horrorflicklover There isn't one single character in this movie that I didn't want to kick in the face. All I saw for the duration of this film were a bunch of self-absorbed a-holes walking around and whining. We're meant to feel that this is somehow a coming-of-age for these youths who feel completely disaffected with reality crashing down on them. However, not one lesson was actually learned. No one, at any point in this movie, could manage to look outside of themselves and acknowledge anything outside of their microcosm of existence.Not every film needs a stated lesson, that's true. "Kids" got away with not having one for a couple of reasons: 1) The lesson was implied. We actually KNEW what was going on, and how to feel about it. This movie didn't for one minute arise any emotion in me other than "Good God, these kids are all dip****s". As we drifted from one confusing scene to the next, I tried to figure out what they were building up to. Ultimately, it was simply that every character in this movie deserved to be hated. It's the only thing I actually learned.2) "Kids" actually had enough real drama to speak to it's audience without needing a well-defined lesson. A scene which is powerful enough will speak for itself. We know that it's simply a representation of art imitating life, and we come away understanding the realistic horrors that it exemplifies. All that SubUrbia had was a bunch of laughable melodrama. A bunch of arrogant, disrespectful little dillweeds who despite their whining and wishing for change, never come away with the fact that THEY are the biggest reason that they're being held back.It's not that I "don't get it". It's not that I didn't grow up in the 1990's (I did). It's not that I don't understand the slacker/Generation X cultures of the era (It was slightly before my time, but I still understand it). It's not that I didn't feel just as confused, angry, and depressed as any one of these kids at that point in my life (or for that matter, before and after). I understand (on some level) how these characters felt and acted. However, when I was expecting a "coming-of-age" film to actually come of age, this one didn't. It went nowhere. It showed no development in character. Most characters are just as one-dimensional at the end of the film as they were from the start. Sure, they can identify their flaws. However, they can't seem to come to terms with them. All the while, I'm expecting for these kids to learn something. Instead, I'm shown that they're devoid of decency, and seem perfectly content with being so.The only emotion I could feel was anger. Anger that I spent two hours watching a bunch of snots with no regard for anyone but themselves act out some lousy melodrama. The fact that afterwards, it's not shown or implied that they will suffer any consequences for their stupidity or selfishness. At least in "Kids", it was understood that many of the characters would have dire consequences for their actions. "Thirteen" as well. Provided, both movies were more dark than this one. But SubUrbia certainly tried to be heavy. It failed. Sure, some of the characters (despite the fact that virtually all of them are despicable, shallow, self-centered a-holes) are relatable to anyone who was ever a teenager. But that doesn't make them good, nor does it make the film in which they appear in good either. I'm not arguing against this film like some crusty old man who forgot what it was like to be young. I hate this film when I was 17, and I hate it now. SubUrbia seemed to think that relatable characters would be enough to carry the rest of the film. It wasn't.It's like when I watched "Clerks" for the first time. Throughout the movie, I tended to sympathize with one of the seemingly luckless main characters. But then when another character gets sick of his b.s, he laid it all out to him as to why he was being a yutz. Then I thought to myself about that exchange just as much as the characters on-screen were meant to. See, that's why Clerks worked, despite the fact that the entire thing was mostly comedic melodrama. Because the film moved from one emotional platform to the next in the context of growing up and understanding life. That is, it CAME OF AGE.I hated SubUrbia. It's is obnoxious and shallow. It may have attempted to be obnoxious, but I know full and well it wanted to be anything but shallow. I kept expecting either a lesson to be learned, a character to have sympathy for, or a powerful enough segment that spoke to me above the level of simple young adult disaffection. This film accomplished none of that. It was melodrama without any real resolution. There was no one to feel sorry for. Nothing to think about. It's a coming-of-age film that failed to do so.For more on absolutely terrible films that attempt to show despicably shallow, arrogant, and ignorant disaffected youth in a protagonistic light, see "Reality Bites". Nostalgia Chick did an excellent review of Reality Bites, which in fact inspired me to write this review. It helped me truly pinpoint WHAT it was about SubUrbia that I really hated for all of these years, because she hated RB for the same reasons.

