Lessons on how to become (or avoid) a 'Kajillionaire' turn tricky

The upbeat Rodriguez and downcast Wood make for a quirky pair. 

Richard Jenkins acts the crackpot, Debra Winger limps up a storm, and Rachel Evan Wood puts her robotic stare (from HBO's "Westworld") to shame through much of "Kajillionaire." 

So consider yourself introduced to the Dyne family: Papa Robert, Mama Theresa and 26-year-old daughter Old Dolio in the latest from performance artist-turned writer/director Miranda July.

If you did a double take on that OD name, know that, like everything else in this more bleak than dark comedy, patience likely will be rewarded with an eventual explanation. (Checking out "Dolio" in an English/Spanish dictionary might even help discover what Ms. July is driving at.) 

The movie title comes from the economic philosophy of the Dyne trio, oddball con artists dealing with scary earthquake tremors on the streets of L.A. and living in a deserted old office next to a "Bubbles, Inc." factory that overflows into their makeshift home at the same time every day. 

Now, some of their bizarre shenanigans might instigate laughing out loud, especially in the slow early-going, before anyone can understand what's really happening here. However, after Robert attempts to juice their confidence games by recruiting a fourth player (award-wining Gina Rodriguez from "Jane the Virgin"), Old Dolio begins to see the light. None of it is genuinely surprising, just agreeably energizing.   

Rated "R" by MPAA: sexual references and some language; 1:45; $ $ $ out of $5