“I don’t think it’s okay.”
Joel and Ethan Coen have a style. They do it very well. Films like Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men and Burn After Reading succeed almost entirely on their understanding of the story and the character that comprise each world. With Suburbicon the brothers turned their story over to director George Clooney, and in the process drained it of its magic and spirit.
The film, in a nutshell, is a two hour long infomercial in favor of progressive ideals. Manufactured lawns and affordable homes line the streets of the community and the first black family has just moved in, prompting a plethora of background noise playing towards the mental segregation of the times. It’s an odd element to add to the film, creating a layer of complexity that offers little in the form of intrigue to the story - even if the elements of the 1950s-era America, complete with complacency and bigotry, echo a sharp comparison to today’s social climate.
Matt Damon plays Gardner Lodge, a typical family man who has grown tired of his daily routine. His wife Rose (Julianne Moore), is wheelchair bound after a car accident but has found a way to continue raising their young son Nicky. Rose’s lookalike sister, Margaret (also Moore), is very close with the family - many would say too close.
At its core, Suburbicon is a neighborhood that appears to know exactly what it is; however, as a film, it never grasps its true identity. Attempting to be too much, Clooney finds himself lost within two separate, distinct stories that both are extensively hindered as a result of the overcrowding.
The background story centering around the whiteness of the town is lost early on, used almost entirely as filler to transition between scenes as Lodge and family attempt to regain control of their lives after a fatal break in. Sure the short segments help to center the story in a time period and and preach progressive ideals, but there is so much offered up regarding the Meyers that is never fully explored, making you wonder if their inclusion is meant merely to sell the agenda - and the American dream.
The other story line, involving the Lodge family, is much more laid out; however, the irony that exists within its details is humorous at first, but quickly transcends into exhaustion. Gardner is an absolute mess after the violence, prompting him to act erratically and irrationally, devising a plan to send his son off to military school when he begins to ask questions.
As the film reaches its climax and the political agenda behind the film’s narrative becomes even more blatantly clear, Clooney opens the door wide to allow the viewers in on the shenanigans. With the move, the film takes a sudden turn, becoming ridiculous (and occasionally humorous) as we witness a young boy be terrorized by the two people meant to protect him.
Clooney works hard to replicate the Coen tone and style as he attempts to give their world justice within the confines of the film. Sadly, he misses the mark repeatedly, struggling to mix comedy and drama as he flashes the political card without offering up any remarkable moments of great filmmaking. Sure Suburbicon is decent, but many would say you’d find more interesting things inside the fold of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
