Suburbia (1983)

When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society. The runaways hold on to each other like a family... See full summary »

Director:

Penelope Spheeris

Writer:

Penelope Spheeris

Stars:

Chris Pedersen, Bill Coyne, Jennifer Clay

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Pedersen	...	Jack Diddley
Bill Coyne	...	Evan Johnson
Jennifer Clay	...	Sheila
Timothy O'Brien	...	Skinner (as Timothy Eric O'Brien)
Wade Walston	...	Joe Schmo
Flea	...	Razzle (as Mike B. The Flea)
Maggie Ehrig	...	Mattie
Grant Miner	...	Keef
Christina Beck	...	T'resa
Andrew Pece	...	Ethan Johnson
Donald V. Allen	...	Officer William Rennard (as Don Allen)
Lee Frederick	...	Jim Tripplett (as Robert Peyton)
Jeff Prettyman	...	Bob Skokes
Dorlinda Griffin	...	Mother In Car
Robert Griffin	...	Baby

Storyline

When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society. The runaways hold on to each other like a family until a tragedy tears them apart. Directed by Penelope Spheeris of "Decline of Western Civilization."

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Plot Keywords:

runaway | friendship between women | female nudity | writer director | female full frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

The kids from ... The Wild Side ... The Side You've Never Seen.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Roger Corman: The Official DVD Website

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 1984 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Rebel Streets

Filming Locations:

145 E Palm Ave, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Suburbia Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lead actress Jennifer Clay was discovered by writer/director Penelope Spheeris waiting on line at a Public Image Ltd. concert.

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Goofs

When the rednecks are shooting the dogs, you can see the tripwires used to flip them over.

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Quotes

Jack Diddley: I hate buses.

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Connections

Referenced in Wanted: Dead or Alive (1986)

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Soundtracks

"The Legend Of Pat Brown"
Written by Joe Escalante
Performed by The Vandals

User Reviews

An ambitious first effort

While arguably not Spheeris' best work, it was her first, and in my opinion, most ambitious. The film was shot on a threadbare budget with non-professional actors, with most of the action taking place in an abandoned tract house in a suburb slated for demolition (the area is now a highway). The punk rockers are outcasts from society who attempt for form a "family" of their own, that they call "The Rejected" (The irony of it all, outcasts being anti-social together). The film bogs down at times, and often relies on reversed clichés, but was a very good effort for a documentary film-maker who was making her first dramatic feature (Some of the themes of being an outsider were used, with greater success, in Spheeris' feature DUDES). Yes, it could be called "punxploitation", but I was one of those scruffy kids with a ragged haircut and ripped jeans when this film was released, and I identified with it. (Not to be confused with Richard Linklater's "subUrbia").