Suburbicon - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Suburbicon

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

​

Movie
Most people thinks of the 1950s as the time of Leave it to Beaver, or walking down the streets of Mayberry with a fishing pole in hand. However, that’s not going to be the case when you have Joel and Ethan Coen at the writing helm for George Clooney’s latest directorial work. Clooney has always been known as kind of an odd bird when it comes to directing, and even though he has made several decent films, his only film that really stands out as “great” was his directing debut of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. The veteran actor has made several great collaborations with the Coen Brothers in the past, but that was with them directing and him acting, which made me a bit curious to see how Clooney would do with a Coen Brothers script and himself at the command. The end result is a film that feels very reminiscent of the Coen harshness, just without the wry humor and clever dialog that goes along with it as Clooney stodgily forces the movie along its path.

Suburbicon is the perfect place to raise a family in the 50s. It’s nice, quiet, has a fire department, a school, a mall, and all the amenities of the big city. Just without the hustle and bustle of the big city. Oh, did I happen to mention that fact that it is an all white housing community? That is until the Meyers movie in. The shock of having a colored family in the mix is enough to spark outrage and racial bigotry, as the sweet and simple folks of Suburbicon bring out their inner hatred. Simultaneously we also have a tale of greed and lust. Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) and his wife Rose (Julianne Moore), along with Rose’s sister Margaret (Also Julianne Moore) get their home broken into that same week as the Meyers moving in. I know what you’re thinking. This is going to be a story about people mistaking the Meyers as the invaders. Actually, it’s a duo of white thugs who drug the family and make off with some valuables. The thing is, Rose is an invalid and the chloroform used to knock out the family is a bit too much for her and she ends up dying.

Left in despair and disrepair, the Gardner, his son Nicky (Noah jupe) and aunt Margaret just try to make a go at what is left of their lives. However, Nicky soon realizes that something is amiss. His father and aunt refuse to pick the criminals out of a police lineup, and then the two form a secret romantic relationship soon after, prompting Nicky to start wondering if his aunt and father killed Rose. As the madness of the situation spirals out of control, Nicky is left as the only sane person in the household, when mobsters try to exact their revenge, and the whole of Suburbicon is in an utter shambles as they tear the place apart over the Meyers inclusion into their perfect “white” paradise.

Suburbicon is a movie that really doesn’t focus on the plot or the narrative structure. The story about the Meyers seems almost inconsequential (although it does intersect in a couple of significant ways in the latter portion of the film), and even the story about the Lodge’s is a bit “off”. Instead, Clooney and the Coens seem more intent on allowing the audience to revel in the deconstruction of the idyllic 1950s “happy” days. One thing that seems to be distinctly missing from the film though, is the Coen’s trademark dark humor. The darkness is there, but the wry humor and sharp wit are sorely lacking. Instead, even though the Coen’s had a hefty hand in writing the film, George Clooney seems to also have had a very heft influence on the writing. Combine that with his stuffy directing style, and Suburbicon doesn’t really capture the audience as much as it could have, in my opinion.

Damon does a great job at playing the deadpan Gardner, but it’s really Julianne Moore as both Rose and Margaret that take the cake. Her sugary sweet exterior is delightfully charming, but ever so wickedly evil at the same time. Oscar Isaacs is billed as a top character in the film (and displayed prominently on the cover), but the Star Wars actor’s talents are sadly a bit underutilized, as he only shows up for only a few minutes of the film (even though it is a well done couple of scenes). All in all, it’s a set of great performances, in a film that just falls short of its potential, as it is more interested in the ambiance of the film, rather than the narrative itself.




Rating:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality




Video:

Sourced from Arri Alexa cameras and then finished at 2K for the home video release, Suburbicon looks amazingly filmic on Blu-ray. I actually had to do a double take at the source material, as I almost mistook it for actual film stock when I first was watching it. Clooney has graded the film with a light green and yellow filter, and then boosted some of the highlights to give it that authentic period piece feel to it. A movie that still leaves plenty of fine detail on the table. Facial details are impeccable, with Matt Damon’s bloody nose and cut on the bridge showing up with razor sharp precision, as well as the backdrops of the idyllic 50s homes leaving nothing to the imagination. Colors are a bit dusty at times, but well saturated and the black levels look amazing. The scene with the car crash and subsequent fire gives no signs of banding (a scene which would show a weakness for that type of digital anomaly normally), and I have to be in awe of the amazing looking picture. Well done Paramount, well done.






Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA experience is just as amazing as the video is, giving us a very immersive, and intense, audio mix for the lazy little town of Suburbicon. Dialog is well placed in the front of the room, while the surrounds are awash with activity from Gardner’s work, or the crashing and banging as the thugs tear up the simplistic house. The screams and roars of the crowd as they reign hellfire down upon the Meyers is captured perfectly, and the accompanying LFE is well balanced with the rest of the track’s impressive nature. The softer moments are much more nuanced, with the sound of broken glass crunching under foot with accuracy, while the rustle of bed sheets whisper in the background. The track’s dynamic range is impressive, but never wildly dynamic, as the film has a much more metered and patient tone than a full on sonic attack of an action track.






Extras:

• Commentary by George Clooney and Grant Heslov
• Welcome to Suburbicon
• The Unusual Suspects: Casting
• Scoring Suburbicon

Final Score: ​

Suburbicon is a film that just screams potential. It has all the talent that once could hope for in a film. George Clooney, Joel and Ethan Coen, Moore, Damon, Oscar Isaacs. A situation that left me feeling disheartened watching it fumble about on screen, as the amount of talent in the movie’s lineup is absolutely absurd. The Coen’s are known for their brilliant writing and wit. A wit that is sadly lacking, and a directing style that feels stodgy and sodden, despite some stand out performances. Clooney seems more in love with the FEEL of deconstructing the happy image of the 1950s rather than making a compelling story. Yet, at the end of the day I actually enjoyed good portions of the film. A strange contradiction that leaves me giving it a mild thumbs up as a decent rental. One enhanced by the wonderful technical specifications of Paramount’s Blu-ray release.






Technical Specifications:

Starring: Matt Damon, Oscar Isaacs, Julianne Moore
Directed by: George Clooney
Written by: Joel and Ethan Coen, George Clooney
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R
Runtime: 105 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: February 6th, 2018

Image

• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Decent Rental

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will check it out once on Amazon prime or netflix.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Torn on this one... might be a pass for me.