MovieChat Forums > SubUrbia (1997) Discussion > A couple reasons why this movie just ain...

A couple reasons why this movie just aint workin for me

posted 18 years ago by winterdalecalls
22 replies | jump to latest

Not much of the social interactions in this are very beleivable, I dont think anyone would actually like the outright self absorbed *beep* in this movie.

and

Steve Zahn is *beep* ANNOYING. I would...jesus man, he's awful in this, so awful

Giovanni Ribisi's girlfriend is a horribly executed character. Oh my god *beep* her ridiculous poetic rant, im watching it right now, and allow my misogynoustic tendencies to come out...what a DUMB BITCH. I cant stand this character, awful too...And they honestly must have attempted to make her as nonattractive as possible

I want to like this movie, but its just not working

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MonteCarloMan 18 years ago

I'd like to ask you how old you are, because this movie was geared towards GenXers and younger, not with the older crowds. Anyways I felt my friends and I could relate to the characters. Can't wait for the DVD version to come out, lates.

[–] Illuminativ 18 years ago

First of all, the two characters you mentioned were supposed to be annoying.

I really liked Suburbia because it had characters like that. They were not supposed to be likable.

The only likable characters in the movie were Jeff and Tim.

[–] jmr488 18 years ago

I agree with the original poster, here's why:

1) Not enough gang bang
2) See Number 1
3) See the other Suburbia...it's awful

Thanks,

IMDb Moderator

[–] kohl_caked 18 years ago

The two annoying characters are meant to be annoying.

And about the Feminazi girlfriend... they do exist... I've met some before. It was scary.

"I met Jesus today. He tried to sell me a pen with a knife in it." - Paul(my little brother)

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] sadmachines 18 years ago

this movie had to be experienced for the first time during the mid to late 90's.

[–] sidthewriter 18 years ago

I'm currently eighteen and this movie although it does have alot of references to the nineties still worked for me. I have friends just like these. I often feel just the same as Giovanni's character. I for one give this movie a shiggity two thumbs up.

[–] Lupin003 17 years ago

Last time I checked - Giovanni Ribisi was a MAN. Not a woman.

I mean, this IS IMDB...you can check the cast lists before you make a post, they even have PICTURES next to them.

Jeez.

-Frankie

[–] violachild2002 17 years ago

Shiggety on the 2 thumbs up too.Why do people read movies so literally. It really surprises me when peeps haven't got over the once upon a time fairy tale they expect movies to be. Of course she was annoying! of course Jeff was whiny. That is called characterisation. I can imagine its like watching a movie and going ooh ooh, a person Í can't relate to, must look away now.

[–] takehiro12 18 years ago

The problem with this movie is that it's adapted from an Eric Bogosian play that I believe was written and set in the 70's so in Linklater's attempt to adapt it to 90's characters it feels a little strange. What I really love about this movie is its direction. Usually when I'm watching a film I'm thinking about the shots and how they filmed this or that. Not to the point of distraction, but it's in the back of my mind. With Suburbia, I completely forget I'm watching a movie. Linklater's direction is so smooth, his shots so natural, that it's just like I'm a witness to the events unfolding. Anybody else have that sensation?

[–] Lupin003 17 years ago

They play was not set in the 70's. It was set in the 90's.

The adaptation to film is only missing one or two monolouges from the play, which took place entirely at the Circle K. (no driving sequences, etc.)

It's a VERY good adaptation, including some of the actors that originated the roles in the play (Zahn, Katt, etc.)

I was a teenager in the 90's, and I lived in a suburbian area, with plenty of friends who were as sheltered as the characters in this play - and Bogosian wrote them all with stunning amounts of realism.

-Frankie

[–] jeffrey-146 17 years ago

There are several flaws within the writing of this script, but I will say that
I was intrigued by the fine acting which is far better than you would see in most B-movies. Additionally, the ending of this movie was extremely flat and while I would have liked to have found out what exactly happened at the "Four Seasons" we were all given a nude striptease of Jeff and a hate filled rant by Tim that could only be cheered on by likes of Seinfeld's Kramer.....

[–] Killingforcompany 17 years ago

"There are several flaws within the writing of this script, but I will say that
I was intrigued by the fine acting which is far better than you would see in most B-movies. Additionally, the ending of this movie was extremely flat and while I would have liked to have found out what exactly happened at the "Four Seasons" we were all given a nude striptease of Jeff and a hate filled rant by Tim that could only be cheered on by likes of Seinfeld's Kramer....."

You see, the point of the ending was to show Tim and Jeff being left behind. I liked how the ending was flat... it added a certain apocalyptic atmosphere to the end of the film... like Jeff's world was ending.

[–] maturity 8 years ago

But nobody left for anything worthwhile and Jeff didn't lose anything by having them out of his life. They were just as much losers as Tim and Jeff or more.

[–] RobSac 17 years ago

Okay, if anything was truly fake, it was the fact that suburbanites, in their early 20s, were hanging out a liquor store. You outgrow the Quick Stop at like 15 (as soon as someone gets a car...)

And, of course some of the dialogue is not belivable. However, what film is immune to this? Real life mobsters talk about how certain things in Goodfellas never would have been said.

But, the overall lineup of characters is dead on point for early 20 somethings in the mid '90s, in working class/middle class suburb. And, allthough Steve Zahn's character was over the top, he was indeed realistic. Everyone between the ages of 25 and 35 that grew up in the lower middle knows someone just like that. Truthfully, what was over the top about him is that even though he was realistic, he was probably even more funny than the real life, happy go lucky stoner we all knew growing up.

To agree with you, the only character that probably was a little bit fake was the girl with the punk hairdo. Any girl who looked like that was probably more quiet, and less opinionated and spunky. In fact, if you take the girl who overdosed and just switched characters with the punk one, this might have been one of the most realistic movies ever made about the American suburbs, sans, obviously, the rock star done good who comes back to town. In my neck of the woods, it was usually a baseball player. We had one that played for the Yanks, on the '96 world series team. (bench warmer..but stil..)And, when these pro baseball players would come back, they would only stick to a few friends they had, and they certainly wouldn't roll up to the guys hanging out at the convinience store. Also, Parker Posey's characer, the manager, was phony, too. For my money, she was just eye candy and an added, erotic twist to the storyline of the ex football player. Showbiz.

If anything, they were too whiny and too funny, but all in all their overall chemistry was certainly realistic, IMO. And, I'm 32, which made me 22 when this came out, and from the Suburbs. Wasn't the most popular guy, but I didnt miss out on anything. So, I'm as good an expert as anyone..lol.

[–] [email protected] 17 years ago

It's funny you bring that up. I knew a couple of girls in high-school that acted just like her, and all of my misogynistic feelings came to the surface as well. Sooze embodies all of that Pseudo-feministic, young and immature female posturing bulls*** perfectly. In my opinion, she is probably the most immature character of the film (yes, even more so than Buff).