jaredmobarak Always having been a fan of Richard Linklater's work, it confounded me that his film after indie darlings Dazed and Confused and Before Sunrise has never been released on DVD. SubUrbia is the kind of movie you hear that fans of his work love, but never found a place in cinema history. Flipping through the movie channels on TV, I happened across the film and could not stop watching until it was over. Much in the same way as his other work, the movie is dialogue driven and concerning a small group of people talking about life and what comes next for them. He has compiled a very nice cast, all of who take their character and roll with it. It is a scary thing, post high school, deciding what to do with one's life. Having been stuck in the suburbs for so long, one begins to wonder if they can survive outside it.The compelling thing for me in Richard Linklater films is the general waxing philosophic feel they all seem to have. These are kids that are college age who have things to talk about, questions to have answered, and are not afraid to ask them when they are surrounded by those they trust. This group of friends is caught at a crossroads, not knowing if what they are doing is the right way to go. Many have tried their hands at something, but ultimately gave up to continue loitering around their corner convenience store. When one of their friends, who found success in leaving the small town of Burnfield becoming a rockstar, happens to come home for a show, the group's equilibrium goes off-kilter as they face what could be. Some feel that if they had applied themselves they could have been successes as well, while others see the shell of a man their buddy has become after being sucked into the machine. The return home opens everyone's eyes to the situation they are in and for better or worse changes the way they decide to continue living their lives.While a drama, there are many funny scenes. When a few of them begin talking about the reason Pony became a rockstar, to be able to tell the world his thoughts, to have someone listen to him, they say how rough it is to feel like no one can hear what they are saying. Through the entire conversation Giovannu Ribisi's Jeff is trying to be heard chiming in with his own ideas. The irony of the situation may be a bit heavy-handed, but it is also very true to form. Ribisi shines in this role as an intelligent youth who has never applied himself, always being content with hanging around his troubled friends. He soon realizes that the freedom he has is more important than selling out for fame and fortune, it is the people he cares about that keep him going, not the material things in life he could have. Steve Zahn is again brilliant in one of his earlier roles. He plays the idiot comedian to perfection while also evolving into someone who uses his cheery disposition for success. You begin to see that he knows exactly who he is and is in control at every moment. It's a shame he now only gets roles that are one-dimensionally that stupid guy there for laughs. It is also a pleasure to see Office Space alum, Ajay Naidu in a good role, touching on the bigotry of American small town life. The success his character is having, while not being American, prays on the jealousy of those who feel their heritage should entitle them to happiness. The lazy toughs around town would rather pick on the foreigners for working hard instead of doing the time themselves.Rounding out a very good cast is Dina Spybey and Nicky Katt. Spybey is great in a tough role. She is the lackey friend of one of the main group members and tries to fit in. It seems that every time she begins to connect, she is ultimately left alone. The depression her character feels comes through at all times; the despair of someone that troubled around you without knowing how to help is tough. There is so much going on this night that her anguish gets pushed aside until there is no turning back. Then there is Nicky Katt who makes the film. He is an intellectual trapped in the body of a jock who has partied and been king of the town for too long. He sees the world around him for what it is and hates himself for living amongst the grime. Toying with the emotions of his best friends, he seems to have a death wish to just end his suffering. No longer the star football player, the character of Tim can't apply his intellect constructively and instead uses it to help the others while self-destructing himself.Linklater is one of the most consistent directors working in and on the fringe of Hollywood today. His films always seem to have a message coming through them, trying to uncover a truth of life. Every one of his characters is true to themselves and connecting with humanity at every step. SubUrbia is so much like his other smaller films that I was surprised to see it was written by and based from a play from Eric Bogosian. I am a fan of his acting work, but after seeing this I might finally wipe the dust from my copy of Oliver Stone's Talk Radio and check it out. Also, maybe I will turn on the movie that started it all for Linklater, Slacker, and see the true evolution he has taken. Hopefully SubUrbia will find its own way to DVD, maybe even the Criterion Collection will release it to join the other Linklater masterpieces it already has.

Charles Herold (cherold) I would be curious to compare this with the original play, which I've never seen. Bogosian is a great writer and Linklatter seems like an odd choice to match with a strong dialog writer, since he goes for this numbly, seemingly improvisational style. That style fits this subject matter perfectly well, and he does capture that bored, pointless bitterness, but I'm wondering if a different director with the same script might have managed to make something that felt a little more intense. This movie just sort of ambled along with interesting little bits of drama here and there. It's all sort of interesting, the performances seem pretty good, but I was never drawn into this and I never cared about the characters, although they were convincing.

kohl_caked I consider this one of Giovanni Ribisi's greatest acting roles... because it is so real. The entire cast portrays this in the way that I think many 20-something-year-olds can relate. I know that when I had all of my friends watch it, they could see themselves in many of the characters. It showed us that we are not the only young adults, living in suburbia and our mother's houses... thinking about the things that we'll never do with our lives. Steve Zahn gave his usual comedic act, without taking away from the seriousness of the film. I believe that this is much easier to relate to than the earlier Dazed and Confused, because it shows the American Dream in action... that series of hopes that are easier said than done. What is wrong with us?