The 'burbs (1989)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Joe Dante

Writer (WGA):

Dana Olsen (written by)

Release Date:

17 February 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A comedy about one nice guy who gets pushed too far.

Plot:

An overstressed suburbanite and his paramilitaric neighbor struggle to prove their paranoid theory that the new family in town is a front for a cannibalistic cult.

Plot Keywords:

Neighbor | Basement | Wig | Reference To Pinocchio | Occult

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Ray Peterson
Bruce Dern	...	Mark Rumsfield
Carrie Fisher	...	Carol Peterson
Rick Ducommun	...	Art Weingartner
Corey Feldman	...	Ricky Butler
Wendy Schaal	...	Bonnie Rumsfield
Henry Gibson	...	Dr. Werner Klopek
Brother Theodore	...	Uncle Reuben Klopek
Courtney Gains	...	Hans Klopek
Gale Gordon	...	Walter Seznick
Dick Miller	...	Vic, Garbageman #1
Robert Picardo	...	Joe, Garbageman #2
Cory Danziger	...	Dave Peterson
Franklyn Ajaye	...	Detective #1
Rance Howard	...	Detective #2

Also Known As:

Life in the Burbs (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | UK:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | USA:PG (Certificate #29589) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Sweden:11 (cut) | UK:PG (cut) | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Spain:13 | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Imagine Entertainment

Trivia:

In the scene where Ray and Art break into Walter's house, there is a picture on the table of Walter (Gale Gordon) with Lucille Ball. Ball and Gordon were co-stars of the 1948 radio show "My Favorite Husband" and the TV shows "The Lucy Show" (1962), "Here's Lucy" (1968), and "Life with Lucy" (1986).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Art and Ray are in the basement talking about the incubus and succubus, Art accidentally hits the lamp causing it to swing back and forth. As the light begins to slow down, one of the crew members hits the lamp again to keep it swinging.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Carol Peterson: Ray. Ray, where are you going? Come back to bed.

Movie Connections:

References "The Twilight Zone: The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (#1.22)" (1960)

Soundtrack:

LOCKED IN A CAGE

a hilarious movie

The first time I saw THE 'BURBS, it was a special unannounced sneak preview following another film. Having heard nothing about this film and not even knowing of its existence until the film started, I was immediately worried I was about to see a horror film. Hey, I was only ten at the time, when I was still scared of horror movies. But what I ended up seeing was one of the most hilarious movies ever made, a movie that had the entire theater laughing all the way through. We later bought the video, and more recently the DVD, and over the years since it's release I've watched it countless times (the exact number probably somewhere in the 50s or so) and have never grown tired of it.

While managing to be both suspenseful and funny at the same time, the film also does a great job after capturing the day-to-day life of a small suburban street, with a variety of characters so simple and life-like, it seems like they could actually live on your own street. The grumpy old guy down the street, the teenager who likes to throw parties while his parents are gown, the guy next door who comes over all the time and mooches food, and the average Everyday Joe who experiences it all at his own pace. The cast is an excellent combination, with everybody working great together, particularly Bruce Dern as the Vietnam vet who always has the right tool for the job and Tom Hanks as the average guy who's curious about his strange new neighbors, but not enough to really want to bother finding out more about them. If you've never seen it, I suggest giving it a look. It really is quite funny and has many quotable lines.