Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Zen Bones I think this is a delightful documentary that brings together all of the elements of the best and worst of small town communities, in this case, Levittown, U.S.A. Like many of Errol Morris' documentaries, this film focuses on the eccentricities of `normal' people to the point where that very phrase `normal' becomes meaningless. There's no such thing as normal! I suppose different people will view some of the people in this film negatively, but that is where the viewers are coming from, not the filmmakers. It's all a matter of personal perception. It takes all kinds to make a world, and I personally felt this film celebrated that, whether I agreed with the points of views of the people who were featured, or related to any of their `eccentricities'. To me, some people's lives seemed a bit bland, but then I remembered that prior to the war, many of them lived in big cities with sub-standard housing and they had none of the creature comforts that we all take for granted today. Still, I've always wondered why the communities that display the highest percentage of American flags are segregated communities. Is that really the American dream for so many people? Someone in this documentary mentioned that there were Asians in Levittown but I didn't see any in this film. Nor was there any mention of the fact that there were/are no African-Americans, Hispanics, Gay people or God forbid (!) Arab-Americans in Levittown, although it's obvious to anyone with eyes. What any segregated (intentional or otherwise) community produces is a community that is pretty limited. But that is America, like it or not. Most people don't know or even want to know what lies beyond the confines of their community. America is one big country filled with various small town mentalities. I don't think that's entirely a bad thing. Small towns are often great. I live in a big city where people rarely live in one place more than two or three years and almost never get to know their neighbours, much less ever become close friends with them. People in small towns are generally kinder to their neighbours since they know that they'll be seeing a lot of them over the years. And the feeling of a community is a wonderful thing. But this documentary does show in parts how living in a generic society with one common but very limited experience of the world can be quite suffocating, mentally and emotionally. Multiply that by thousands of communities across the country and one can see where it can even be a dangerous thing. The best thing about this film is that it shows that it is our eccentricities, hobbies and even occasional delusions that keep us healthy. It illustrates how this country is strong not because of how generic or patriotic it is, but because of the warmth and imagination of its people. What's wrong with someone who collects kitschy illustrated plates, or fancies that their house is haunted? I can judge for myself that it's not anything I can relate to, but who am I to judge others? It's documentaries like this that can really make us see ourselves much better in how we look at and judge others. To me, an ideal community (and what this wonderful melting pot of a country we live in is all about) would be Levittown with people of all races and walks of life living together peacefully. Add a few nice restaurants, a great museum, a few terrific cinemas, DVD stores, and bookstores, and that would be paradise to me. In the meantime, I can appreciate the rich experience this film gave me in broadening my view of America.

Susan Wonderland is a humorous look about the planned community of Levittown on Long Island, NY. Along with some brilliant historical footage, the film consists mainly of interviews with some of the town's kookier but endearingly genuine residents. The movie is sort of like Michael Moore's "Roger and Me" [about the town of Flint, MI] but without a cornball premise and without a self-absorbed director/narrator/"star". In fact, the best thing about this film is that talented director John O'Hagan stays completely out of it, letting his subjects tell the story. (The bartender who sings the national anthem is the funniest unstaged bit of film I've seen in years.) Someone made the comment that the film is mean-spirited but I don't think so. Yes, the people are often unintentionally hilarious... but no one forced them to do this movie. On the contrary, they seem to crave the attention. Mean-spirited is chasing someone around with a camera against their will, or being entertained by such.

fliphop he goes around this womans house .. she obviously has some kinda mental problem and he edits it to make fun of her "i dont drop knives" (cut to her dropping a knife) .. cold man, real cold. another deal is the whole VFW thing.. theres a reason those people act like they do.. its because they saw their friends bodies ripped apart by explosions and bullets in some far off place theyd never heard of..... they heard them scream while their blood ran cold.. youd probably develop a few rituals if it happened to you.. it seems like this movie is just about crap that maybe looks funny from outside, fine for a laugh, but...where are the deeper stories behind these people.. like Chinua Achebe might say.. despair and hopelessness comes from being cut off from who you are.. the why and the how of your past.. so.. what does this movie give the children of levittown? "i come from a long line of elvis plate collectors"? there is more to these people than plate collecting but the movie leaves it all out.. that dog walking guy is pretty funny though.

pauljoyner A masterpiece documentary, insofar as both the quality of selected people representing the cross section, and as a lesson in the highest art-form of editing. It is a bitter disappointment to me that the VHS is unavailable for purchase....