Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Rob Schmidt

Writer (WGA):

Larry Gross (written by)

Release Date:

25 August 2000 (Italy)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Some kids have lots of time to kill.

Plot:

This is a contemporary fable loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment". Roseanne is outwardly a perfect and popular teen...

Plot Keywords:

Stepfather | Interracial Relationship | Drunkenness | Cynicism | Murder

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Monica Keena	...	Roseanne Skolnick
Ellen Barkin	...	Maggie Skolnick
Michael Ironside	...	Fred Skolnick
Vincent Kartheiser	...	Vincent
James DeBello	...	Jimmy
Jeffrey Wright	...	Chris
Conchata Ferrell	...	Bella
Marshall R. Teague	...	Coach (as Marshall Teague)
Nicki Aycox	...	Cecil
Christian Payne	...	Dean
Anthony C. Chow	...	Teacher
Bonnie Somerville	...	Stuck Up Girl
Lucinda Jenney	...	Vincent's Mom
Jim Boyce	...	Mr. Dwyer
Matt Champagne	...	Counselor Lord

Also Known As:

Crime + Punishment in Suburbia (USA) (working title)
Crime and Punishment in High School (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal violence, strong sexuality, language and substance abuse.

Runtime:

100 min | Spain:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | France:U | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California, USA

Company:

G2 Films

Quotes:

Roseanne: You're such a weirdo. I don't even know why I listen to you.
Vincent: Because your heart knows I can see it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Reservoir Dogs' Revisited (2005) (TV)

Awful

Some films that rely on cliches and one dimensional characters are amusing for this reason because the filmmakers are aware of the fact that there is not much depth to these characters and don't take them too seriously. This is not the case with Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, which not only relies on cliches and one dimensional characters, but can't seem to manage to find a way to bring the viewer into the story or even tell a story.

There is the voyeuristic pariah who is misunderstood, a character who it seems as though the film is trying to build a mystique around, but he never does anything all that interesting or noteworthy. He just goes around taking photographs of people without their knowing it, and the entire time it is very reminiscent of the kid who filmed everything in American Beauty, which had been released just one year prior to this. They've got the alcoholic father, who you know is going to be trouble, and sure enough, he is. There is the jock tough guy who is dating the the drunks' daughter, and bullies around the voyeuristic pariah as we've seen a billion times before. However, the jock tough guy ends up being a bit more of a dynamic character once the plot finally enters the film (about an hour into it), and it's a hackneyed plot. The drunks' daughter is a very bland character that does nothing interesting, yet we are forced to spend most of the film with her. It's brutally boring. I don't feel as though it is worth spending any more time describing this film, for it is poorly written, horribly acted, weak in concept, and should not be named after the Dostoyevsky novel that it is loosely based on, not because it deviates so much from the book but because rubbish like this should not be associated with a work of genius like "Crime and Punishment." 1/10