Suburban Madness (2004)

Based on the real story of Clara Harris, the Houston, Texas dentist who made headlines in July 2002 when she killed her adulterous husband by repeatedly running over him with her car.

Director:

Robert Dornhelm

Writers:

Skip Hollandsworth (article), Kimberlee Reed (teleplay)

Stars:

Sela Ward, Elizabeth Peña, Rheagan Wallace

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sela Ward	...	Bobbi Bacha
Elizabeth Peña	...	Clara Harris
Rheagan Wallace	...	Amy Harris
Kate Greenhouse	...	Rebecca 'Lisa' Singer
Kirsten Bishop	...	Pam Wright (as Kirsten Bishopric)
Brett Cullen	...	David Harris
Janaya Stephens	...	Cassie Basha
Matt Cooke	...	Lucas Basha
Martha MacIsaac	...	Vivian Leigh Basha (as Martha Macisaac)
Paul Calderon	...	Derek Basha (as Paul Calderone)
April Mullen	...	Jesse James
Jayne Eastwood	...	Sheila
Shari-Lyn Safir	...	Shannon Lewis
David Gardner	...	Monte Harris
Anna Ferguson	...	Judy Harris

Storyline

Bobbi Bocha, a cynical private eye who says all men cheat, narrates a story that opens in Houston with a blond purposely running over a man multiple times with her car and then cradling his head as he dies. Flash back six months to the too-exuberantly happy Harris family - Clara and David are orthodontists with a thriving practice, a big house, twin boys who love Dr. Seuss, and David's teen daughter Amy, home from college. David hires Lisa, a klutzy, teary, recently-divorced woman, as a receptionist, and an affair quickly blossoms. Clara hires Bocha. Meanwhile, Bocha pushes her own daughter, who's about to get married, to see the downside. An elephant's faithful.

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Plot Keywords:

texas | private eye | dentist | lingerie slip | murder | 

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Taglines:

Clara Harris Ran Over Her Cheating Husband Three Times. Some Call Her a Murderer, Some Call Her a Hero. You Decide.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violent and sexual content

Did You Know?

Quotes

Bobbi Bacha: The casserole is in the oven
Jesse James: Let's brown it!

User Reviews

slow, tortuous murder is apparently heroic

I presume from this example, IF David Harris discovered his wife was having an affair, he would have been heroic if he slowly killed Amy Harris while her daughter screamed for him to stop. that's how the makers of this "based on real events" believe people should resolve their marital difficulties.

If revenge killing for having an affair is heroic then David Harris SHOULD have killed his wife because, in reality, she was cheating on her husband, a fact that was hidden from the viewer. This was proved by the private detective upon whose work the movie was based. That private detective has come out against this movie.

This movie claimed to have been based on real events but it was really based on half-truths. It caters not to those who seek truth or equity. It caters to sick, violent people who will use anything to justify domestic violence. Perhaps that's is the one good thing about this movie. It exposed that men are commonly victims of domestic violence at the hands of their wives.

I guess from the film we are supposed to feel sorry for this murderous, cheating wife who opted to kill her cheating husband. Rather than getting the maximum penalty she gets off with twenty years. Boo-hoo, what a tragedy. If the husband ran the wife over a few times he would have gotten the maximum penalty and CBS would be whining how he should have gotten more. No one should expect women to be treated like grown-ups until they accept their punishment like men.

Why did Amy Harris' own mother and brother say that she should not have had access to her own kids because of how dangerous she was. I guess all those facts would have interfered with this film's agenda.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Clara Harris - Verzweifelte Rache

Filming Locations:

Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sony Pictures Television, Storyline Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1