Customer Reviews

Crime & Punishment in Suburbia [VHS]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like other people who have seen this film, I must admit that I rented it once and then bought a copy immediately afterwards. Supposedly based on Dostoyevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment" with a modern, suburban American setting, this film from director Rob Schmidt (Wrong Turn) is an enormously entertaining look at the plight of alienated youth. I know, I know; the idea of "alienated youth" is so ridiculous and so overdone these days that just referring to the phrase ought to elicit snorts of derision from the viewing public. What elevates "Crime + Punishment in Suburbia" above the usual fare in this genre is the great cast, how Schmidt organizes his film, and the grand soundtrack. Of course, the gorgeous Monica Keena in the lead role of Roseanne Skolnik certainly made my heart thump a few times. Yes, this movie is a teen drama, but it appeals even to an old fogy like me. There are a few flaws, especially the extremely loose association made with Dostoyevsky's novel, but they are few in number overall.

Roseanne Skolnik, on the surface, seems to have everything a young bubblehead could want in this world. She is beautiful, lives in a huge house, is extremely popular in school, and even dates a star member of the football team. Behind the face she presents to the public, however, Roseanne aches inside. Her alcoholic salesman stepfather, played with incredible range by the versatile Michael Ironsides, torments Roseanne and her mother every chance he gets. Skolnik's mother Maggie (Ellen Barkin) can barely contain her increasing sense of frustration as she attempts to navigate around her drunken husband. We learn about Roseanne's tortured private life through the eyes of social misfit Vincent (Vincent Kartheiser), a Goth type guy who has a major crush on Roseanne. Vincent follows her around wherever she goes taking dozens of photographs of his love, and he quickly realizes she is a fellow sufferer in desperate need of assistance.

Vincent stands back for the most part, though, because he recognizes that he must wait for Roseanne to freefall before he can help. Skolnik's destruction isn't long in coming after her stepfather commits an appalling act and Roseanne enlists the assistance of her boyfriend Jimmy (James DeBello) in order to seek bloody revenge against her tormentor. Horrible crimes, however justified they may be, often lead to unforeseen circumstances. This is exactly what happens when the police pin a murder charge on Maggie Skolnik, a prime suspect in the death of patriarch Skolnik because she had left her husband for another man shortly before the crime took place. Roseanne must confront her guilt and soon finds herself gravitating to the soothing influence of Vincent in order to assuage her conscience. A terrible choice must be made, and ultimately is, and the conclusion of the film deals with the aftermath of Roseanne's actions.

I simply adored the cast of this film. Monica Keena, who deserves as many accolades as possible, plays Roseanne quite well. It is interesting to see her physically change as the public humiliation caused by several family incidents turns her into a social pariah. Vincent Kartheiser plays his role a little too smoothly perhaps, as it is difficult to imagine a teenager having his life this together, but he also gets you to root for his character and hope that this odd looking kid wins over Roseanne in the end. Ellen Barkin really needs no description; she is always good in any role no matter how major or minor. Is it just me or is Barkin one of those women who get better looking the older they get? The real standout performance in "Crime + Punishment in Suburbia" is Michael Ironsides as the rapidly disintegrating Fred Skolnik. We usually see this actor playing the heavy in movies like "Scanners" and "Total Recall," but here he plays a different type of bad guy, one who Schmidt invests with enough contradictions to make the viewer sort of feel for the man. What he does to Roseanne is obviously beyond the pale, but the problems he faces in life and the difficulties he has with his wife should invoke some sympathy on the part of the audience. It helps that Ironsides possesses the chops to pull the role off. The only character I disliked was James DeBello's turn as the thickheaded Jimmy.

"Crime + Punishment in Suburbia" is a visually interesting film, centered as it is on several noticeable book like chapter breaks. There could have been less MTV style editing, a technique I think has been done to death over the past few years, although even I have to admit it works well here. A few scenes left me scratching my head, such as the "Triumph of the Will" type football pep rally; perhaps subsequent viewings will allow me to decipher what the significance of scenes like this mean. Fortunately, most difficulties in the film disappear due to the excellent characters and marvelous soundtrack. The DVD version of the movie offers a commentary with director Rob Schmidt and Michael Ironsides (no Monica Keena, regrettably) and both widescreen and fullscreen picture transfers. A final note: ignore the over the top box cover and just watch the movie. If you like fine performances, you will enjoy this movie.

When I first heard about this being based on Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment I was fearful that it was going to be another half-hearted teen version of a classic. I am so glad I was wrong.

