SUBURBICON – A Review by Hollywood Hernandez
Suburbicon is a very dark comedy from the mind of director George Clooney. Clooney has a very twisted sense of humor. The gags about murder and death run rampant in the movie, yet somehow we can't help but laugh at the misfortune that occurs to the characters in Suburbicon.
Suburbicon is a fictitious suburban town in the late 1950's where things are slow and the worries about the traffic and the hustle of the big city are far away. Then the unthinkable happens to the members of the small community; a black family moves to town!
We soon see the "true colors" of the people in the small community as they ban together to "overcome" and run the professional black family out of town. Meanwhile, next door to the protesting mob, a home invasion takes place at the Gardner house (Matt Damon and Julianne Moore). Damon's wife is killed by the burglars and he and his sister-in-law pick up the pieces after the crime, along with his young son Nicky (Noah Jupe), and start a new life. But things take a twist and we find out that Damon's character is not what he appears to be to everyone in the community of Suburbicon.
The movie is written by Clooney, along with the Cohen Brothers (O Brother, Where Art Thou) and is about as satirical as you can get. It drips with irony and is a social commentary film about this country, both in the 1950's and still even today.
Even with its violence and dark theme this will be a film that will be discussed at Oscar time, perhaps even as Best Movie. There is no denying the quality of the film; however, it wasn't a movie I really enjoyed. For me it was too dark and too violent. It's rated "R" for violence and sexual situations and runs at 1 hour and 44 minutes.
There were parts of the movie that made me howl with laughter and the black family living in suburbia was another good twist on the tale, but overall the movie wasn't an enjoyable experience. My sense of decency made it hard for me to laugh at all the murders and violence in the movie.
On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate Suburbicon a LARGE.
