User reviews

Commonly tossed aside as a predictable, poorly plotted film with few laughs, "The 'Burbs" has more to offer than most critics are willing to admit.

This film is not so much about the plot(which is admittedly thin and which the critics are too concerned with) as it is about the characters who become entangled within it. Included in this terrific cast are Tom Hanks, who plays the skeptical neighbor of the new family on the block (a bunch of oddballs who never leave the house); Rick Ducommun, who plays the gluttonous friend of Hanks, who is convinced that the new neighbors are brain sucking murderers; Bruce Dern, the ex-soldier who hasn't quite left his miilitary roots behind him; and last, but not least, Corey Feldman, who plays the dopey teenage neighbor who basically watches the events of the movie unfold from the comfort of his front porch. These characters are so well-acted and so downright wacky that you just have to believe there is a neighborhood somewhere with people like this. The chemistry between everyone of the characters is simply impressive, and much of the humor of the film can be found in the often ludicrous way the director portrays their interactions.

I urge anyone who has seen this film before to watch it again, this time paying little attention to the story and focusing on the superbly acted characters.

"The 'Burbs" is writer / co-producer / actor Dana Olsens' deliberately warped invention. The idea is to remove the picture perfect outer layer of average American suburban life and reveal what potential insanity could be bubbling underneath. In so doing, he also makes fun of suburbanites who seem to make it their business to know everybody elses' business.

Tom Hanks stars as Ray Peterson, your typical 'burb dweller, who ends up severely stressed out when his nutty neighbors - Bruce Dern as ex-military man Mark Rumsfield and the late comedian Rick Ducommun as nosey instigator Art Weingartner - spur him to action. They keep hearing weird noises, and seeing weird things, concerning the newcomers to the street, the Klopeks (Henry Gibson, Brother Theodore, Courtney Gains), and wonder just what the hell is going on inside the Klopek house. To make matters more interesting, their elderly neighbor Walter Seznick (Gale Gordon) goes missing. Could the Klopeks be responsible for his disappearance?

Ray tries his best to be rational and skeptical, but finds himself drawn in more and more by his kooky comrades and the things he witnesses. Acting as a genuine voice of reason is his understandably frustrated wife Carol (Carrie Fisher).

The whole thing becomes rather over the top, but then a sense of anarchy to his stories has always been filmmaker Joe Dantes' ("Piranha" '78, "The Howling", "Gremlins") strong suit. Olsen and Dante have fun with the dark comedy aspect to this yarn, and there are some quite funny bits along the way. Viewing the whole circus from the sidelines is neighborhood teen Ricky Butler (Corey Feldman), who tries to convince his peers that the goings on here are better than any movie they could watch. Among those who really get into the spirit of the material are production designer James Spencer and composer Jerry Goldsmith.

Hanks is terrific, and much like the legendary Gene Wilder, proves to be a master at freaking out in a comedic way. But the whole cast is great, with Ducommun often going to town on the scenery. The cast is filled with familiar faces: Wendy Schaal, Dick Miller (Dantes' good luck charm for many years), Robert Picardo, Franklyn Ajaye, Rance Howard, Nicky Katt, Kevin Gage, Patrika Darbo. Olsen himself appears as a cop.

While the story is ultimately rather predictable, it does keep you watching, and amused - and may make you wonder what goes on behind your own neighbors' doors.

Seven out of 10.

This is a great example of what Tom Hanks was doing in his former career of a comedic actor, before he returned to serious acting.

The story follows three incredibly nosey suburbanites, spying on their new neighbours the Klopek's as they expect them to be murderers.

Winning performances all round, but especially from Hanks. He is well supported by the likes of Carrie Fisher, as his wife, and ex-army man Bruce Dern, with Henry Gibson giving his usual solid performance.

A greatly funny movie which leaves you wondering why Hanks ever turned his back on comedy.

