Reviews & Ratings for
Suburbia More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Index

46 reviews in total

---

45 out of 50 people found the following review useful:
The most accurate depiction of the punk scene ever in amovie, 28 October 1999
Author: Brendan3 from New York City

I grew up in the early 80's hardcore punk scene in NYC and like most punks at the time had seen Penelope Spheeris' DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (the best punk documentary ever made) and was impressed when SUBURBIA(later renamed The Wild Side) came out in a few theatres. It was, and still is, the most accurate depiction of what being a hardcore punk was like. Okay, as a film, the production was shoddy, the acting was sub par, and the story was weak. But most of the actors were local punks. . The depiction of the punks was right on the mark....the clothes, the attitude, the music, the just hanging out, etc. Unfortunately, all the new kids who just got into punk in the last decade think this movie is all wrong. Even one of the commenters on this site mistakenly complained that this movie has it all wrong and punks aren't like that. Well guess what kids? The punks in this movie not only acted like real punks, most of them were real punks. (before you were) The scene has changed over the years. This movie is accurately representative of what it was like back in the original (real) scene days during the Reagan administration.

---

29 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
Punks as actors, not actors as punks - excellent., 4 December 2000
Author: (frankbell@aurorasentinel.com) from Aurora, Colorado

During my career as an "angry youth," this film, along with "Made in Britain," (Tim Roth) "Clockwork Orange," and "River's Edge," were required viewing. Penelope Spheeris did a class-A job of depicting what it was like to be young and different in a time in America when outward weirdness invited violence by jocks or other assorted meatheads. Kids who dye their hair blue and get their eyelids pierced at the mall in 2000 should watch this film and see what the consequences for "expressing one's self" were for old schoolers who think Marylin Manson is nothing more than a cheap Vaudeville rip-off artist. Think the type of stuff depicted in this film doesn't still happen? Think again - the killing of punker Brian Deneke in Texas a few years ago will shatter that notion. This film is kind of hard to find on video. You generally won't find it at Blockbuster. Try the mom & pop places.

---

17 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Punk Side Story, 31 October 1998
Author: XjwalkX from NYC

"Suburbia" is the definitive punxploitation film of the 80's, one of Hollywood's few explorations of that counter-culture. Director Spheeris, who also did "Dudes" and "Decline of Western Civilization" before going mainstream, knows enough to make a perfectly romantic (if not realistic) version of punks and skins living in the 80's: complete with shows (on a rickety sound stage, but there's a better circle pit than you're likely to find today), fights with rednecks, squatting, and dealing with a decade where every jock didn't have an eyebrow ring and green hair. You know what? Chickenbutt.

---

19 out of 26 people found the following review useful:
what are you all dressed up for? where's the war?, 27 January 2004
Author: jonah hex from london

This movie sucks. It is, however, the suckiest movie that I have ever wanted to watch about 50 times in my lifetime. This is the definitive punk-fiction film. No other movie more accurately portrayed what it was like to grow up in the punk scene in the eighties, and it's one of the only films to show what it was like to squat in the punk scene in Los Angeles. It's true, if you get a bunch of real punks and attempt to make them actors and get Roger"Carnosaur"Corman to produce it, you should probably expect something to this effect, but the hammy dialogue and acting are part of the charm. I wholly related to this movie as a teenager, and will always look back fondly upon it. Cheers to Penelope Spheeris, for creating a PR classic.

---

12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Welcome to the suburbs...the slums of the future. (spoilers), 31 December 2004

Author: Pepper Anne from Orlando, Florida

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Penelope Spheeris, loyal punk film director, presents a starkly depressing tale about a handful of ostracized teenagers known as The Rejected Kids. They're a group of punks who left home, neglected in one way or another (except for the main character, Jack) and take up living in condemned housing in Los Angeles. Trouble seems to follow them wherever they go because they make easy targets.

