Let this be a lesson for George Clooney the director. If the Coen brothers (No Country for Old Men) don’t want to direct a script they’ve written, then maybe you shouldn’t either. Worse still, don’t add your own subplots. It already requires incredible skill to find the right tone in a neo-noir/dark comedy written by the duo without having to deal with story threads shoehorned in as an after-thought.

On paper, Suburbicon had the potential to be an interesting movie, though you can see why the Coen brothers let Clooney have it. The noir drama could have been very good, though not great, because it covers charted territory. The core story feels like a script the Coens have already done, but only better. Then there is a racial element, which feels like the heavy-handed handiwork of Clooney and Grant Heslov, who happens to be the fourth credited writer. Clooney and Heslov, as you may recall, co-wrote the incredibly cheesy The Monuments Men and their tone-deaf work can be recognised here as well.

Suburbicon begins in 1959 when an African American family moves into what appears to be an idyllic white neighbourhood, resulting in all hell breaking loose. The whites don’t like it, riots later take place, and it appears that this will be the main plot of the film.

Suburbicon tries its hand at dark comedy but loses the tone

It isn’t. In fact, aside from a few other scenes, this thread isn’t examined further. The disdain with which such a significant plotline is treated makes it feel like an attempt to capitalise on the topical nature of racism in America. Of course, racism should be explored in films but not so superficially.

Then there is the Lodge family, played by Matt Damon (Gardner), Julianne More (Rose and later Margaret) and Noah Jupe (Nicky). Their story is a dark comedy mixed in with drama, and appears to be the contribution of the Coens.

When Rose is killed by two robbers with chloroform and Gardner is left to deal with the fallout, the film tries its hand at dark comedy but doesn’t quite succeed. Later, Rose’s twin sister Margaret moves in, slowly begins to act like Rose, has sex with Gardner, and the scenes feel uncomfortable rather than humorous. Soon after, we are hit with a big plot twist that makes us sit up and take notice, beyond which there is violence and dark drama, all of which have tonal issues. This plot twist alone could have made for a good film, though directors like Woody Allen had already made a good fist of it in films such as Match Point (2005).

Mixed in here are scenes from the racism subplot that leave Suburbicon feeling even more tonally confused. The attempts at being a comedy, a dark comedy and a serious drama, and the commentaries on racism and seemingly utopian suburban societies all feel like too much for one project to chew on, and unfortunately Clooney doesn’t have the skill to pull any of these off with aplomb.

To end on a positive note, the performances are fairly good. The best on display is Oscar Isaac (Bud Cooper) as a compelling insurance agent, who steals every scene he is in. Sadly, he only has a handful of scenes, which ultimately is just another miscalculation by Suburbicon.

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality

Published in Dawn, ICON, November 5th, 2017