Customer Reviews

The 'Burbs

5 star:		(135)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The 'Burbs isn't one of those movies you'd see being drooled over by film critics or even audiences, but it is one of those movies that if you saw it on TV every couple of months, you'd watch it.

Joe Dante's weird sense of humor shines on this movie even more than the Gremlins movies. It also offers a cast of characters that are as much relatable as they are crazy. Everyone has weird neighbors, right?

Tom Hanks is in top comedic form in this one offering classic lines like "I've never seen anyone drive their garbage to the street and bang the hell out of it with a stick." Then you have the hilarious neighbor Rick Ducommunn who I feel should have had a better career after this film. Corey Feldman (always a treat) plays the irresponsible teen and Bruce Dern is brilliant as the crazy military reject.

All these characters mixed up in a bizzare murder mystery is pure magic. But what makes this movie have replay value is the little things that you don't necessarily catch while watching for the first time. For example, when Rick Ducommunn comes over to visit Tom Hanks and eats nearly everything in his refrigerator while the audience is engrossed with his tales of terror. Or just the body movement of Hanks when he observes the weirdness of his neighborhood throughout the film. Hilarious.

I may be looked upon as weird for giving this movie 5 stars, but it is one I can always rely on for a good laugh and good quotes.

"NO!" "About a 9 on the tension scale, Rube."
"I want to kill everyone. Satan is good. Satan is our pal."
"Red rover red rover let Ray go over."
"I've been blown up! Take me to the hospital, I'm sick."

Watch this movie and you too will quote these lines forever.

Rick Ducummon is fantastic in this movie! Don't get me wrong, Bruce Dern, Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Dick Miller, Henry Gibson, and Courtney Gains are all great too, but Duccumon so rarely gets a chance to shine. We've seen him as the guy in the manhole("Shut it down now!") in DIE HARD, he's the guy whose pool gets a car crashed into it in THE LAST BOYS SCOUT (plus he starred opposite Brian Bonsall(FAMILY TIES) in Disney's BLANK CHECK). He just is never given an opportunity like he has here and he's great! "The thermostat on a home furnace-is that supposed to go to 5000 degrees d'ya think?" and "My wife is home??!" amongst other classic lines are just pouring out of him here. I can't believe some people don't like this movie. At the very worst it's an innefectual, light comedy. At the very best(my end) it's a Hitchcock inspired, post-modern comic pastiche that also has Corey Feldman in it. This movie is a lot of fun. I've watched it a bunch and it only gets better. One of Tom Hanks later frenitic comedic performances. Dvd includes alternate ending which is nice to see.

As Art Weingartner says "I'm telling you these people are Satanists. As I sit here, they are Satanists. Look... look, the world is full of these kind of things; black masses, mutilations. Mutilations! The incubus, the succubus - I'm tellin' you, Walter was a human sacrifice."

Such is the hysterical dialog between Art (Rick Ducommun) and Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) when they discover, along with some other people in their suburban subdivision, their elderly neighbor, Walter Seznick (Gale Gordon) is missing in action.

Other neighbor buddy, Vietnam Vet, Mark Rumsfeld (Bruce Dern) decides to help Ray and Art to find out what happened to Walter. They all three are SURE that the weirdo reclusive new neighbors, The Klopek family, comprised of Dr. Werner Klopek (Henry Gibson), Uncle Reuben Klopek (Brother Theodore) and shy Hans Klopek (Courtney Gains)have something to do with the old man's disappearance.

So...complete with night vision goggles, credit cards to slide in the Klopek's doorlocks to break in and various other spy equipment furnished by Mr. Rumsfeld, they start their little spying games.

Men and their wives even plan a little friendly "welcome wagon" visit to the Klopeks (one of the funniest scenes in the movie!)

Corey Feldman as young neighbor teen Ricky Butler, Carrie Fisher as Carol Peterson, & Wendy Schaal as Bonnie Rumsfeld ALL turn in great performances.

Even Nicky Katt from Boston Public plays Ricky's young friend Steve Kuntz!

What happened to Walter? Did the Klopek's have anything to do with the disappearance? WATCH THIS VERY ENTERTAINING MOVIE and find out for yourself!

Happy Watching!

A little bit of life comes to a rather mundane suburban neighborhood thanks to director Joe Dante. Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern and others get obsessed with the strange goings on with their new neighbors (Henry Gibson and his strange looking family) that move in to their average American neighborhood. Gibson's relatives look like a barrel full of weirdoes to say the least. They were really a product of great casting. Corey Feldman is excellent as a teenage neighbor observer who sits on his porch and invites his friends over to watch the would-be commandos (Dern and Hanks) in action as they attempt to unravel and protect the neighborhood from Gibson's strange goings-on. Jerry Goldsmith composed a very good score that is in touch with his subject and keeps the pace of the film moving. His score also includes a very catchy end title for this bizarre little film. In fact Jerry Goldsmith's Dolby Digital 5.1 score is one of the best attractions on this DVD. I found this movie to be very amusing containing some real gut wrenching laughs along the way. Highly recommended viewing.

This is the greatest comedy of all time,second is Clue. It has a whole bunch of great lines and an outstanding score by Jerry Goldsmith (Patton). Even though Tom Hanks is really, really funny, the best character in this is Art, played outstandingly by Rick Duccomon. You have to add this to your comedy collection. The movie itself is about three men (Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, and Rick Duccomon) who get obssesed with what is going on in Tom Hanks' neighbors house. Art thinks that the neighbors are killing the other people who used to live there. But he can't be right. Can He? This is a must have for people who love comedy and mysteries. The lesson: Don't judge a person by his cover....... but don't be too careful.

