The Film: The ‘burbs (1989)
Image courtesy of (amazon.com)
Notable Cast Members: Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommun, Corey Feldman, Henry Gibson
Director: Joe Dante
DVD available on Amazon.com here
Film Synopsis:
When people start spouting off their favorite Tom Hanks movies you usually hear things like Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, Philadelphia or Big. And generally when one thinks of the work of director Joe Dante they think of The Howling or Gremlins. So in 1989, the year of Dead Poets Society, Field of Dreams and Driving Miss Daisy, this wonderful, silly little film slipped through the fingers of the moving going public.
The ‘burbs is the story of Ray Peterson (Hanks), an overstressed suburbanite who starts having paranoid thoughts about his creepy new neighbors, the Klopeks. These paranoid thoughts are pushed further by Ray’s two obnoxious neighbors, Mark (Dern) and Art (Ducommun). His wife Carol (Fisher) tries to dissuade these thoughts, but this doesn’t stop him from spying on the Klopeks in the middle of the night, in the rain. And digging through their garbage in the middle of the street the following afternoon. And finally when the old man who lives down the street, Walter, disappears, Ray decides he’s had enough. “Nobody knocks off an old man in my neighborhood and gets away with it!”
All of these antics are viewed by neighbor Ricky Butler (Feldman), who adds color and commentary to the grown men’s follies.
One of the best moments is when Carol and Mark’s wife, Bonnie, decide they’ve had enough and drag their men over to the Klopek’s house to introduce themselves. The stout Uncle Reuben lets them in and they all sit around uncomfortably while the youngest Klopek, Hans, offers up pretzels and sardines. Here we are also introduced to Dr. Werner Klopek (the always amazing Henry Gibson) who has on gloves and an apron and is covered in what appears to be blood but turns out just to be red paint… or so he says… It’s a tense, humorous moment that stays with you long after the film is over.
All the stars of this film play their rolls to perfection. Director Joe Dante tackles the subject perfectly giving that balance of humor and horror the right tip just when it needs it. And Jerry Goldsmith’s score is the cherry on top of this Cinematic Sundae!
The Story Behind It:
I remember seeing this movie in the theater when I was 11. I remember how amazed I was when the Universal logo appeared, and after the name spun around the Earth, we zoomed in closer and closer landing smack dab into a seemingly quiet quintessential American neighborhood. I remember thinking how scary Ray’s dream sequence was what with the chainsaw coming through the wall (a great tribute to Texas Chainsaw Massacre which I didn’t see until many years later) and Ray being tied down on a giant barbeque to be scarified. Pretty intense images for an 11 year old, it makes me laugh now. The whole movie makes me laugh. I won’t say it’s Tom Hanks best film, save you slings and arrows for another day, but I will say it’s my favorite.
I watched this movie many times as a kid. And now that I’m all grown up (hah!) I not only continue to enjoy the hell out of this movie, but watch it on a technical level and appreciate all the things Joe Dante did to make it a truly special film, if only for me.
It was around this time that I also saw Beetlejuice and Joe Vs. The Volcano (another underrated Hanks film), which started my love of strange films, which continues to this day.