Okay, I know Tom Hanks has done some greater than great work. Forest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, and The Green Mile are truly American classics. For some reason (maybe I AM a weirdo) this is my favorite movie of his. It has a simple plot, a light tone, shades of horror, and some GREAT one-liners that have stayed in my memory since I was nine years old. This is one of those movies that never gets old. I especially like Corey Feldman as Ricky Butler. He played the best burn-out I have ever seen and he truly is an underrated actor. Rick Duccoman is great as the obnoxious neighbor, Art and his laid back manner continues to bring a smile to my face. Bruce Dern is flat-out awesome as the war-crazed vet who has all the right gizmos for the job, but always fails miserably. Almost every line out of his mouth is memorable and his response when he steps in a pile of dog crap is a classic quote.

Obviously this is a satire on Suburban life and nosey neighbors, but I could care less about all that. This is a classic that ranks (in my mind) with the likes of "The Goonies" and "Smokey and the Bandit".

If, for some reason, you missed this one, PLEASE see it. You have no clue what you're missing.

The 'burbs is a fun diversion from the usual neighborhood comedies. Joe Dante has a way of combining dark humor and outright horror and make it convincing to a mass audience (see 'Gremlins.') That this film has a lot of dark elements and remains just a light romp at the end is a feat unto itself. All credit goes to Hanks' good natured comedic performance and Dante's fun with the material.

Dante paints a portrait of the neighborhood at the very beginning. Hanks plays Ray, probably the most normal among the neighbors. Art is like a big kid and the first one to suspect the neighbors of foul play. Bruce Dern plays a war vet where Ricky Butler, played by Corey Feldman is the loud teenager. All is well in suburbia until clues pop up that might reveal the new neighbors, the Klopeks, as murderers.

With any other talent behind the film, this could have been a very dark comedy. But instead of playing up the horror, Dante has fun with it, playing up the comedy talents of his performers (notably Hanks and Dern, who take turns chewing scenery). Dante also has fun with visuals, notably in a hilarious dream sequence that Ray has.

Everything comes together to make this film work, including a great score by Jerry Goldsmith, that is part suburban comedy and part horror, complete with organs culled from a funeral march. This film is far from perfect, but it's fun diversional comedy and reminds of the great comic actor that Tom Hanks once was before becoming Oscar's golden boy.

I generally do not like the movie format and category of the black comedy. Usually, they become so dark that they cease to be funny or entertaining to me...a good example of this is "War of the Roses". There have been some that I enjoyed though and this is one of them. I usually like the ones that only really edge towards the dark side a bit and I would say this one does that. It kind of goes into horror at times, but still remains funny unlike another black horror/comedy "Parents" with Randy Quaid. This film features a new family moving into a very old and not so attractive house. These newcomers are under immediate scrutiny and suspicion as they move in the middle of the night, do not do anything to really fix up the place, and are generally strange looking when some of the people in the neighborhood pay them a visit. Tom Hanks character is not really suspicious at first till his crazy neighbor and a paranoid one convince there is something up with the new family in the burbs. You get many funny scenes as these guys try to find proof that the new family is as strange as they look and are in fact up to something as the poodle a man who lives in the neighborhood shows up dirty and the neighbor ends up missing. The movie plays out rather good and is funny for the most part, at times it becomes a bit to dark as most black comedies tend to do. The cast is very funny and I think this is like the only movie I have seen Carrie Fisher in besides the Star Wars trilogy. Bruce Dern to me steals the show in terms of comedy followed by the neighbor who deduces the bone is human. Not sure of his name or any other movies he has done prior to or since this one. Even Corey Feldman does a rather good job. So all in all this is a nice trip to the burbs.

Sometimes a bizarre comedy just hits the right notes with me and, despite none of my friends liking it, I love it. This is a premier example of such: one of my favorites in that category. The fact others don't share that opinion doesn't bother me, but I am glad to see reviewers on this site who appreciated this black, very underrated gem.

I always get a big kick out of this film, no matter how many times I see it.I credit a little-known actor for making this so entertaining to me: Rick Ducommun. I think he steals the show from well-known stars Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher and Corey Feldman.

Actually, I think this film is panned a lot because they didn't expect Hanks to be in something this goofy. Too bad, but I bet he had a lot fun making it, along with the rest of the cast.

Ducommun and Dern are the hilarious wackos who try to help straight-laced Hanks find out about the really-strange neighbors he has next door. Are these people some demented killers or just the figment of these nosy neighbors' imagination? Fisher is Hanks' always-complaining wife and Feldman is the teen across the street who watches all the lunacy from his porch, getting his getting nightly entertainment from these crazy adults.

Director Joe Dante, of "Gremlins" fame, does a good job entertaining us in here, too, and providing some fun camera-work. Dante also used music to great advantage, mostly for humor.

This is one of those "not for all tastes" films, so chances are you won't like it and think it's stupid. For a number of reasons, I love it.

Wanna' sit down and watch a movie that doesn't take itself seriously and stars Tom Hanks? Here ya' go!

The basic plot to this not-quite-funny comedy is that a group of suburbanites think that a family of creepy new neighbors are actually sick killers who offed another neighbor. They go through all sorts of adventures and situations, trying to get to the bottom of the mystery that, it seems, only exists within their minds.

Who cares if the ending is cliche? Well, I do, but not in a movie like this where there is no underlying meaning or message and is just in existence to have a little bit of fun. Which is, by the way, what you'll have: a little bit of fun.

I've watched this so many times I know dialog by heart. No matter how many times I watch I still LMAO.

I watch when I'm in need of: 1) Comedic adventure.

2) I really need a pick me up from life.

3) I just want a fun flick.

The cast is GREAT. The writing borders genius. Direction perfect.

If you want a fun film about old school 'neighborhood shenanigans' this might fit. Give it a go.

This is kind of representative of those great madcap 80s films with a lot of great one-liners, and a lot of preposterous scenarios. But, this really works because of the cast, writing and direction- a trifecta of talent.

We have Gibson as a mad scientist trying to thwart Hanks/ Ducommun and Dern, while Brother Theodore and Gains stand as go-betweens of them all. Fisher and Schaal as THE voices of common sense, Fieldman as resident teen who just eggs everyone on and poor Gordon...even the dog is a character!

With 5 (!) of major cast members who've died it's a nostalgic trip that deserves some recognition and honor for work they put forth!

I truly hope no imbecile remakes this!

The 'Burbs has Tom Hanks looking to spend a quiet weekend at home with his family with wife Carrie Fisher and son Cory Danziger. But a strange new family has moved into the house next door and he spends his week trying to figure out what their story is.

Meet the Klopeks who have all the characteristics of a Charles Addams creation. When one of their neighbors, elderly Gale Gordon goes missing without an explanation imaginations run wild.

At least the imaginations of neighbors Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommon are stirred and they get Hanks involved. Dern has a real flair for comedy with his creation of this man who loves all things military. Ducommon is a man with a big imagination and no clue.

With the title I thought this would be a general satire on suburban living. It isn't but that's all right. It's a very funny film with a nice twist for an ending.

I also have to say Corey Feldman has one of his best roles though if the creators of The 'Burbs are giving some commentary on 80s American youth. He's kind of a Greek chorus of comment himself on the stupid goings on of the adults.

Very funny stuff, catch it if you can.

Unless I'm really missing something, this movie was really boring, unfunny (I laughed maybe twice), and it was just...bizarre. I'm not sure what genre this movie is supposed to fall into. They say it's a black comedy, but it struck me as neither black nor a comedy.

The acting was okay and surprisingly, I didn't think Corey Feldman was all that bad (so many of his other movies are really over the top performances, like in The Lost Boys). Tom Hanks was adequate, I suppose, but what this movie really suffered from was a ridiculous and implausible plot, a very weak script, and a complete comedic misfire. I know he was still launching his career, but I'm very surprised that Hanks signed on to this mess of a movie.

Some people have called this a cult classic, but I'm sorry, I just don't understand that label at all.

Great cast with a one joke premise that works. Dante is the key ingredient here and he doesn't take the easy road. Hybrid genre films are tough and this film was met with negativity from the critics, the fans are the ones who gave life to this cult gem. Dark, weird and Dante, if you can't jump on the same page you'll miss a great film.

This movie may be dated, but this old fart still has something going. It's based on those truly 80s jokes, it's pretty good.

The Burbs is an oddball comedy, and you can hardly call it that, but it's quite dark too with it's cannibalistic themes, but as I see it, is patently a misfire, where it borrows a little from other films. This is not the first time, we've been around this course of story. We suspect our new neighbors aren't what they seem scenario, where they're cannibals if to add some spice, and dark spice at that. When people, animals, start to go missing, there goes the neighborhood. Paranoid neighbors, Hanks, and his real paranoid eccentric neighbor, (a marvelous Bruce Dern) are determined to get to the bottom of this. Just check out Hank's "C'mon, you want to f..k with me, I'll take you on" expression on the cover. The Burbs, sadly wastes some bloody good actors, though we're glad to have them in this mess of suburbia, where in the end, The Burbs don't add up to much, in a sort of ho hum way. Courtney Gains is great as the head weirdo, Hans, the best thing about this flick, but you can't forget Dern either.

One of the most underrated and funniest movies of the 80's.

Well, I'll say it. This movie should be pretty mediocre, but its actually pretty decent. The plot can get messy, but the characters all keep the film so entertaining you wish there was a tv series with the same cast.

Much like the actual suburbs this film comes off plain, but has all sorts of characters to make it enjoyable albeit frustrating at times. The plot and specifically Tom Hank's character don't stay in direction for too long in this film. Constantly switching between comedy, serious, "The Twilight Zone-esque", to almost becoming a self parody, this film demonstrates Ray Peterson's (Tom Hanks) chaotic mindset as he deals with a forced vacation with his oddball neighbors.

Some may not like it, but this film is an iconic role in Tom Hank's career whether he'll admit or not and shows the natural silliness he has beneath is his usual "father-figure" role.

Give it a watch and be prepared to be amazed.

"The 'Burbs" was always a mainstay in the video store - that VHS cover's been burned into my brain for 30 years - and yet I never actually sat down and watched it. Ya got me, I have no idea why, and it's totally worth it.

The movie takes a fair bit to get going (it's kind of a sleepy 30 minutes until Hanks starts unraveling; you know that classic hysterical voice he has) but the one-liners really start rolling. Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun are truly MVPs here, they're terrible influences in the neighborhood and starting trouble at every turn; and they're both hysterical. Even Carrie Fisher and Wendy Schaal have their moments. Everyone shines here.

But seriously, it's grown men acting like children, and there's some base part of me that is so drawn to it. Highly entertaining.

'The 'Burbs' is a great movie and I would recommend it to anyone. Tom Hanks does a great job at playing the role of an ordinary guy with ordinary problems. Every time I watch this movie, I can really feel like I am actually there. We all have weird neighbors and can relate to what Hanks is going through. It has also been a fantasy for many of us to try and find out exactly what our neighbors are up to, but we never have the guts to do it. Movies are made so that we can escape reality for a couple of hours and feel like we are doing things that we would most likely never get to do. This movie does it better than any other movie I have seen.

Most of the other people that I have talked to have agreed with me that 'The 'Burbs' is one of the most underrated comedies ever made. I don't believe that it was unsuccessful, but it definitely doesn't get the credit it deserves. If you want to see a movie that you can relate to, then watch this.

It is an enjoyful film. Comedy, crime, horror and drama in one film about the american siburban like and habitants. Tom Hanks is great as usual but the other.actors are very good, especially Bruce Dern as the soldier.

What a film to escape into! This movie captures my childhood and is still watchable today.

The director/writer has paid close attention to human interaction for this movie. I love Tom Hanks's one-liners or slight facial movements, both speak volumes in a scene.

Unjustified credit for this classic comedy. I would recommend this film to anyone. Some regard this as a silly film, but i don't think that comment degrades it in anyway. I like silly films, something where actors egos don't get in the way of the story. We're all here for a laugh for 1-2 hours so entertain us, we say. And this film delivers gags, and visual comedy time after time.