The Burbs' is simple, pretty short, and to say the least, marvelous. This is one of the best movies that I've seen in a long time. What's so great about The Burbs's is the fact that you can watch it over and over and over. It stars Tom Hanks as a well-mannered surburbian named Ray Peterson. He lives with his wife Carol(Carrie Fisher) and son. He has decided to take a week off from work to sit at home and relax. The only problem is his mysterious new neighbors seem to keep Ray from enjoying his time off. Whether it be digging in their back yard in the middle of the night, or causing ear shattering sounds from their basement, the Klopeks won't let Ray relax. Ray begins to forget about these things until an old man named Walter suddenly disappears. Together with best friend Art (Rick Ducommun) and army vet Lt. Rumsfield(Bruce Dern), Ray begins investigating around the neighborhood. Although this movie may not seem very interesting from description it is. The characters in it are some of the best that I've ever seen in a movie. I suggest buying the DVD since you get an alternate ending which is very funny. If you're not sure about buying The Burbs' I recommend that you go rent it and fall in love with it first.

This 1989 black comedy starring Tom Hanks, and directed by Joe Dante(Gremlins, Matinee, Gremlins 2, Small Soldiers), might not be to everyone's taste. I think it's a silly, fun, entertaining little movie. Hanks stars as an everyday, all American type of guy, who is on vacation from work. He, and the rest of his friends in the cul- de sac they live in, are suspicious of their weird new neighbors. They hear and see weird things going on there. Since he's off work, and has a lot of time on his hands, Hanks gets roped into finding out the mystery of these interesting new additions to the street. Comedian Rick Duccommun plays Hanks' best friend Art. Bruce Dern is their marine-like neighbor across the street. Carrie Fisher plays Hanks' wife. The weirdo family is headed by Henry Gibson. The movie has a number of goofy and funny scenes. One wishes the movie was even darker and went a bit further with some of the stuff, but oh well. The climax is a big, all out there surprise. Okay, maybe not really big, but fun. Corey Feldman co-stars. This isn't great art people, but it's fun escapism.

How could you not like this movie?! I mean, really, what's wrong with it? It's a classic! It's got all the qualities of a great movie--an original and interesting concept that is funny and well told, classic scenes, and an outstanding cast! I read one review that said the plot "goes nowhere". Okay...please tell me you're kidding! Personally, I found it quite nice to finaly see a movie that didn't disappoint me at the end! Predictable? Who cares?! It's a comedy! It's not a Hitchock film! Perhaps I'm a little byist because I fell in love with this movie at a young age. But I know a good movie when I see one. This is a GREAT movie and anyone who doesn't think so it CRAZY. Or maybe you're just trying to sound real sophisticated so you say things like "this movie goes nowhere" or "the actors talents are waisted"! Maybe you're just too stuck up to enjoy a COMEDY!

Tom Hanks, one of the greatest actors of the last two decades proves he can be hilarious in this comedy about odd neighbors. The supporting cast, including Bruce Dern, Rick Ducommmun, Carrie Fisher, and Corey Feldman are all hilarious as well. The story is about a bunch of neighbors who begin to suspect the new neighbors are up to something sinister. Hanks, Dern, and Ducommun get together to try to figure out what is going on by doing everything from vaulting fences, digging through garbage, to breaking and entering. The results are laugh after laugh. I give this movie an A+.

Every suburban neighborhood has a story of an average guy on the block who mowed his lawn for the 800th time and finally snapped, committing some horrible crime that made him a local legend. In Ray Peterson's neighborhood that guy was a local soda jerk who murdered his own family one unusually hot summer, many years ago. Well, it's an unusually hot summer again, a new and reclusive family has moved into the neighborhood, and Ray and his friends' imaginations are running wild.
Tom Hanks plays Ray Peterson, who is extremely curious about the secretive new people next door, the Klopeks. His imagination is fueled not just by their strange habits, which include driving their garbage out from their garage to their curb and digging huge holes in their backyard, but also by the crazy ideas of his fellow neighbors, trouble instigator Art (Rick Ducommun), arms dealer Rumsfield (Bruce Dern), and teenager Ricky (Corey Feldman). They are convinced that the Klopeks murdered the family that lived in their house before them, and that they've hidden the bodies somewhere on the property. When another neighbor turns up missing, Ray and his friends naturally assume the elderly man has been added to the Klopeks' body-count. Their suspicions quickly come to a boil, and the group decides to plan a thorough hunt for the bodies as soon as possible. When Ray's cute but nagging wife, played by Carrie Fisher, takes their son away for the weekend, the boys decide it's time to strike! Armed with walkie talkies, shovels, and other gear, the 3 adults take over the temporarily abandoned house and yard, while Ricky gathers his teenage friends in his own yard to watch "the show."
Dark comedies may not be all that popular with the majority of the public, but The 'Burbs is definitely one of the funniest movies out there! Tom Hanks was always wonderful in comedy, lest we forget, and the supporting cast is equally hilarious! Bruce Dern's military nut character is unforgettable, Rick Ducommon's Art brings back so many memories of kids we used to know, Corey Feldman's Ricky gets laugh after laugh with his great lines, Wendy Schaal is cute as a button as Bruce's wife Bonnie, and the spaghetti western ending really is the icing on the cake! But what really hits the mark with this movie is how well we can see ourselves reflected in it. Those of us who live in the suburbs anyway. Now, before I go, here are just a few of my favorite lines from the film to listen for as you watch it: "It came with the frame," "Hey, Pinocchio!", and "My wife is home?!!"