SubUrbia

First of all, this is NOT a comedy. Not in the least sense of the word. I heard that people say that it's black humour. Personally, I've seen alot of black comedies in my days, and Suburbia is definitely not black humour. This is tragic, and it is tragedy at it's best.

The plotline is really about nothing at all, which is exactly what the characters lives are about as well. The "big rockstar" Pony comes to meet with the good ol' guys (our supposed protagonists), but he isn't exactly met with open arms. Both Nicky Katt (Tim) and Giovanni Ribisi (Jeff) deliver great acting. Although their roles may seem simple and plain, but I doubt greater actors could have gotten more out of their roles. I just finished watching Suburbia for the fourth time, and it still manages to bring me down. If you're looking for a movie to lift your spirit, this is not it. I talked to a friend of mine earlier and since he's feeling a bit down all in all, he was really, really, reluctant to watch Suburbia.

"Suburbia" went straight to video in Sweden, and I can easily say it's the best straight-to-video flick I have ever seen. If you want to see a movie whose hopelessness stays with with until you got to sleep, and maybe the next day as well, Suburbia's the one to get. A depression wetdream.

If "Dazed and Confused" was the 'high' then "SubUrbia" if most definitely the 'down'. It's basically the flipside of "Dazed and Confused", where youthful hedonism has been replaced by 20-something boredom. It's a post-college movie where characters have found themselves unfulfilled in every capacity. It's a pack mentality, where you hang-out with the same gang from high school only to find you've out grown each other and resent one another's ambitions because you know you yourself lack the impetus to do anything constructive with your life. These characters are losers in every respect, clinging on to their high school way of life, reluctant to take initiative and move on. They constantly put each other down, bicker and make efforts to humiliate, yet the depressing thing is they have no one but each other. This is a quality film that remains one of Linklater's most under appreciated efforts. No one has the ability to present young characters with the insight, skill and craft Lanklater possesses. He is truly one of America's finest filmmakers working today and "SubUrbia" is a great film that still holds up.

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?

This is a great story with a great cast of indie icons. Giovanni Ribisi does a convincing and sensitive portrayal of his troubling character and Steve Zahn continues to satisfy with his venue of off-the-wall characters. Indie queen Parker Posey pops up halfway through the movie, and even though, she's not in it that much, she still maintains her magnetic screen presence. Eric Bogosian's dialogue is a key element to making this film fantastic.

If you like 90 minute movies (over the course which each character becomes a better person), characters with whom you can deeply sympathize, complete resolution of all conflicts, and happy endings, don't rent this. subUrbia is too harsh, too honest, and too painful.

Ribisi and Katt are amazing. Katt was great as the wisecracking "Stacy" in the movie The Limey, a role similar to his in subUrbia (Tim). Overall, the characters are too angry, poisonous, and disillusioned to be likeable. I didn't find this to be a bad thing, however.

Adding to the numbing ache of the movie is the fantastic score- Sonic Youth's droning guitars and a nihilistic soundtrack all add to the depression in Linklater/Begosian's Burnfield. Enjoy. Or not.