“Suburbicon” is new look at the 50’s era of massive suburban developments and the people who moved into these mini-cities. With a brilliant opening sequence, designed to look like a marketing brochure come to life, it takes some very different and dark turns. Since the original script is from Joel & Ethan Coen, there are many dangerous areas explored in the idyllic little town. These mostly deal with gangsters, dead bookies, possible insurance fraud and murder. The script also was touched by Clooney & Grant Heslov to include racial tensions and integration gone wrong. The two styles do not mix very well.
In Suburbicon, there is a black family who moves into the neighborhood. However, the Mayers arrival starts an over-the-top escalation of dismay, rudeness and hate from the lily-white people next door. The new family is blameless of course, but the racial taunting and bullying goes on and on. But across that backyard, something strange is happening at the Lodge residence. Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) lives there with his crippled wife Rose (Julianne Moore) and son Nicky (Noah Jupe). Also visiting is Rose’s sister Maggie (also played by Moore).
A late-night break-in gets all the family tied up and helpless, and two thugs (Glenn Fleshler & Alex Hassel) use chloroform to make them all pass out. However, this puts fragile Rose into a coma, and then she dies. Nicky is heartbroken, and he does not get much love or support from his father, Gardner. He is also put off by his aunt Maggie, who will be staying with them for the time being to support the family. Maggie soon takes to emulating Rose in every way, dyeing her hair blond and wearing Rose’s clothes and jewelry.
The police say they have suspects, but in a line-up neither Maggie nor Gardner say they spot the men that killed Rose. But Nicky can see that they are hiding something. There is also an obnoxious insurance investigator named Bud (Oscar Isaac) who thinks that the life insurance policy on Rose has a bunch of issues. At the same time, there is a bigger and louder confrontation with the Mayer family in front of their house. Nobody is looking into the weird events at the Lodge’s house. But that same night, there are many things that all go wrong.
The insurance guy Bud comes back to threaten Gardner and Maggie. The two thugs are back to also threaten Gardner and Maggie. Nicky is scared and must fend for himself. But the crowd by the Mayers house is too involved to notice the nefarious deeds that are being done at the Lodge’s house. By the time the night comes to an end, so will the lives of several of these people…
When it all breaks down, this movie plays as ‘Coen Brothers Lite’. It has some of the risky, double-dealing, creepy behavior of the typical Coen brothers movie. But that aspect is downplayed and set against a backdrop of the unconnected racial tensions next door. There are characters whose motivations only come clear later as it continues, and only the young son Nicky is the innocent one. One initial bad thing brings a cascading domino effect of rotten mistakes and loser options. But the heavy-handed side-story dealing with of the persecution of the new black family does not connect to the main plot.
The acting is stiff and forced, perhaps as a way to better show the 1950’s era that the movie portrays. But none of the main characters have much to do, except perhaps young Noah Jupe. He puts in a terrific performance. Also Oscar Isaac makes a decent appearance, but has a very brief role. Matt Damon is very plain and cartoonish. He plays a character that could be called ‘Good Will Boring’. Julianne Moore plays two roles, and is stilted in both of them.
When a Realtor calls and says you can make an offer on a nice, quite little house in a place call Suburbicon, tell them to keep looking. This neighborhood is not that good.
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