Review #773: 'The 'Burbs' (1989)

Combining two genres that really flourished in the 1980's - horror and man-boy comedy - The 'Burbs is a slightly eerie minor work from Joe Dante, the director that gave us genre classics The Howling (1981) and Gremlins (1984), both of which blended spatters of gore with goofy comedy much more successfully. The 'Burbs just seems to be missing something. Whether it's the surprisingly subdued Tom Hanks, who is allowed only glimpses of the energy he was so famous for in his early days, or the film's failure to really subvert any of our expectations, it's unclear.

The grumpy Ray Peterson (Hanks) has just begun his one-week vacation, which he has decided to spend lounging around in his pyjamas and drinking beer rather than going fishing or taking his wife (Carrie Fisher) and son on a trip. He is soon drawn in to best friend Art's (Rick Ducommun) curiosity at the strange behaviour of the street's most recent additions, who have moved into a gothic building that sticks out like a sore thumb. They keep to themselves and are rarely seen outside the house, but at night, great discharges of electricity flash and boom from their basement. Just what are they up to? Ray, Art and ex-army nut Lt. Rumsfeld (Bruce Dern) are determined to find out, while lazy stoner Ricky (Corey Feldman) enjoys the show from his porch.

Every now and then, The 'Burbs throws in a bit of inspiration. Whether it's the crash-zoom, over-the-top screaming of Ray and Art upon learning of possible foul play, Ricky's discovery of reality 'TV' years before morons couldn't get enough of it, or the sight of the strange family digging holes in their lawn where you get a real sense of Dante's skill at horror, we get only glimpses of the film that perhaps could have been. Dante doesn't seem invested in the story somehow, as if it was a half-baked idea that was never given the dedication it needed. The observations of suburban life seem dated, as if torn out of a 1960's comic-strip, and the various vignettes which play out in the early scenes are not as funny as they should be.

Apart from Ducommun, whose prat-falls and incessant man-child behaviour gets old very quickly, the cast perform extremely well. When Hanks is occasionally let off the leash, his semi-improvised lunacy reminds us of what he did best before all the Oscar-winning nonsense of Forrest Gump (1994), and Dern is the only consistently funny character in the entire film. But when the credits rolled, I found myself pondering the point of the film. It doesn't sway the plot in any direction other than the one you expect it to go, and although it's a mildly pleasant ride along the way, when Feldman's Ricky says to camera at the climax "I love this street!", I couldn't help but think "why?".


Directed by: Joe Dante
Starring: Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Rick Ducommun, Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman, Henry Gibson
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie