Review of The 'Burbs (1989) by Joseph Bradley B — 07 Oct 2011

(NOTE: No spoiler here.) I grew up in suburbia, several, as a matter of fact. As my father moved from better to better job, we moved every four years. I only mention that little factoid to say that I grew up living in my fair share of suburbia, and if you have too, you know there's always that one neighbor about whom everyone else slightly tilts a head and wonders. It's a hint of their simply being odd, cooky, even scary at times. Their basements may not crackle, whine, and light up at night, but you know, you just can't help it - something's just not right over there.

Ray and Carol Peterson, Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher, along with a perfect cast of characters with their own, less threatening oddities (Rick Ducommun, as the obnoxious Art Weingartner, threatens to eclipse everyone else with a bravura performance of his own), fight themselves to preserve normalcy on their street. They fight their tendency to give into the devious hype and do something about it. It's a losing battle, and they end up finding the truth. What truth, I won't say.

Dana Olson did a masterful work of homage to all us who try to make sense of life in suburbia, while poking fun at us along the way, which is just the cherry on top. The filmâ(TM)s combination of humor and potential horror that is perfectly mixed, right down to tiny personality conflicts between the "normal" residents themselves; right down to questioning the "normalcy" of suburban suspicion itself in the face of sheer boredom. Besides, how can you miss a movie about potentially hidden evil that's directed by a man whose last name is Dante?

If you want to take it seriously, don't see it. If you're willing to laugh at yourself while being rapt with a mystery in a place where a mystery should not exist, I can't recommend it more highly. One critic called it predictable - if it is, it's no penalty on this film. Something's bound to surprise you. In addition, don't be surprised if you watch it several times. This one's a sleeper and obviously here, the Audience, at 67%, know it. At 46%, the critics, as usual, make the mistake of using the movie as an opportunity to engage in serious philosophy and spouting their compendious knowledge about previous films which have little or no relevance to this one - maybe they hardly emerge from their houses in their own suburbia basements. (Devious laughter here - Whooo, Haa, Haa, Ha, Ha, ha. ..!).