My wife and I have a standing agreement that if one of us enjoyed a movie from the 80’s, and the other spouse hasn’t seen it yet, we watch the movie together to share in the other person’s childhood memories, and to add to our own level of 80’s nostalgia.
Yesterday’s dinner conversation morphed from an actual volcano, to an episode of Miles from Tomorrowland about a volcano, to “Joe Versus the Volcano”, to another Tom Hanks film— “The ‘Burbs.”
I was “The ‘Burbs” veteran, and she was the rookie, but I could barely remember the plot, which is the preferable way to go into a three decade old movie. I gave adequate warnings about the possibility of the film sucking, which is always a risk with media from the 80’s. So, once the kids were tucked in for the night, we hustled to our media room.
For those of you not familiar with the movie, Tom Hanks stars as the ringleader of a group of neighbors with too much time on their hands. These suburbanites take it upon themselves to investigate the “mysterious” neighbors who recently moved in to their cul-de-sac. The movie costars: Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern, and Corey Feldman.
Does this movie stand the test of time? That is the question I ask about any movie I revisit from the Reagan decade.
There were plenty of things to like about The ‘Burbs.
Even though the movie has a noir feel to it, the story telling was refreshingly simplistic, as are most movies from the 80’s. Apparently, screenwriter’s hadn’t yet got the message to “make every movie as convoluted as possible”.
The visual elements were authentically 80’s.
The hair was big. No surprise there. But, Corey Feldman’s hair was exceptionally glorious.
The limited amount of technology used by the characters was primitive, even by early 90’s standards.
The movie contained the required 80’s elements of a dream sequence and a music montage.
It’s easy to forget that Tom Hanks was/is a remarkable physical comedian. This movie was a decent vehicle for him to express that talent, and it was nice to see that aspect of his acting again.
While the movie had a few other positive moments, that was about it for the good elements. I didn’t know if my disappointment stemmed from already knowing the answer to the mystery or from the film’s overall quality. I asked “The ‘Burbs” rookie, and she was also disappointed.
Did “The ‘Burbs” stand the test of time?
It was a close call, but unfortunately, this movie is best left in the 80’s.