While Dostoyevsky made his point with words, Rob Schmidt did the same with the films imagery which truly was both narcotic and haunting. He would make you feel as if you were in some drug induced dream/nightmare. You felt as if you were trapped between Heaven and Hell, happiness and sorrow, love and loss.

As the story progresses you watch the ghosts of Rosanne (Monica Keena) slowly absorb her. She goes from this glowing image of beauty to a shadow of a human being. It's stark and disturbing. While Vincent (Vincent Kartheiser) the seemingly gloomy one, who loves her from the begining of the film is the sole voice of reason, hope, and beauty in her slowly cascading world of tragedies.

The film epitomizes the continious hopelessness that many today feel but refuse to acknowledge. Although, I think what the film does best is that it shows us these sadnesses while reinforcing us with the concepts that we can make anything happen if we want to badly enough. Good or bad, we are the only ones responsible for our fates.

Never before have I seen such a sombre, and utterly dark film aimed at teens. I mean of course there was Heathers, but that of course had it's share of humour. Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, though it has changed most of the important roles in the novel around, has still managed to encapuslate the ideals that Dostoyevsky held so true. True love, honour, sin, and ultimately redemption are explored in a manner that is both sophisticated and entertaining. This movie is however, an accquired taste. Those teens who eat up the pulp pop products and image produced today like candy will not understand the films underlying message, and will likely be bored by the films slow pace. But us more intelligent teens will rejoice that for once, filmakers are not looking down on us as stupid people who will go to see whatever is thrown their way. If u missed it in theatres (since it was such a small release), catch it on video or dvd, and you will be treated to a cinematic journey unlike many I have experienced before. Show Hollywood that we enjoy smart films like this, if we don't, then we will endlessly be forced to watch repeated screenings of DUDE WHERES my CAR until eternity rolls around! Now that my friends is the true ideal of hell!

I'll admit, when I first heard that a movie based on Dostoevsky's novel was going to be released, but set "in suburbia" I was quick to dismiss the film as trash. My opinions seemed validated at the time, as almost every critic (with the exception of Roger Ebert) panned the film as an uninspired, pretentious mess.

So as I was browsing through the aisles of my local video store, I saw this film in the used bargain bin for a few bucks. Being in the mood for some campy, so-bad-it-makes-you-laugh fun, I bought this film, expecting it to be awful. Much to my surprise, the movie isn't that bad. While the writer took liberties with the source material, the director captured one of the main themes in the novel. It deals with conscience, guilt, and redemption in a way that was fresh, but those familiar with the book could see the parallels between film and book.

The main problems that I have read about this movie stem from the director's use of transitions and "chapter titles" to draw attention away from the film to the director. In addition, some have said that the movie takes itself way too seriously. For me, none of these were problems...in fact, I enjoyed the flair that the director showed, and the tone seemed to fit the subject matter. Yes, the film feels uneven at times, and no, it doesn't follow the novel to a T. But this was a throroughly enjoyable film that was undeservedly underrated.

I was impressed by the film from the opening reel.. ilike the style the director chose and the cast was absorbing, especially Monika Keena.. Keena plays a teenage girl living the white suburbanite dream. She lives in a big beautiful house, shes dating the footbal pretty boy, she is popular and her parents hate each other.. Her mother (Ellen Barkin) is married to a man she doesnt love and obviously hasnt loved in some time.. but he takes care of her, so she doesnt leave, until she meets a man that makes her happy.. her husband finds out and gets into a fight with her new beau in the local yogurt shoppe.. this causes turmoil in the young girls perfect existence.. suddenly people are taling about her, and she isnt popular anymore.. not to mention that there is some creepy kid following her around taking pictures of her.. then mom moves out and step daddy turns up dead.. and of course.. mom is blamed because a neighbor heard her say she hoped he died, and there is a life insurance policy.. but mom didnt do it.. will the real killer come forth or will mom be convicted for a crime she didnt commit?? i really enjoyerd this movie.. i went in with no expectations or reservations, and i enjoyed it..

And on the eighth day, God said, "let there be 'Crime + Punishment in Suburbia,'" and it was so. And He saw that it was TOTALLY SWEET!! Let me tell you why this movie is quite simply one of the most face-slapping-in-a-good-way chefs d'œuvre* ever created. First, Ellen Barkin, Michael Ironside, AND Jeffrey Wright in the same movie?! These three are the Lisa Leslie, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal of the acting world, respectively. There's just no way to go wrong when you've got a cast like that. But even this triumvirate of talent cannot alone account for this movie's astonishing success. Writer Larry Gross deserves a double high-five for the addition of C+P to the canon. Larry, the originator of the popular catchphrase "Don't touch me unless you love me!," can certainly touch me whether he loves me or not! C+P's is the hippest, smartest script this reviewer has had the pleasure of experiencing. But it doesn't take smarts like Mr. Gross's to realize that Crime + Punishment = AN INSTANT CLASSIC! The question is not whether this movie will change the way we think about cinematography, but when.

