Suburbicon

Starring: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac, Noah Jupe, Richard Kind
Directed by: George Clooney
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After a home invasion, a family struggles to put the pieces of their lives back together.

Review:

Tim: George Clooney has certainly proven his talent as a director, although The Monuments Men was a clear misfire. The same thing can be said about Suburbicon. While this movie is better than his previous one, this now makes two underwhelming movies in a row for Clooney. Still, it's too early to tell what kind of director Clooney will be. At this point (and I've seen 5 of his 6 directorial efforts), it's fair to say he's a bit up-and-down.

The Coen Brothers wrote this film, so it definitely feels like their style of dark, twisted humor. However, their better films feel expertly crafted and memorable. That's not the case here. Suburbicon is fine, it's an interesting little movie that somewhat subverts our expectations. It tells a darkly humorous tale that shows the evil underbelly to even the most normal looking people. I suppose there's certainly some interesting parallels you can make between this story and the state of America, both in the late 1950s (the setting of this film) and today. The story is loosely based on true events that took place in 1957, but that seems like more of the racial aspects of the story. I appreciated the focus on the evils of racism as they were in the late 1950s, but the script never quite reconciles that aspect of the story with the darker, sinister story of the white family we see. This gives the movie a disjointed quality to it. I see how both stories connected, but they needed to feel more aligned, more supportive of each other. Without that, it feels like a film that doesn't have enough focus.

The cast actually helps the movie. The biggest failure is the script and Clooney's direction needed to be better as well. The cast mostly works. Matt Damon is solid playing a role very much against type. I appreciated his attempt to embrace a different character. He's a good actor and he works in this role. Julianne Moore always works in movies like this. She's so talented and she brought layers of complexity to the characters she plays. Oscar Isaac doesn't have nearly enough to do, but his performance works and it makes the movie better. I have to gives loads of credit to Noah Jupe. I loved him in Wonder and he gives another remarkable performance here. There's something to the way he balances youthful vulnerability with strength and wisdom. It makes for a mesmerizing performance. It reminds me of a young Joseph Mazzello. Jupe is proving to be one of the most exciting child actors working day. I thought he was perhaps the best part of this movie. So, the cast is fairly strong, but the movie around them doesn't work nearly enough.

Besides Jupe, there really isn't a likeable character in this film. I've made this complaint about the Coens before. I'm all for telling stories about complex, conflicted and bad people. We don't always need a hero. The problem comes when we can't connect with those characters. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a great example this done well- the whole movie is comprised of flawed, unlikable characters- but we get emotionally attached to them anyway. We care about them despite their issues. That's success. That does not happen here. I cared about Jupe's character because he was innocent. I didn't like, care about, or feel any level of investment towards anyone else. That takes a 1 hour 45 minute movie and makes it feel too long.

Now, while Suburbicon is a fairly disappointing movie, I did think the ending was surprisingly good. It wasn't enough to save the movie, but it made the experience of sitting through this feel more worthwhile. Still, while the movie certainly has some strengths, it feels like a fairly weak effort from Clooney. He's given us significantly better movies in the past and we deserved a better film here than what we got.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Wonder, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; Burn After Reading