SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

cyberman-38605 The 'Burbs is a hilarious, dark comedy directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) and released in 1989. Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) is an average father living in the suburbs. He and his neighbors Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommum) and Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern) begin to spy on their odd neighbors, the Klopeks, who are only seen at night. This movie is such a fun time and such an underrated film. This is a classic in my books and I revisit it every year. 10/10

shadow_blade-89459 "The 'Burbs" (1989) is a comedic mystery thriller about a typical suburban neighborhood where something is off about the new neighbors. The film is from the perspective of Ray Peterson, played by Tom Hanks, as he tries to enjoy his time off and deescalate the neighborhood snoops, Mark and Art played by Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun respectively. I love Tom Hanks, but I am not a fan of this film. The film is put together well, but the character of Art was extremely annoying to me and really turned me off the film. The editing and pacing flowed well with the story. However, the film is solid for the late 80s.The director, Joe Dante, stayed true to his horror comedy style where most of the comedy isn't in your face like "Gremlins," which I loved. He effortlessly snuck in little bits of comedy without completely taking away from the mystery, thriller concept. I was initially unsure of the point of this film, but the reason is there are two. Don't be a nosy neighbor and revealing the second which equates to the payoff would spoil the film. Overall, this film is solid and if you can ignore Art, you may be able to enjoy it.

Screen_Blitz Comedies were definitely not the same in the 80s as they are today. The 80s was the decade of some of the most unconventional comedies that inspired many comedic tropes incorporated in countless entries in the genre since then. Evidence can shown by the evolutionary change in humor over the decades, from the quirky days of the National Lampoon franchise, to the age of over-the-top R-rated sex comedies have now dominated the comedy genre since the dawn of the 90s. This quirky dark comedy directed by Joe Dante who brought this part-comedy, part-horror piece 'Gremlins' in 1984 stars Tom Hanks less than half a decade from the more dramatic work he is often known for. The 'Burbs places its likable cast in a mix bag of quirky slapstick humor and darkly humorous gags while taking an unconventional approach on the Suburban culture during the Cold War-era. For a comedy, it should have been funner than it is. Unfortunately, it pervades with an outlandish style of humor that by today's standards, feels awfully dated and just plain silly. Set in an suburban neighborhood in Des Moines, Iowa, this film follows Ray Paterson (played by Tom Hanks), a lazy man in this thirties taking a week off from work to lay around the house and possibly spend time with his wife Carol (played by Carrie Fisher) and his son Dave (played by Corey Danziger). When a mysterious family of demon worshippers moves next door, Ray's paranoid neighbor Art (played by Rick Ducommun) and his army-retired neighbor across the street Mark Rumsfield (played by Bruce Dern) grow incredibly suspicious them, fearing they might be sadists.Although Tom Hanks is more of a veteran in the non-comedic territory particularly when looking at his work in films like 'Philadelphia', 'Saving Private Ryan', and 'Forrest Gump', he has still demonstrated evidence that he is capable of showing his comedic side (even if his comedic works don't come as memorable). Hanks demonstrates a fair amount of comedic chemistry here, but is it enough to carry the film on his shoulders? Not quite, and either are his co-stars Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun. This darkly funny comedic piece boasts a somewhat promising premise that some individuals growing up in a suburban community can relate to, and it clear early on that Joe Dante and writer Dana Olson hold intentions to tap into viewers' funny bones. But throughout the time Tom Hanks, Rick Ducommun, and Bruce Dern come on screen, there are only less than a handful of moments when they are successfully funny. This trio show a decent amount of chemistry between each other along with a few hilarious one-liners. But the film too often relies on silly slapstick gags and macabre humor that often evoke nothing more than a snicker than a fully fledged laugh. Most of the time movie works is when it dives into the darker territory when the characters are forced to encounter the neighborhood demonic deeds, plenty of thrills to be offered there. The only one who remains remotely consistent in terms of laughter is Corey Feldman as Bruce Dern's loud-mouth teenage neighbor who shows out with a few energetic one-liners each time he comes on screen. Everyone else appears to struggle on providing the proper laughter viewers deserve.The 'Burbs is a semi-entertaining dark comedy that has its clever moments here and there but doesn't quite hold up to this day. In conclusion, it never rises up the more memorable works of Tom Hanks though that is not to say this is his worst. After all, he at least takes his time to shine here.

Benjamin Taylor Honestly though this movie is pretty blessed. You got that kid from Stand By Me being a complete rascal and Tom Hanks at his absolute best in this moving performance. Also starring Hans Gruber and that guy from Django.Personally I think Steven Spielgberg could have done much better but at least he recovered with E.T. the following year.A perfectly average movie.I need ten lines but the issue here is that there is nothing left to be said so instead I will write a poem. Jon Bingus walked along the Sea. Jon Bingus came and went with me. One Day Jon Bingus will tell me the truth. Jon Bingus killed lincoln then killed John Wilkes Booth.