*alternatively, Works of Genius

There was something about this movie that drew me to it. I saw Monica Keena was in it and I had always thought her character 'Abby Morgan' in Dawson's Creek was interesting, so I hired it. At first I had no idea what to make of this movie, but as it progreesed I knew there was something between Roseanne (Monica Keena) and Vincent (Vincent Karthiser). Vincent was meant to be the kinda scary stalker type but he was actually sweet, caring and understanding to Roseanne, even though he knew her better than she thought. This movie was somewhat haunting and I could not stop thinking about it for days. I watched it about three times and each time I heard words I missed previous times. Roseanne's "Help me" to Vincent something I didn't catch at first because she was whispering but that scene was great. The end was my favourite part. I loved the song that was playing. I had definently fallen for Vincent as well. I would recommend you to see 'Crime and Punishment in Suburbia' because a picture of Vincent's face is worth more than 1000 words.

This film blends colorful film-making with the macabre tale of a teen beauty who can not bear the abuse of her step-father any longer. She takes matters into her own hands by joining with her jock boyfriend to attack and murder him. The thing that makes this film stand above the rest is the manner in which the story unfolds. The film illustrates how a good director can turn such a classic story as "Crime and Punishment" into an modern work of genius. Watching the story unfold makes you feel like you're right in the middle of it.

To the outside world it seems like Roseann Skolnick (Monica Keena) is your typical privileged teen. She's the head cheerleader who dates a popular football player named Jimmy (James DeBello). Her family lives in a huge mansion in the wealthy part of town. However Roseann lives a far darker existence that comes complete with a drunk step dad who is verbally abusive to his wife. Fred (Michael Ironside) is a bitter drunk whose only satisfaction in life comes from making his wife Maggie (Ellen Barkin) feel miserable. He tortures her every night at the dinner table while a helpless Roseann watches. Maggie wishes he would die and dreams of escaping Fred for good. Outside Roseann's window hides a creepy voyeur named Vincent (Vincent Kartheiser) who snaps roll after roll of film documenting his crush's unhappiness. Vincent longs to be her white knight and when the time is right he plans on rescuing Roseann. At her breaking point Maggie begins an affair with a young man named Chris (Jeffrey Wright) who she meets one night at a club. She sets off a horrible chain of events that begins with rape and ends in a murder that lands Maggie on Death Row. Her entire family is affected by her choices and their lives will be altered forever. The film does a very good job of showing the horrors that take place behind closed doors of seemingly perfect, affluent families. The actors really excel at making these characters believable and sympathetic. Ironside, a veteran of many horror/sci-fi films, is certainly creepy, but his Fred is a man desperate to connect with his stepdaughter. He clearly loves her and her mother but he doesn't know how to express it. Barkin, in a very reserved performance, is heartbreaking as the long suffering wife who saw her chance for escape and took it and who pays the ultimate price. DeBello, a familiar face in many a teen film, is his usual obnoxious and rude self but he actually turns in one of his best performances. He is an extremely supportive, and protective boyfriend to Roseann who is willing to do anything to keep her safe from harm. Unfortunately he's easily manipulated by her and he pays the price for it. My favorite performance is that of Kartheiser. He's terrific as the oddball outsider who shows up to school wearing garlands of garlic to ward off evil spirits. All the teens think they can label him a weirdo and pay him no attention but he is very perceptive of their plight and is the only one offering them any solutions. It's a well made film that raises good points and makes everyone responsible for their actions.

I first saw this move about a year ago on the sundance channel and fell in love with it. It isnt a word for word based on the book kinda movie, its more about the emotional aspect. The movie itself is just so good, its proably a better idea to pretend it has nothing to do with Crime & Punsihment, because comparing it to the book will just leave you upset.
Vincent Karheisers charicter is really good int his movie, because he's just weird enouhg to play the quiet stalker type, but also charming and sweet enough to be the sorta concious of the movie. The ending is by far the best part of the movie, and it makes you cry. The movie deals wiht the orblems of being a teenager very well, and the highschool scenes are true to life, because they dont focus on the whole Jock/bully thing, they focus more on the sorta notreally there poeple who exist inhighschools today, and the way everything sorta looks surreal.