Mutant Reviewers from Hell do
"You were up at the crack of dawn watching a dog poop."

1989 PG / Comedy Directed by: Joe Dante Starring: Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman

Tagline

He's a stranger in an even stranger land... Suburbia

Summary Capsule

Nosy suburbinites investigate their strange new neighbors.

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Amazon.com: DVD

Justin's Rating: Mow, mow, mow my lawn
Justin's Review: One of America’s most infamous inventions — the sprawling middle-class wasteland of identical houses and cul-de-sacs — receives a detailed and twisted analysis in The ‘Burbs. It may look like an ordinary street, but soon one is the wiser. Ray (Hanks) is beginning a vacation that he’d rather spend at home, hanging with his retired military friend and next door nuisance. While the neighborhood teens watch on, these three turn the scope of their interest to their spooky new neighbors, who are digging in the back yard at night and conducting experiments in the basement.

"Ray and his pals are little more than grown-up children, which produces most of the film’s joy."

Ray and his pals are little more than grown-up children, which produces most of the film’s joy. They’ve seen one too many horror movies, tried one too many action stunts, and lived in the same place one too many days. The sole voice of reason comes from Ray’s wife (Fisher), who unfortunately spends the time bitching and sniping at Ray, and not enough time in a gold-laced bikini.

This type of film is nearly predictable, which is why the party of teenagers gathering to party and watch the unfolding events is a joke turned back onto the film. Really, who cares who these freaky neighbors are? The fun is getting to know them through paranoia and suspicion. Hanks does a great job of going from mildly quirky to utterly conspiracy minded, and his final arm-waving speech (with flames and police in the background) is treated with typical Hanks outrageousness. Maybe, just maybe, we all would like to live on a street like this.

"Honey, did we order some Texas Chainsaw Massacre delivery?" Repeat after me: PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, FREAKS! Why do people get undressed in front of windows? And why do creepy folks spy on them? Some questions shall never be answered.

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• "I Love Lucy" on Walter's TV
• Ricky's got a Batman t-shirt on
• What horror movies were mentioned/spoofed
• When the pizza guy gets there
• In the scene where Ray and Art break into Walter's house, there is a picture on the table of Walter (Gale Gordon) with Lucille Ball. Ball and Gordon were co-stars of the 1948 radio show "My Favorite Husband" and the TV shows "The Lucy Show", "Here's Lucy", and "Life with Lucy".
• The Klopeks named the dog "Landru", probably after Henri Landru, a notorious French serial killer.
• Early in the movie, when Cory Danziger is eating breakfast, a box of Gremlins cereal can be seen on the kitchen counter in the background. The Burbs' director Joe Dante also directed Gremlins.
• In the Klopek basement there is a sled with the name Rosebud - a reference to Citizen Kane

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

No.

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

There were 3 filmed endings to the movie. The first is the one that is in the normal release of the movie. The second, available on the DVD version, follows the path of the first one, but is just different and does not contain the sequence in which the ambulance crashes into the house or the part where Mark Rumsfield slide tackles Hans Klopek. It does have a few more scenes though like Hans being interrogated and Dr. Klopek giving a speech on what is wrong with the suburbs. Rube also tells Ray that he was going to enjoy having him over for their final dinner. The third, which has not been released in any form officially, is supposed to have Ray get killed in the van, the Klopeks are pronounced innocent, and the garbies are found bound and gagged in the Klopek's trunk. The last ending follows the ending contained in the script.

Groovy Quotes

Ricky: Green sky at morning, neighbor take warning.
Ray: Green sky at night?
Ricky: Neighbor take flight?

Carol: You were up at the crack of dawn watching a dog poop.

Art: I want to kill everyone, Satan is good, Satan is our pal.

Ray: No, I've never seen that. I've never seen anyone drive their garbage out to the curb and bang the hell out of it with a stick.

Mark: That piece of scum-barking rat of yours has just taken his last dump on my lawn. I find one more - just one - and I'm going to catch him and staple his ass shut!

Ricky: God, I love this street!

If you liked this movie, try these:

• subUrbia
• Gremlins
• Big