Review of Suburbia (1984) by Jeremy S — 30 Apr 2009

Hanging out in front of a 711 waiting for a rock star to show up.

If "Jay And Silent Bob" from Clerks, had been treated as real people and not the "Abbot and Costello" of the View Askew universe, their story might have come out something like "SubUrbia". Linklater's greatest talents are for coaxing beleivable and natural performances out of scenes of heavy dialog, that would be impossible for others, here is no different.

Some freinds are hanging out, when word comes that a friend of theirs who is now an up and comming rock star, is back in town for a night of rekindling "the good old days". And the results are devicive, some resent him, for his new social status, or because they were in the band too forawhile, before they got big, others are excited to see someone/anyone who made it outta town, some excited just to see an old freind, etc. The appearance of "Pony" as he is called(they get to the name), sets off a chain of events and discussion, that has all of the squashed hopes and raging desires of youth whove been doing the same thing, in the same place since time imemorable.

I assumed this would be another film along the lines of "Dazed And Confused" or "Slacker" but it's closer to the heated character drama of his later "Tape", both this and "Tape" were based on plays.

Class division is the central theme of the story, the difference between the kids outside the 711, the owner played by Ajay Naidu, who can never seem to get rid of them, and has to endure their racist and privleged jaunts, to Pony himself who doesnt understand why showing up with a Limo to hang out in front of a convienence store might make some people uncomfortable. To Parker Posey as Pony's assistant attracted to one of the freinds who most vocally mocks with the "rock star" in their midst, Ajay the clerk, and anyone else he crosses, he's overcompensating sure but in more ways than we immediately realize?

Thats simplifying alot though, each of the 7 main characters get's enough time to make them feel real, if not like people you know, than people you have certainly met before. No character in this movie is filler, no matter how slight their role seems, kind of an egalitarian aspect of the film, that drives the class theme further. We pay attention to the main story with Pony, even as we are given glimpses into the lives of the "other people" in the periphery. It's the smaller roles here that end up accumulating into the biggest actions, but it feels effortlessly staged.

Much more happens before the night is done, a murder or maybe not, a suicide or maybe not, the dissolving of a relationship, a new career, jail time, or who knows? The film leaves open many questions, and gives plenty of answers too that im leaving out, and is full of performances that make you care about the answers. It's not a reveleation, Linklater has not solved any great problem by the end, but it is an honest portrait of youth, when if "Slacker" was about aimlessness, than "SubUrbia" is about how complex having a sudden "purpose" can be as well.

It's a lively dark comedy that feels authentic, and theres alot of good music in the soundtrack too. The film is bookened with scenes of suburban homes and shops while "Town Without Pity" plays in the background, and these scenes say as much in the film as any of the characters.