Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Suburbicon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 3, 2018

Suburbicon throws a wrench into the nostalgic resonance of the 1950s, the post-war years glamorized in programs like Leave it to Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show that explored the joys and innocent missteps in simple times where traditional structure and smiles saved the day, everyday. Director George Clooney's film offers a different view, a darker view, one that peers behind the façade and tells a story far away from the idealized pleasantries the timeframe promotes, a contrast which is probably the film's most effective component. The film offers dueling stories, one a sordid tale of greed and lust with blood on the horizon and the other of a closely knit white community rallying against a black family that has disrupted the status quo by mere proximity. The two stories, as disparate as they do seem, eventually converge in a few critical but largely coincidental ways, though the film nevertheless remains an oddity of blended narratives that never quite seems to find a purpose in its direction beyond attempting to stir the pot and remove the makeup from a celebrated era.

Odd things are afoot in Suburbicon...

The peaceful Suburbicon is a paradise of simple living, a self-contained bubble away from the city but with all of a city's amenities: a mall, a school, fire and police departments, a hospital...and an entirely white population. Things are disrupted when the Mayers family moves in; they're black, and nobody takes it well, except for Nicky (Noah Jupe), a young boy whose world is about to be upended, and not only because he dares to befriend the Mayers' little boy, Andy (Tony Espinosa). A home invasion leaves Nicky's mother, Rose (Julianne Moore), dead. His father Gardner (Matt Damon) and his aunt Margaret (also Moore) begin a sexual relationship, and it turns out that Rose's death may not have been accidental after all. As truths come to light and the protests outside the Mayers' home grow more intense, Suburbicon's peaceful façade will be challenged like never before.

Suburbicon asks the audience not to invest in characters but rather in structure, not in drama but rather its bending and breaking of the rules in its depiction of 1950s suburbia, a time and place when a fall from a bike or a lost family pet seemed the only possible disputers of an otherwise idealized presentation of humanity. The film aims to shatter illusions, to illustrate the dark side not of an ephemeral era but rather the infinite fallibility of man, his endless lust to shatter reason and break the rules. It's interesting, then, when considering the film's two stories. The Mayers family interrupts the town, which leads to massive protests based solely on the color of the family's skin. The Lodge family crumbles from within, where murder, shenanigans, and growing doubt, fear, and mistrust define the lurid lives that exist behind closed doors, qualities far more disturbing and potentially disruptive to the community than the mere presence of a quiet family whose only "sin" is skin color. The residents protest against peace and quiet and color while failing to recognize the mounting horrors right next door behind closed curtains.

But the film never quite gets to the point that the juxtaposition really works in any meaningful way, at least from an entertainment perspective. Much of the problem doesn't stem from the setting or the ideas but rather the dearth of engaging characters. The film never gives the viewer reason to invest in the characters, at least not beyond little Nicky, who is an innocent pawn in the middle of a larger danger, and to a lesser extent the Mayers family, never developed at all beyond skin color, standing in as nothing more than a three-person plot facilitator. That's a shame. Their world parallels Nicky's. Their world is slowly shattered by increasing hostility that turns from literal noise to literal, physical peril, much as Nicky's world turns upside down into crescendo of violence that ultimately leaves him cowering under his bed while, around the same time, the Mayers home is assaulted for no other reason than because its otherwise seemingly normal, pleasant inhabitants are of a different color of skin.

Damon and Moore headline the film but fail to bring any resonance to their flat, generic parts. Character motivations are crude, there's no vitality to the parts despite the complex plotting and scheming, and the performances fail to ignite the bland characters that even actors of their caliber cannot salvage. Oscar Isaac brings a healthy blend of charm, aggression, and evolution to his role, which turns out to be just as dark yet somehow much more complex and agreeable than those manned by Damon and Moore. He only really reinforces some of the key themes and helps set things in motion for the climax, but he still manages to nail the part. Glenn Fleshler's work highlights the film; the actor brings a sinister confidence to his role as one of the home invaders, a massive screen presence that's a rock amongst pebbles.

Suburbicon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Suburbicon may be a flawed film, but its 1080p transfer certainly is not. The digitally sourced image, which here nearly passes for film quality, is incredibly adept and essentially without flaw. A firm, gorgeously cinematic texturing reveals firm and sure complex details. Skin textures are stout and intimately revealed, showcasing every freckle, pore, hair, and, later in the film, wound with amazingly revealing density and accuracy. Environments are crisp and pleasing, with well manicured lawns, period cars and clothes, large fixtures and small accents in houses and offices always revealing the finest detail with ease. Colors are impressively bold, with big primaries popping regularly and with great complexity and vibrance. Saturation is fantastic and the palette, while aggressively showy, never feels oversaturated or unnatural; colors are certainly a major highlight in the transfer. Skin tones are pleasantly accurate and black levels beautifully deep and pure. Source noise is minimal and smudgy edges are rare. This is the 1080p format at just about the top of its game.

Suburbicon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Suburbicon's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a well-rounded, engaged, and sure listen. Whether effortlessly immersive atmospherics or complex, high energy audio outputs, the track always delivers its wares with confidence and precision. Surrounds are used extensively as necessary, carrying gentle environmental effects and, later in the film, loud, discrete, complex moving-parts sound elements with high yield clarity and stage placement, whether a crash near film's end or the increasingly chaotic din the protestors make outside the Mayers home. Musical delivery is always strong, offering exceptional instrumental clarity and seamless spacing to immerse the listener in the notes, though certainly the front end carries the bulk of the load. Dialogue is alway efficient in positioning, detailing, and prioritization.

Suburbicon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Suburbicon contains a commentary and a trio of featurettes. A UV/iTunes digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Audio Commentary: Director George Clooney and Writer/Producer Grant Heslov go in-depth into the technical nature of the movie's construction while not just rehashing everything from the video-based features below.
• Welcome to Suburbicon (1080p, 29:50): In this lengthy piece, cast and crew discuss the plot essentials, the film's tonal balance, segments of the story based in reality, the film's racial component, character details, shooting locations, production design, cars and costumes, cinematography, and more.
• The Unusual Suspects: Casting (1080p, 12:49): A closer look at the actors who bring life to the film's key roles.
• Scoring Suburbicon (1080p, 7:54): This piece explores Alexandre Desplat's music.

Suburbicon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Suburbicon flashes potential, and with names like Damon, Moore, Clooney and Joel and Ethan Coen attached it's disheartening to watch the final product flop around the screen with ample opportunity but little to show for the talent involved and the plot's potential. Atmosphere is decent but the dark story offers little of distinction even against its contrastingly cheerful 1950s suburbia setting. Characters are all but terrible beyond Fleshler's and Isaac's, and it's criminal that the Mayers family earns no significant development, the family in the film to fill a part and nothing more. Its elements -- murder, mayhem, mystery, and racism -- never gel, yielding a movie that's all concept with little in the way of memorable screen execution. Paramount's Blu-ray does offer reference video and superb audio. A few extras are included. Rental at best, and check out Get Out instead, a vastly superior movie that accomplishes what this one is seemingly trying to achieve.