for cinema or art here, folks—we’ve got a
story to tell!

There’s oldest brother Jack (Michael C. Hall), tired of
cleaning up his siblings’ messes—especially the immature Joel (Rainn Wilson),
who thinks that his wealthy father will always be able to buy him out of the
trouble he gets into. Sister Cheri (Sarah Silverman), meanwhile, is too busy
finding relatives to blame for her problems to give much thought to her lack of
success as an actress—especially since the film adaptation of the novel written
by their younger brother Nathan (Ben Schwartz) is being filmed right outside
her apartment, with their father’s new girlfriend playing the role based on
Cheri.

Nothing whatsoever happens over the course of the movie,
except some unearned respect among the family. Jack apparently has a fondness
for clearing his mind in sleazy peep shows, but though the film’s title is
taken from that hobby, not much screen time is given over to it. And Nathan has
sexual problems, which leads to an extended boner sequence that is supposed to
humanize the relentlessly ambitious character but just drags the proceedings
down.

The film’s climactic showdown, at the annual birthday dinner
thrown by Jack for their father (a barely utilized Ron Rifkin), shows glimmers
of dark promise, but it ultimately turns into every other angsty family
shouting match, complete with a vaguely happy ending. Himmelstein and Blaustein
give us just a peep, when what we really want is a nice, long gape.