Suburbicon (2017) Reviews

• Why do people think this movie is terrible?

  dawnlscherer2017-11-29

  I was really disappointed when I started seeing all kinds of bad reviews for Suburbicon pop up. I was so excited to see it! I finally watched it today and I don't know what you guys are talking about. I felt it was a pretty spot on dark comedy. I didn't think it was overly gruesome. I didn't think it was confusing. I didn't think loose ends were left. On the social plane, I've seen reviews that accuse the movie of being racially inflammatory. I've also seen reviews that took the opposite stance and said that the black and white story lines never came together and the black story line was simply used as a backdrop. I don't agree. I thought it was rather entertaining that this white- washed community just attributed all the violence taking place to the new black family in the neighborhood, rather than realizing they had a couple of white sociopaths living next door. It showed how prejudice just promotes ignorance. Pretty solid message if you ask me..

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• Another "Blood Simple" and a bit more

  Monsieur_Rioux2018-02-07

  IMDB really must try and do something about "reviews that just attack movies for so called political bias. Same thing happened with The Post. This was a highly enjoyable movie from the entertainment value to the "makes your blood boil" counter story. It really was like watching another Blood Simple, also by the Coens. Another review asked "Is this a social commentary about racism in suburbia? Or in this a murder mystery of some sort?" and then said it tried to be all and was neither. How about it was actually both, with the attacks on the black family while in the neighbourhood there was something evil going on under their noses perpetrated by a white family?

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• Perfect balance between crime flick, dark comedy and social drama

  kluseba2017-11-15

  Suburbicon is a movie that doesn't deserve the overwhelmingly negative critics it gets. The movie is an ambitious mixture of a crime flick, dark comedy and social drama in almost equal parts. This isn't unusual for a script by the talented Coen brothers but Suburbicon is particularly out-thought and precise. First of all, we have the story of a mysterious home invasion in a seemingly perfect town that leads to the murder of a physically disabled mother. Secondly, the film portrays the small-town stereotypes of the late fifties in a humorous manner and also includes a solid dose of situation comedy. Thirdly, the movie shows us the struggles of an African-American family in an otherwise homogeneous all-white neighbourhood. In addition to this original mixture, the film is extremely stylish and portrays small-town stereotypes of the late fifties perfectly, including exchangeable family houses, flashy clothes and robust vehicles. The movie includes numerous talented actors who are challenged to play unusual roles and deliver good to great jobs. Matt Damon really convinces as two-faced family father, Julianne Moore plays two roles and portrays both a bitter and disabled family mother as well as her manipulative and superficial sister and child actor Noah Jupe has his international breakthrough as he performs a shy and antisocial but also open-minded and clever boy. Even the secondary roles are unique and played by talented actors. One has to point out Gary Basaraba who plays a sympathetic but tough uncle, Oscar Isaac convinces as an investigative insurance agent and Glenn Fleshler impresses as scary villain. If the acting is so convincing, it's due to the great work of the great directing effort. George Clooney is obviously rather known as an actor but he proves that he can also direct a great movie and I would even say that his precise work here is better than many of the somewhat superficial roles he has played in his career. It's great to see that George Clooney is still trying out new things so late in his career. Some negative critics here focus on the fact that the movie portrays the racism of an all-white neighbourhood towards an African-American family and even shows the display of a Confederate flag in one scene where an angry mob smashes the windows of the family house. First of all, it's a matter of fact that racism was very present in those neighbourhoods of the United States of America back in the fifties and it sadly still is an issue today if we witness the numerous cases of police violence against African-American citizens. Secondly, the movie also shows that some residents aren't participating in the protests but rather trying to ignore it in order to not get into any trouble with their neighbours which was an attitude several people had back in those days. Thirdly, a few select people are shown which are helping the African-American family the best they can and it's a particularly clever move that the movie focuses on the friendship of a black and a white boy who show the ignorant adults around them that there is hope for peaceful coexistence in the future. Therefore, the movie isn't biased or left-wing propaganda as some angry reviewers try to make you think but a balanced and realistic portrait of a flawed society. Finally, the scene with the Confederate flag isn't offensive because the display of this flag is often associated with white supremacy. If you have a Confederate flag in your yard, you should seriously ask yourself what kind of person you are. This flag isn't anything to be proud of. To keep it short, Suburbicon is an entertaining, original and stylish movie that mixes crime flick, dark comedy and social drama in a perfectly balanced way. Ignore the negative critics and enjoy one of the greatest movies of the year. The fact that the incredibly boring Blade Runner 2049 gets so much critical acclaim while Suburbicon is unjustifiably criticized proves once more that popular opinions don't mean much when it comes to understanding a piece of art.

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• Fantastic movie ! Can't believe all the negativity..

  bobkoense2017-11-08

  This will be the first time I have ever written a review for IMDb. After watching the movie the other night, I had to check the scores on the site as I usually do. When I saw the score of a measly 4.8 out of 10 something compelled me to write this review. From start to finish it was gripping and interesting. It has been a long time ago I saw such an original piece of art. I'm not a cinegraphic expert by any means, but I recognize a gem when I see one. Go see it !

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• This Was Just Not Good

  trublu2152017-09-14

  I'm a huge fan of the Coen Brothers. To me, cinema doesn't get much better than No Country for Old Men or Burn After Reading or Raising Arizona...you get the idea. So when I heard that George Clooney was directing their next original script, naturally I couldn't wait to see it. Fast track a year and a half later and here we are. Clooney proved to me that it takes much more than a Coen Bros script to make it a Coen Bros film. Suburbicon is one of the few films that will come about where the talent attached to the project is so overwhelming and plentiful but the final product is so mediocre and bordering on bad that it leaves you scratching your head. The film is very beautiful to start off. The cinematography is very crisp and extremely colorful which makes the setting of the 50s suburbs seemingly pop even more so. The production design and basically anything of a technical aspect is amazingly done here by traditional standards. So why is Suburbicon falling flat? Very simple: Clooney is woefully unqualified to direct a Coen Bros script as are most people. This feels like it was made by someone who watched Fargo and Burn After Reading a dozen times and decided to make this. It feels like it is an imitation and, by the end of the film, that is all it turns out to be. The cast is even really dull despite a fantastic performance from Julianne Moore. Damon can't decide whether to play it funny or serious and that really plays a big part in the violence of the film. It is comically set up but brutally executed. It doesn't feel right at all and it makes for a very tough watch. Overall, Suburbicon is a film that will probably leave your mind as quickly as it came. It is a very forgettable film. It is a frustrating piece of cinema as well because we will always be left with the thoughts of what could have been. With the level of talent and star power, Suburbicon has no business being as dull and ragged as it is especially because in a technical sense, the film is great. But with Clooney's misguided direction and Matt Damon's very erratic performance, Suburbicon is a miss of the most disappointing fashion.

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