THE ’BURBS: A Fantastic (and Underrated) Comedy with Tom Hanks

Everyone knows Tom Hanks. Not only is he one of the greatest film stars, but he also comes across as an incredibly likable guy. These days, he primarily works in dramatic roles, collaborating with the best in the business—think Spielberg or Zemeckis—but at the start of his career, he appeared in much lighter fare. Wacky films like Bachelor Party (from the creators of Police Academy), the borderline cartoonish The Money Pit, and the romantic Splash helped make Hanks a household name. He quickly proved his immense talent, especially with his role in Big, and cemented it further as an AIDS-stricken lawyer in Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia (which earned him his first Oscar). However, before transitioning to more serious roles, Hanks starred in the fantastic comedy The ’Burbs, a film I want to discuss today because, for some mysterious reason, it remains relatively unknown.

In typical American suburbia, life runs peacefully. Everyone has a house, a garage, a car, and a yard. Everybody knows everyone else, and life is generally cheerful and idyllic. Ray Peterson (Hanks) has just started a week-long vacation, which he plans to spend at home, despite his wife’s (Carrie Fisher) objections. The neighborhood is unsettled by the mysterious new neighbors—the Klopeks—who moved in a few weeks earlier. No one knows anything about them, and their house looks like it belongs in a horror movie. The locals begin speculating, feeding each other ever wilder stories.

What strikes you while watching The ’Burbs is its wonderful atmosphere. Remember when, as kids, you spent entire days wandering around with friends? Summer, blue skies, no worries about work, life, or the future? In the film, the only “problem” is the mysterious neighbors, and the main characters behave like children who, instead of handling things maturely by simply asking questions, spy, snoop, and try to uncover the truth about the Klopeks on their own. Meanwhile, no one cares about “serious” issues; everyone’s focus is solely on solving the mystery of the new residents of Mayfield Place. Ray, Mark (Bruce Dern), Art (Canadian comedian Rick Ducommun), and the rest of the characters live in “the ’burbs” both literally and metaphorically—away from worries, tragedies, and dramatic events. This idyllic atmosphere, evoking memories of carefree childhood summers, seeps into the viewer, transporting them to those happy, worry-free times. I can’t think of another film that does this as well.

At the same time, the entire movie is tinged with an undercurrent of horror, naturally spiced heavily with humor. The ’Burbs won’t give you goosebumps or make your heart race. While it contains some elements typical of horror, it exaggerates and frames them in a comedic context, removing any real sense of fear. This is no surprise given that the director is Joe Dante, a master of dark comedies whose opus magnum, Gremlins, came five years earlier. The screenplay was born in the mind of Dana Olsen, who once walked through a typical American suburb and thought one of these seemingly ordinary houses might be hiding a dark secret. The atmosphere is further enriched by a moody soundtrack composed by Jerry Goldsmith, which references both his own work (with echoes of the war epic Patton) and that of Italian maestro Ennio Morricone.

The ’Burbs is also a satire on suburban residents, who paint their houses, mow their lawns, wax their cars in their driveways, and react dramatically to any deviation from this dull norm.

As a fun fact, the inventive opening sequence—a seamless transition from Universal’s logo (a spinning globe) to a suburban street—was created by George Lucas’s ILM studio, known for crafting special effects for the best blockbusters. And the film is set to receive a TV remake by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), a self-professed fan of the original.

Written by Piotr Zymelka