This is a treat in several respects, despite being such a horribly depressing and, sadly, honest film. First, you get to see performances by old punk favorites, T.S.O.L., DI, and The Vandals. Second, Wade Watson (bass player for the US Bombs) and Flea (in his film debut) are casted as two of the delinquent teens. The instrumental soundtrack, too, is very good. And third, is the sheer honesty with the disappointment of the suburbs, which were once proclaimed as the future Utopia. What it turned out to be was a disaster of crass consumerism that denied too much human affection, replacing it instead with the satisfaction of consumption, so much so that in the end, the suburbs had their problems just like everyone else, only they did a better job of hiding it behind the imagery of white picket fences and perfect lawns. This film is one of many to make that point.

---

11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
One of my favorite movies!, 4 June 1999

Author: Jennifer Savage from Ontario, Canada

I love this film. What can I say? Yes, the acting is bad, but this would be because for the most part, these kids are actual street kids and not "actors". So, get past the low budget and the bad acting for a second and look at the story. Kids (punks) who live in an abandoned house and are rejected by society. How much more realistic can you get? This movie is a cult classic, and for those into punk, a must-see! Why? Because it has performances by D.I., The Vandals and others. Also, you can catch Flea in what's probably his first film, credited as something like Mike B. The Flea. Check it out!!

---

13 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
I love this movie, 3 July 2003
Author: hecklerdanny from United States

Let's set the record straight here...If you're into your average hollywood blockbuster...skip this one. (although I guess that if you're into that kind of movie, you've probably never even heard of this)

if you're like me, and grew up with punk rock, than you should check this movie out. It's a punk movie. that's all I can say. It's a good punk movie...about a bunch of punks who live in some place, and deal with things like death, parents, society, all that jazz. Just check it out, if you can find it.

Oh yeah, the acting in this movie is HORRIBLE...the bands and the shows that they go to are good....watch it now.

---

6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Easily one of the greatest punk rock movies ever made, 19 September 2007

Author: TimothyFarrell from Worcester, MA

I'll admit a certain bias. Even though I don't consider myself a punk rocker (I realize the movement is completely dead in its traditional form), I have a certain fascination for the lifestyle and absolutely love the music. Even so, you don't have to love the music to realize that "Suburbia" is a damn good movie (even though your enjoyment probably helps). Simply put, it is one of the greatest punk rock movies ever made, possibly the second behind the 80s cult masterpiece "Repo Man".

The film works well because it transcends it technical limitations and low budget roots to create something that is a truly accurate portrayal of a long gone movement. The acting and dialog would seem quite awkward in any other film, but keeping with the D.I.Y. attitude the scene carried at the time, they fit perfectly with the films attitude. Most of the cast was made up of not professional actors, but real life punk rockers, and it certainly shows (both Flea and the future bassist for the US Bombs are here).

Penelope Spheeris, who'd previously made the landmark punk rock documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization", directs the project with a degree of skill but avoids adding anything resembling flash. She makes the most out of the low budget. Also, the film surprising strikes an emotional note, showing its protagonists to be truly alienated from a society that disappointed them, despite the suburbs initially supposed to be a utopia. Whether you like punk or not, "Suburbia" is a great slice of indie cinema. (9/10)

---

8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A very good film, 10 August 2004

Author: orlanthrex from United Kingdom

Suburbia is one of my favourite films. Its cheap in places with tacky sounds, however that only adds to its charm. The characters have appeal and the situations seem real. There is nothing pretentious about it, the protagonists are not made out to be either good or evil, just drifting teenagers who don't think through what they do. The director draws us along with some sympathy for the TR even when they are up to no good, as its clear that deep down they don't actually mean any harm to anyone. A lot of people have rated this film with 10's, I can't see that (and gave it a 7) as it is still basically a cheap B movie. But definitely a good one.

---

7 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
An ambitious first effort, 4 June 1999

Author: Baroque

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").

---

---

Page 1 of 5:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Add another review

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Plot synopsis	Ratings
External reviews	Official site	Plot keywords
Main details	Your user reviews	Your vote history