THE ‘BURBS

This was my final Joe Dante film of the festival and it was also the best.  I almost didn’t see this film, because I always assumed that “The ‘Burbs” was a silly family comedy, and because of this I wasn’t really interested in it.  However the MIFF guide made mention of the themes of “Rear Window” and this caught my eye and definitely piqued my interest (plus I wanted to catch as many of the Joe Dante screenings as possible).  Once again I’m glad I made the effort to see this film because I loved it! 

The film is a take on America’s xenophobia and is about a normal man (and two of his neighbours) who lives in suburbia, that is convinced that his new next-door neighbours are murderers (and is sure that they have killed a recently absent neighbour).  His suspicions continue to grow, as does the seriousness of his voyeurism, which began as mere suspicion that turned to spying and ultimately ends in a break and enter.  The finale is great (if a little obvious) and ends in the neighbour’s house being totally destroyed, just as the missing neighbour returns from a unplanned trip to hospital.  

I was amazed at how dark this film got (considering what I was expecting) and this made it an amazing experience.  Joe Dante’s direction was, once again, superb.  When I got home and asked my wife whether or not she had seen “The ‘Burbs”, she gave me this little gem:  “Is that the one with the guy in it who looks like a young Tom Hanks?”   Um, yeah, that was a young Tom Hanks.

4 Stars - Viewed at the 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival