Suburbicon is a crime-thriller/dark-comedy film starring Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, and Oscar Isaac. Suburbicon follows Nicky Lodge, a normal kid who must face his demons after a home invasion causes the death of his mother and shakes his quaint suburb in the late ‘50s. On paper, this film sounds like it’ll be great. A film directed by George Clooney and co-written by the Coen brothers and Grant Heslov, what could be better? Well, it turns out that a lot of things can be better. First, the trailers for this film were very misleading. This can be a good thing for some films, but not for Suburbicon. The film contains a subplot involving a Black family, the Meyers, that moves into the neighborhood that would have been good to involve in the trailers, as it plays a major part of the message presented in Suburbicon. Also, the film proves that even great writers such as the Coen brothers and Grant Heslov can have missteps. Missteps such as the many Deus ex Machina’s within Suburbicon, one of which makes no sense. Suburbicon feels like two movies in one, and it shows in the finished product. Clooney does a poor job at balancing the serious subject matter with the comedy. Thus, Suburbicon’s serious secondary plot about the Meyers moving into the house behind the Lodges, comes off as an afterthought. However, there are some positives. Aside from the poor balance George Clooney did a fine job directing the film overall. The film’s story is simple to follow and he gets good performances out of the actors. Matt Damon is great as Gardner Lodge as he plays a mild-mannered father well. You start the film rooting for his character, but as the film goes on you’re ready for him to kick the bucket. Julianne Moore is also good in her dual role of Rose Lodge and Aunt Maggie. Something that was well hidden in the film’s promotion. Maggie is another character that you’re no longer rooting for by the end of the film. Oscar Isaac is great in his role as Roger which is basically an extended cameo. The film’s standout is Noah Jupe as Nicky Lodge. He is the star of the film and we follow his character as much as we follow Damon’s. Jupe does a great job of portraying how a kid would feel during the situation his family was stuck in. Not knowing who to trust or who to turn to can be devastating for a child. I give Suburbicon a Normal 6/10. The film could have been better if the subplot about racial integration of suburban communities was balanced better with the Lodge’s situation with the mob.

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