The 'Burbs (1989)

I enjoy 1980's movies and found this one to be good enough to carry on the 80's movie comedies. Love these goofy, corny movies! Back when Tom Hanks played goofy physical comedy roles.

Comedies were definitely not the same in the 80s as they are today. The 80s was the decade of some of the most unconventional comedies that inspired many comedic tropes incorporated in countless entries in the genre since then. Evidence can shown by the evolutionary change in humor over the decades, from the quirky days of the National Lampoon franchise, to the age of over-the-top R-rated sex comedies have now dominated the comedy genre since the dawn of the 90s. This quirky dark comedy directed by Joe Dante who brought this part-comedy, part-horror piece 'Gremlins' in 1984 stars Tom Hanks less than half a decade from the more dramatic work he is often known for. The 'Burbs places its likable cast in a mix bag of quirky slapstick humor and darkly humorous gags while taking an unconventional approach on the Suburban culture during the Cold War-era. For a comedy, it should have been funner than it is. Unfortunately, it pervades with an outlandish style of humor that by today's standards, feels awfully dated and just plain silly. Set in an suburban neighborhood in Des Moines, Iowa, this film follows Ray Paterson (played by Tom Hanks), a lazy man in this thirties taking a week off from work to lay around the house and possibly spend time with his wife Carol (played by Carrie Fisher) and his son Dave (played by Corey Danziger). When a mysterious family of demon worshippers moves next door, Ray's paranoid neighbor Art (played by Rick Ducommun) and his army-retired neighbor across the street Mark Rumsfield (played by Bruce Dern) grow incredibly suspicious them, fearing they might be sadists.Although Tom Hanks is more of a veteran in the non-comedic territory particularly when looking at his work in films like 'Philadelphia', 'Saving Private Ryan', and 'Forrest Gump', he has still demonstrated evidence that he is capable of showing his comedic side (even if his comedic works don't come as memorable). Hanks demonstrates a fair amount of comedic chemistry here, but is it enough to carry the film on his shoulders? Not quite, and either are his co-stars Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun. This darkly funny comedic piece boasts a somewhat promising premise that some individuals growing up in a suburban community can relate to, and it clear early on that Joe Dante and writer Dana Olson hold intentions to tap into viewers' funny bones. But throughout the time Tom Hanks, Rick Ducommun, and Bruce Dern come on screen, there are only less than a handful of moments when they are successfully funny. This trio show a decent amount of chemistry between each other along with a few hilarious one-liners. But the film too often relies on silly slapstick gags and macabre humor that often evoke nothing more than a snicker than a fully fledged laugh. Most of the time movie works is when it dives into the darker territory when the characters are forced to encounter the neighborhood demonic deeds, plenty of thrills to be offered there. The only one who remains remotely consistent in terms of laughter is Corey Feldman as Bruce Dern's loud-mouth teenage neighbor who shows out with a few energetic one-liners each time he comes on screen. Everyone else appears to struggle on providing the proper laughter viewers deserve.The 'Burbs is a semi-entertaining dark comedy that has its clever moments here and there but doesn't quite hold up to this day. In conclusion, it never rises up the more memorable works of Tom Hanks though that is not to say this is his worst. After all, he at least takes his time to shine here.

The 'Burbs is a weird film, but you gotta give it to the director of Gremlins and Innerspace for the way he did the main conversations throughout it. There are a lot of funny bits in this thriller/comedy. For one it's Walter Seznick's Dog Queenie. I don't know about it, but the dog just makes me crack up when they show him on the screen. Another thing are the less focused parts, like when Rick Ducommon's character, Art Weingartner, grabs a handful of dog chow at the dinner table when Carrie Fisher's character, Carol Peterson, grabs an orange, then she feeds the chow to the dog. A few of the stuff is suspenseful and just...weird at the same time. With such a strong cast and veteran director (Joe Dante), "The 'Burbs" should have been a better movie. The weak link here is the writing. It's a great film, but it's very overlooked.

Honestly though this movie is pretty blessed. You got that kid from Stand By Me being a complete rascal and Tom Hanks at his absolute best in this moving performance. Also starring Hans Gruber and that guy from Django.Personally I think Steven Spielgberg could have done much better but at least he recovered with E.T. the following year.A perfectly average movie.I need ten lines but the issue here is that there is nothing left to be said so instead I will write a poem. Jon Bingus walked along the Sea. Jon Bingus came and went with me. One Day Jon Bingus will tell me the truth. Jon Bingus killed lincoln then killed John Wilkes Booth.