I love the scene showing the guys as if they're kids in a street.

I love this movie and have recently purchase the Soundtrack off ebay.

I can watch this movie over and over again. Mrs Rumsfield is still as sexy when you watch it now.

Classic quote Mrs Peterson - "He will not come out until he resembles that man that i married." Art Weingartner - "We don't have that kinda time !"

Another 80's neighbor movie! Great.

Before starting this review, I have to say that I don't know what could have possessed the people who classified this movie as horror. This is an 80's comedy, and a typical one. I have a weak spot for movies like this one, because they're so silly, so maybe I'm too biased to write this review, but I'll give it a shot anyway.

This definitely isn't the funniest comedy. This isn't even the funniest 80's comedy, or even the funniest 80's neighbor-related comedy. But it was funny, and it has a formula that works, or at least that worked back in the 1980's. Many goofy suburbans trying to figure out what type of strange neighbors have moved in last month, suspecting them of murdering another of their neighbors? Sounds good to me!

I have to admit that this movie has it's dull moments, but there's extremely silly moments too. Tom Hanks is really funny in this, I thought. This was maybe his last goofy light-hearted movie before appearing in more serious movies like "Forrest Gump" or "Saving private Ryan" in the 90's. Some of the characters in this are so typical of 80's movie. By example, the sexy bubble-headed neighbor who's always half dressed and always nice to everyone and the annoying typical teenager played, of course, by Corey Feldman.

This really isn't a movie for everyone. Most people would find it stupid and unfunny, but if you're not difficult and you like the 80's, you'll like it. Also, it doesn't rely on exploitation or sex jokes to make it interesting. A good movie to watch if you're stuck at home on a rainy day.

Weirdness can work in sketch format. This is because there is no setup or explanation required for what is going on; the humour is supposed to be instantaneous. We see something that is weird on screen, and we laugh because it is weird, also in the knowledge that whatever's on screen will go away shortly.

There is potential for comedy to be found in the premise of "The 'burbs", but unfortunately the script fails to extract any of it. I know the ineptitude of the film can be traced directly back to the quality (or lack thereof) of the script, because director Joe Dante is capable of crafting great entertainment given the right material ("Gremlins", "Innerspace"). There are also a number of usually reliable performers here struggling with the weakness of what they are given. The paucity of the end result that reaches our screens can be explained by the approach that the script tries to take.

This is a feature film, so some attempt should have been made to flesh out the main character, to make the audience relate to him. You have a basic plot here, USE IT! USE IT TO AT LEAST HALF OF ITS FULL POTENTIAL PLEASE!!! There is no need for the humour here to be instantaneous like a sketch show, because we're working from a much broader canvas where the plot can even be established before the humour arrives. The 'sketch' analogy that describes the approach of the movie presents various problems which dog the film throughout its running time.

In a sketch, we laugh because something is weird. In a film, we expect the comedy to originate from the situation that has been presented to us. Too often in this film, we are shown things that are strange, and are expected to laugh because of this, despite the fact that their importance to the situation is TOTALLY arbitrary. The situation would still be the same if they weren't there, they're just thrown in to make us laugh. I would say though, that if you can't develop the situation competently enough so that it makes us laugh on its own, without the aid of cheap gimmicks, then comedy isn't your forte. That's a message to the writers...

Also, as I said, we laugh at a sketch because we know it will be over shortly. It should be obvious that the funny parts of the sketch are not strong enough to be sustained over a longer period. One of the worst things about watching "The 'burbs" is that if you don't find the 'awkward' weirdness funny (as you can surmise I didn't), you know that the execution period won't be mercifully brief, unlike a sketch. It was an awful moment when I realised I had to sit through this unfunny tosh for AT LEAST another hour and twenty minutes...

If you like the idea of stupid events that don't sit well with the overall plot of the film, then you might like this. The rest of us will just scratch our heads in wonder at why anybody might enjoy a comedy that is otherwise laugh-free.

