For any of you too young to remember, Tom Hanks used to specialize in comedy films back in the 1980s. And not only was he a supremely convincing comedic actor for my money, but he was also at his comedic prime in the Joe Dante directed cult classic “The Burbs.” (1989)
Add to it, you had Bruce fucking Dern cast alongside Hanks in a film about people living in the suburbs of America that quite frankly, have a little too much time on their hands to obsess over what their neighbors are up to. This is not some big budget tent-pole summer film, and in fact, according to its director, Dante, it was made during a writers strike back in 1988.
The setting? On a Universal Studios backlot that was made up to look like a real suburban neighborhood. And literally every single time I re-watch this underrated gem I feel like the characters are in fact living on a real suburban street complete with a cul-de-sac.
As far as more plot details go, Hanks plays a burnt out family man, and all he wants is a week to himself (while his wife and son go away) to unwind, destress, and overall just try to re-energize himself. He doesn’t want to go anywhere, except just chill (A remake would need to include Netflix). Little does he anticipate his wound up neighbors, played by Bruce Dern, and the late Rick Ducommon, will thrust him into an obsessive and paranoid week of spying on their new neighbors, the Klopeks.
The end result is a film that is raucous fun, and borders on feeling slightly like an episode of Tales from the Crypt. From the classic one liners delivered to perfection by Bruce Dern, to Tom Hank’s character all but losing his mind by the end of the film, there’s plenty to love about this flick. And did I mention not only is Carrie Fisher in this film playing Hank’s wife, but she looks better than ever??
Bottom line, now that the film has been released on Blu-ray (only at Best Buy apparently), and has a properly remastered picture and sound mix, do yourself a favor and either take a walk down memory lane, or better yet, check it out for the first time. It’s one of those films that not only gets better with age, but with all the real craziness going on in the world today it’s nice to see a sort of “Utopian” neighborhood where the people living in it are only stressing about who their new neighbors are versus much of the crazy $hit in today’s modern world– Obviously I’m not including the ending of the film into this argument as that is pretty dark, and bleak, but I think you’ll understand my point overall after another viewing.
Lastly, it was said by the director that during pre-production, Hanks was a little worried about playing a father for the first time in a film, and right up before filming he kept asking if they really needed to have his character have a son. Priceless! Lastly, lastly, take a look at the film’s theatrical trailer for an extended overview of what to expect, but keep in mind, it doesn’t do the film justice! Nuff said…
Leave Us Your Comments.