Suburbicon: A Satirical Swing and a Miss from the Coen Brothers and George Clooney
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As of today, November 21, 2023, the 2017 film Suburbicon is available to stream for free on Pluto TV, offering audiences a chance to revisit this ambitious, yet ultimately flawed, experiment in social satire. The film, a collaboration between acclaimed filmmakers the Coen brothers and George Clooney, attempts to blend a classic murder mystery with a searing commentary on racial prejudice in 1950s America, but the result, according to one critic, is “two completely different films jammed into one.”
Originally conceived by the Coen brothers in 1985 following the success of Blood Simple, Suburbicon began as a straightforward murder mystery set within the seemingly idyllic confines of a suburban neighborhood. However, the project underwent a significant transformation when George Clooney became involved, adding a parallel storyline focused on the arrival of a Black family and the ensuing racial tensions. This addition, while potent in its own right, ultimately fractured the film’s narrative cohesion.
The core issue with Suburbicon lies in its inability to effectively merge these two distinct narratives. While both the Lodge family’s descent into darkness and the Mayers family’s struggle against discrimination are compelling on their own, they remain largely disconnected, “limping past the finish line instead of effectively getting their points across.”
A Tale of Two Families
The film centers on two primary storylines. The first follows Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) and his wife Rose (Julianne Moore), who initially present a picture of perfect suburban bliss. Their seemingly idyllic life is shattered when hitmen, Ira Sloan (Glenn Fleshler) and Louis (Alex Hassell), invade their home. The situation escalates tragically when Rose, a paraplegic, is fatally targeted, leaving their son Nicky (Noah Jupe) without a mother. In the aftermath, Rose’s identical twin sister, Margaret (also played by Julianne Moore), begins a disturbing transformation, slowly assuming Rose’s identity and infiltrating the Lodge family.
Simultaneously, the Mayers family moves into the Suburbicon subdivision, immediately facing hostility and discrimination from their white neighbors. While Nicky Lodge befriends Andy Mayers (Tony Espinosa), Andy’s parents (Karimah Westbrook and Leith Burke) endure relentless cruelty and prejudice. This racial tension eventually erupts into a violent riot, fueled by ingrained racism, unfolding alongside the unraveling mystery at the Lodge residence.
The Struggle to Converge
The film’s central weakness is its failure to meaningfully intersect these two narratives. The attempt at satire feels forced, particularly in the third act, resulting in a “sloppy resolution.” As one observer noted, the social commentary is present, but the structure prevents it from fully resonating. Had the filmmakers fully embraced the absurdity of the situation, akin to their work on O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the satire might have landed with greater impact.
The film hints at a powerful idea – a white family experiencing a home invasion while a Black family moves into the neighborhood, with the community readily blaming the latter. However, this concept is underdeveloped, requiring the murder mystery to take a backseat to truly flourish. Conversely, a more focused exploration of the murder mystery would have necessitated scaling back the racial commentary. Suburbicon ultimately falters because it “does not know which lane to stay in, and even worse, it does not know when or how those lanes should intersect.”
Despite its shortcomings, Suburbicon retains the distinctive flair of the Coen brothers, but it feels more like a promising concept than a fully realized film. It lacks the depth and polish of their previous work, appearing as if “their script was thrown into a blender with George Clooney’s, splattered onto a storyboard, and then rushed into production.”
