MOVIE REVIEW: SUBURBICON

Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic, suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns -- the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge must navigate the town's dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit and violence.

Director: George Clooney

Release Date: Oct 27, 2017

Cast: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac, Glenn Fleshler, Michael Cohen

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality

Runtime: 1 hr. 44 min.

Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Review:

Suburbicon is an odd hodgepodge of a film from director George Clooney.  It’s a film that has multiple things going on but they never mesh into a coherent story thread.  The film’s script was a reworked from the Coen’s brother’s original draft and the film does seem to be at war with itself for the better part of its runtime.  On one hand you have the Matt Damon lead murder mystery which feels very much like a Coen’s creation with its high body count and black comedy seeping from its veins.  On the other hand there’s a thoroughly uncooked subplot about a black family dealing with increasingly hostile neighbors.  The entire subplot feels incredibly underdeveloped even though I think it’s a well intentioned effort to give the film some added weight and depth.  The issue is that the characters on display are never developed with barely a few lines of dialogue thrown their way.  Both these plots don’t really mesh well as the tone changes abruptly in a moments notice.  Oscar Issac is the most interesting thing in the whole film but sadly he comes and goes way too soon.  Suburbicon feels like it should be a much better film than it actually is.  Sadly, it just never jells into an enjoyable whole. 

C+