The 'burbs is classic 80s fare from director Joe Dante (it even features his two casting regulars, Dick Miller and Robert Picardo). It looked like a lot of fun to make.
Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) and his neighbors live in the epitome of Suburbia. They're very neighborly folks (aka nosy) who spend most of their time primping their yards and spying on their neighbors, the reclusive Klopeks who just moved in next door to Ray. They live in the only desolate house on the block, the one with the dried up grass and lone, dead tree in the front yard. At night, when Ray walks his dog, he hears strange noises and sees weird things coming from the Klopek's house. So, everyone in the neighborhood assumes the only logical thing--that the Klopeks are murderers.
When their neighbor Walter goes missing, Ray and his idiot friend, Art (Rick Ducommun) are sure the Klopek's murdered him and buried him in the backyard. When the Klopek's leave their house to attend a University lecture for the day, Ray declares "I'm going over there and I'm not coming back until I find a dead body. Nobody knocks off an old man in my neighborhood and gets away with it." Ray's wife, Carol (Carrie Fisher) is fed up with Art and Ray, as they continuously seem to get into trouble in trying to prove their theory that the Klopeks are murderers. But, when the cat's away, the mice will play.
All the while, you're left wondering whether their paranoia has overtaken them, or whether the Klopeks really are capable of murder. It's always the quiet ones...
There's a lot to enjoy here in this stupid comedy. Bruce Dern, above all else, is my favorite character as Ray's neighbor, Mark Rumsfield who is usually hilariously wimpy despite being a former soldier. (During a break from the final invasion, Rumsfield sits atop his roof carefully nibbling the heads off of animal crackers). Or when Art has to climb up an electrical pole to cut the power to the Klopek's house, Ray asks Mark why he didn't climb up there. "It's very high," he says innocently. And I get the most laughs during the conversation Mark has with Uncle Rueben Klopek (Brother Theodore) when they all get together and pay the family a visit. "About a nine on the tension scale, eh Rub?" he asks the annoyed brother.
Art is pretty funny too because he's a giant idiot who is really responsible for the mess that he and Ray and Mark get in when they go snooping around the Klopek's house. And, 80s fans won't want to miss Corey Feldman who, despite previously being an annoying teenager in later films, is actually quite funny here as slacker neighbor Ricky Butler who "really knows how to throw a party." He knows that if Ray, Mark, and Art are up to something, then it's worth calling up all his rock n' roll stoner friends to come over and check out the action. "This is my life. This is my neighborhood," he says proudly. Says Mark Rumsfield to his wife about Ricky, "that kids a meatball."
Joe Dante really does a good job here and works with a fantastic cast of characters, especially the supporting cast, in this story that parodies Suburban life. It's a really funny movie that is best for 80s fans. Loosen up and give it a go.
Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) and his neighbors live in the epitome of Suburbia. They're very neighborly folks (aka nosy) who spend most of their time primping their yards and spying on their neighbors, the reclusive Klopeks who just moved in next door to Ray. They live in the only desolate house on the block, the one with the dried up grass and lone, dead tree in the front yard. At night, when Ray walks his dog, he hears strange noises and sees weird things coming from the Klopek's house. So, everyone in the neighborhood assumes the only logical thing--that the Klopeks are murderers.
When their neighbor Walter goes missing, Ray and his idiot friend, Art (Rick Ducommun) are sure the Klopek's murdered him and buried him in the backyard. When the Klopek's leave their house to attend a University lecture for the day, Ray declares "I'm going over there and I'm not coming back until I find a dead body. Nobody knocks off an old man in my neighborhood and gets away with it." Ray's wife, Carol (Carrie Fisher) is fed up with Art and Ray, as they continuously seem to get into trouble in trying to prove their theory that the Klopeks are murderers. But, when the cat's away, the mice will play.
All the while, you're left wondering whether their paranoia has overtaken them, or whether the Klopeks really are capable of murder. It's always the quiet ones...
There's a lot to enjoy here in this stupid comedy. Bruce Dern, above all else, is my favorite character as Ray's neighbor, Mark Rumsfield who is usually hilariously wimpy despite being a former soldier. (During a break from the final invasion, Rumsfield sits atop his roof carefully nibbling the heads off of animal crackers). Or when Art has to climb up an electrical pole to cut the power to the Klopek's house, Ray asks Mark why he didn't climb up there. "It's very high," he says innocently. And I get the most laughs during the conversation Mark has with Uncle Rueben Klopek (Brother Theodore) when they all get together and pay the family a visit. "About a nine on the tension scale, eh Rub?" he asks the annoyed brother.
Art is pretty funny too because he's a giant idiot who is really responsible for the mess that he and Ray and Mark get in when they go snooping around the Klopek's house. And, 80s fans won't want to miss Corey Feldman who, despite previously being an annoying teenager in later films, is actually quite funny here as slacker neighbor Ricky Butler who "really knows how to throw a party." He knows that if Ray, Mark, and Art are up to something, then it's worth calling up all his rock n' roll stoner friends to come over and check out the action. "This is my life. This is my neighborhood," he says proudly. Says Mark Rumsfield to his wife about Ricky, "that kids a meatball."
Joe Dante really does a good job here and works with a fantastic cast of characters, especially the supporting cast, in this story that parodies Suburban life. It's a really funny movie that is best for 80s fans. Loosen up and give it a go.