Product Description

Filmmaker Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise) explores the lives of young Americans at a crossroads in subUrbia, adapted by Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio) from his play It rocks with soundtrack music by Sonic Youth, Beck Skinny Puppy, Butthole Surfers, Elastica and more of today's edgiest alternative bands.

An ensemble cast featuring Parker Posey (Party Girl), Steve Zahn (That Thing You Do) and Nicky Katt (A Time to Kill) stars in this engrossing story that opens during a typical night among friends who are stuck somewhere between high school and the rest of their lives. The night doesn't stay typical for long. The arrival of a former classmate who is now a rock star sets passions and conflicts in motion. Before the night is over, friendships will be forged or shattered, romances will be won or lost, limits will be tested and futures will be shaped.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13405 in VHS
• Released on: 1999-04-06
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 116 minutes

Customer Reviews

the natural continuation of "The Breakfast Club"
"subUrbia" is one of the most accurate films I've seen depicting the life and language of modern twentysomethings. It's filled with articulate (read: not stupid) dialogue, uncomfortable (and sometimes hilarious) confrontations, and characters that are both affecting and irritating, probably because they're so similar to ourselves.

There's not much plot, but what little there is has to do with a gaggle of slackers hanging out at a convenience store late one night, waiting for a rock star friend who's "made it" to drop by after a show. Well, needless to say, emotions flair and attitudes run wild, but more genuinely than in other movies targeting nihilistic kids. As "subUrbia" progresses and the rock star's REAL intentions become clear (he wants to steal one of the slacker's girlfriends), the movie turns into a fuzzy metaphor for the classic rock star sellout, and how friends and relationships can be bought just as easily when you have power, money, or a limousine.

It took me a while to get into the movie, but once I did it really took a hold of me, and reminded me of "The Breakfast Club" in that the characters were puzzles waiting to be put together, seeking completion but always meeting with dissatisfaction. Indeed, everyone here has an err of mystery about them, never revealing their full self, always leaving something hanging.

The performances are excellent, especially Giovanni Ribisi's Jeff, who is angry, outspoken, and down-to-earth. Also worth noting is Nicky Katt's drunken ex-marine who seems resentful toward everyone around him, but also possesses the most life experience out of all the characters. And there's so many others worth noting...

In short, this is to the real world what TBC was to high school. I highly recommend it.

BOGOIAN'S CYNICISM VS. LINKLATER'S OPTIMISM!
Ironically, director Richard Linklater claims he deeply identified with writer Eric Bogosian's play turned movie "Suburbia". Ironic because Linklater and Bogosian have such conflicting views about this generation. While Linklater's philosophy leans towards cheering on the young anarchists who reject the repressive society in which they live, Bogosian's seems to be saying that the "slackers" of the world are doomed to suffer unless they join the working class. Because this is written by Bogosian and not Linklater, Bogosian's point-of-view ultimately comes out in the end. The setting of this story, taking place mostly at a convenience store parking lot in the uneventful town of Burnfield, USA, depicts the feeling of these young twenty-somethings who are going nowhere and they are well aware of it. The philosopher of the group, Jeff, well played by Giovani Ribisi, reflects this view when he says "Fifty years from now, we'll all be dead and there will be new people standing here. And no one will know we were ever here." It's this identification with many twenty-somethings' feelings that life in this fast-food world is so futile, that I think attracted Linklater. But ultimately, we are not meant to agree with these characters. Jeff hangs out with his drunken going nowhere friends who harrass the Pakistani store owner who is working on finishing his engineering degree and selling the store, leaving Burnfield behind. This store owner is ultimately the only character we are supposed to sympathise with because he is the only one who seems smart enough to know what he wants. Seemingly, Bogosian doesn't have much sympathy for these kids who feel lost and confused. On the other hand, Linklater seems to respect Jeff who is so much smarter than his drunken best friends and his dim-witted girlfriend Sooze, who believes that her "depth of a puddle" poetry is thought provoking. Unlike Sooze, Jeff knows how to express himself. It's these moments spread throughout this film where we understand how these young people think and where they are coming from, that gives this film it's moments of drama and life. And that is the reason why, despite it's conflicting points of view, I am giving this movie four out of five stars. There is still much more that I have not said about this movie. I haven't even mentioned the central story line involving the jealousy surrounding the return home of a rock star who is the only person who has managed to "escape" from the town of Burnfield. But, seeing as I am running out of time, I will leave that to the viewer to see themselves.

Yes, But
People say, why isn't SONG OF THE SOUTH on DVD, well, I say, why isn't Richard Linklater's SubURBIA on DVD? His brilliant study of disaffected twenty year olds longing for success in the parking lot of a 7-11 knockoff made his previous films SLACKER and DAZED AND CONFUSED look like variety show skits, and yet so many of us have never gotten a chance to see this movie. They say that Disney is wary of releasing SONG OF THE SOUTH because of its patronizing use of black actors to embody racial stereotypes (happy slaves, etc). Same is true with SUBURBIA which has some nasty racial stereotypes at the Chinese restaurant to which some of the characters repair while hungry.