ICYMI: My earlier review of Suburbicon from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, originally found here.
Synopsis: 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 (Matt Damon) must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit, and violence. This is a tale of very flawed people making very bad choices. This is Suburbicon. (Rotten Tomatoes)
Starring: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac
Writers: Joel Cohen, Ethan Coen, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov
Director: George Clooney
Rating: 14A (Canada)/R (United States)
Running Time: 104mins
Trailer:
For showtimes and more, check out Suburbicon on movietimes.com.
This film has had quite the history, starting off as a 1999 script by the Coen brothers and then was re-adapted by director George Clooney and Academy Award winner Grant Heslov. You can tell that this was the case here as the story featured a series of ideas that don’t quite fit together and could have easily been different films. It was clearly trying to be some sort of social commentary about the 1950s but this was mostly relegated to the background.
The story itself was still suspenseful and compelling to watch, despite the overenthusiastic score, and very dark. Characters’ bad decisions get them into bad situations that only get worse. Damon, in a different role, and Moore, who played two roles, had great chemistry which made them fun to watch together. Isaac also has a scene-stealing performance later in the film.
Overall, this was a good, well-acted thriller with an interesting concept but was a little too muddled in its execution.
Score: 7.5/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