Originality can go a long way in movieland, as THE 'BURBS so perfectly illustrates. Tom Hanks is Ray Peterson, an average schmuck not sure what to do with his at-home vacation. He soon finds his excitement when he and his paranoid neighbors convince themselves the weirdos on the block are responsible for the strange disappearance of the neighborhood's beloved old man. So they do what any of us would do... break into their home to find proof of the dastardly deed.

So many critics charged that Hanks tarnished his reputation with this effort. But for the umpteenth time, the critics were just being overly critical. THE 'BURBS is a hilarious, well-written and wonderfully creative piece of work. It's the kind of movie Joe Dante (GREMLINS, Matinée) does best. He takes a situation we can all basically relate to, turns it upside down and shakes the hell out of it like a snow globe.

An unnecessarily heavy-handed ending is all that stands between THE 'BURBS and a 10-star rating. All of a sudden a fun little ride is derailed by an angry outburst and contrived syringe battle. If Dante had it to do over again, he surely would have come up with something more suitable (and humorous).

Of course THE 'BURBS is not for all tastes, but if you like the pre-PHILADELPHIA Hanks and are in the mood for something completely different, you won't want to mi

I didn't really expect much from this movie, but Joe Dante and Tom Hanks sounded promising, so I wanted to take a look inside. But this movie is just a lot of fun and is simply a wonderful horror comedy.

Well, the movie is undoubtedly not perfect and there are some weaknesses. After all, you can't expect too much, because the movie is not a masterpiece and actually quite predictable, but it offers entertainment, really great entertainment. Because the plot is really entertaining, because something strange is going on in a suburb in a neighboring house. The inhabitants of this house never come out, only at night and strange noises come from within. Well, and that already provides an exciting and funny mixture of unforgettable moments.

This is mainly due to the characters of the movie, because they are all really fantastic. You can't expect complex characters, because actually they are quite stereotypical. But it works in this movie. Because every character has his strangeness and is somehow a little weird and of course this together with the entertaining plot ensures a really fun movie experience.

You also can't expect too much horror, because the movie is more of a comedy. There are a few "spooky" moments, but they aren't really scary. But the comedy aspect of the movie is all the bigger and even better. The movie is actually quite similar in genre to Gremlins, just a little less horror. But if you liked Gremlins, you will certainly also like The 'Burbs.

In addition, another great aspect of the movie is of course also the actors. You can't really do much wrong with Tom Hanks and of course he's great in this movie again. Bruce Dern can also be seen in a really amusing and funny role, as is Rick Ducommun. In addition, Carrie Fisher is also in a role and even if she is rather the spoiler of fun in the movie, she is of course convincing again.

So overall, the movie is really a lot of fun and undoubtedly provides entertainment. Even if the movie is of course not perfect, as it is a small but fine comedy with horror aspects, it can convince above all with the exaggerated characters and an exciting and imaginative plot.

Tom Hanks is now considered a great actor. After the huge successes of "Philadelphia" (1993) and "Forrest Gump" (1994) (along with two Academy Awards), every film he's in is a hit. But, back in the 1980s, he made a string of pretty bad comedies ("Splash" and "Big" are exceptions and I have a soft spot for "Bachelor Party"). But does anyone remember "Volunteers"? "The Man With One Red Shoe"? And the one we're talking about now?

It's pretty mediocre. A strange family moves into a picture perfect neighborhood in suburbia and people come to believe they're murderers. Basically this is a satire on suburban living but it doesn't say anything new or different about it. The cast is great, it has beautiful production designs and a fantastic score that is very clever---but it has a bad script.

The jokes are there but they aren't funny--after a while it becomes a chore to watch this movie. I was dozing off during the last half!

The only thing that keeps this watchable is the good acting by the cast--especially Tom Hanks (who is always good), Carrie Fisher, Henry Gibson and Bruce Dern. Also it's the late Gale Gordon's last movie. It's always great to see him and he was always funny, but he looks terrible here. Sadly he was suffering from cancer. So, this isn't unbearable just not very good.

A few lines do work, but it's not worth seeing. Go rent "Splash" or "Big" instead. One of the few bombs director Joe Dante has done.