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Suburbicon
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Clooney
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobert Elswit
Edited byStephen Mirrione
Music byAlexandre Desplat
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • September 2, 2017 (2017-09-02) (Venice)
  • October 27, 2017 (2017-10-27) (United States)
Running time
105 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[4]
Box office$12.8 million[5][6]

Suburbicon is a 2017 American black comedy crime film[7] directed by George Clooney and co-written by the Coen brothers, Clooney, and Grant Heslov.[8] It stars Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Noah Jupe, and Oscar Isaac, and follows a mild-mannered father in 1959 who must face his demons after a home invasion, all while a black family moves into the all-white neighborhood. The black family storyline is loosely based on a 1957 incident in Levittown, Pennsylvania, in which a black family moved into the previously all-white neighborhood, leading to racism and violence against the family.[9][10]

Principal photography for Suburbicon began in October 2016 in Los Angeles. It premiered in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2017,[11] and then was screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival before being theatrically released in the United States on October 27, 2017.[12] The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, earning $12.8 million against its $25 million budget.[13]

Plot

[edit]

In the late spring of 1959, the peaceful, all-white neighborhood of Suburbicon is shaken by the arrival of the black Mayers family.

Gardner Lodge, a seemingly mild-mannered family man, lives in Suburbicon with his paraplegic wife, Rose, and their son, Nicky. One night when Rose's identical twin sister, Margaret, is staying over, two robbers, Sloan and Louis, break into his house, tie the whole family up, and knock them out with chloroform. Rose receives an overdose and never regains consciousness. After the funeral, Margaret moves in to help take care of Nicky and soon begins to transform herself into Rose, dyeing her hair blonde and having sex with Gardner.

The Lodges are called to the police station to identify Sloan and Louis, but both Gardner and Margaret say the police have the wrong men, even though Nicky recognizes them as his mother's murderers. Soon after this, Sloan and Louis show up at Gardner's job and demand the money he owes them as payment for killing Rose. When Gardner refuses to pay, they make plans to kill Nicky and Margaret.

With tensions mounting between the residents of Suburbicon and their new black neighbors the Mayers, charismatic insurance agent Bud Cooper arrives on the Lodge's doorstep one day when Gardner is not home and begins to question Margaret. He initially says he is simply looking to clear up red flags in a life insurance claim Gardner made on Rose, but eventually admits to Margaret that he suspects her and Gardner of murdering Rose to collect on the policy, at which point Margaret kicks him out of the house.

That night, as the protracted protest at the Mayers' home turns into a riot, Cooper returns to talk with Gardner. He tells Gardner that he knows the nature of his and Margaret's insurance-fraud plan and attempts to blackmail them into giving him their entire payout in exchange for his silence. Margaret poisons his coffee with lye, and Gardner bashes his head in with a fireplace poker to finish him off. Gardner leaves to hide the body, trailed by Sloan.

Margaret attempts to kill Nicky with a poisoned sandwich and milk after she catches him calling his Uncle Mitch for help, but he refuses to leave his room. Louis enters and strangles Margaret to death. He heads upstairs to murder Nicky, but Mitch arrives just in time and shoots Louis dead. Mitch gives Nicky his gun and hides the boy in a closet before succumbing to a stab wound inflicted by Louis.

On the way home from disposing of Cooper's body, Gardner is taunted by Sloan, who is suddenly hit and killed by a fire truck that was speeding to a fire started by the rioters at the Mayers' home. At his own house, he discovers the bodies of Margaret, Mitch, and Louis, and finds Nicky in the closet. Gardner offers Nicky a choice: to go along with his plan to take the insurance money and run away to Aruba, or die, with Gardner claiming his son was yet another of Louis' victims.

The next morning, Gardner is dead, having consumed the poisoned sandwich and milk during his conversation with Nicky. Nicky calmly goes outside to play ball with Andy, the young son of the Mayer family whom he has befriended, while his parents and a few members of the community clean up the mess left in the wake of the riot.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

According to executive producer Joel Silver, Joel and Ethan Coen originally wrote the script for Suburbicon in 1986, soon after the release of their film Blood Simple.[14] In 2005, it was reported that George Clooney would star in and direct Suburbicon, while the Coen brothers would produce.[15] The film was eventually made ten years later, combining two previously unrelated scripts,[10] one the crime film by the Coens, and the other a historical drama by Clooney and Grant Heslov based on the real-life story of the Myers family, the only black family in all-white Levittown, Pennsylvania, who faced racially-charged harassment and violence from other residents.[9]

On December 8, 2015, Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, and Josh Brolin joined the cast;[16] Oscar Isaac and Woody Harrelson later signed on, as well.[17] On August 31, 2016, Noah Jupe and Glenn Fleshler (replacing Harrelson) joined, to play Damon's character's son and a hitman, respectively.[18]

On September 27, 2016, Harrelson said in an interview that he would not be in the film due to scheduling conflicts.[19] In August 2017, it was reported that Brolin had been cut from the final edit of the film.[20]

Suburbicon began filming in Fullerton, California, 30 miles (48 km) south of Los Angeles, in October 2016.[21] Alexandre Desplat composed the film's score.[22]

Music

[edit]
Main article: Suburbicon (soundtrack)

Release

[edit]

Paramount Pictures released the film theatrically in the United States on October 27, 2017.[23] Bloom handled distribution sales in international territories.[24]

Home media

[edit]

Suburbicon was released on Digital HD on January 23, 2018, and on Blu-ray and DVD on February 6, by Paramount Home Entertainment in the United States.[25]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

Suburbicon grossed $5.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $4.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $10.2 million, against a production budget of $25 million.[5]

In the United States and Canada, Suburbicon was released alongside Thank You for Your Service and Jigsaw, and was projected to gross around $8 million from 2,046 theaters in its opening weekend.[26] However, after making $1.1 million on its first day, weekend estimates were lowered to $3 million. It ended up debuting to $2.8 million, finishing 9th at the box office. The weekend marked the lowest wide opening for any of Clooney's directorial efforts, and of Matt Damon's career, and the 32nd worst-ever opening for a film playing in over 2,000 theaters.[27] Box-office receipts for the film dropped 59% (to $1.2 million) in its second weekend, when it finished 13th at the box office.[28]

Critical response

[edit]

On review-aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 27% based on 255 reviews, with an average rating of 4.90/10; the site's critical consensus reads: "A disappointing misfire for director George Clooney, Suburbicon attempts to juggle social satire, racial commentary, and murder mystery -- and ends up making a mess of all three."[29] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[30] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D−" on an A+ to F scale.[27]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Suburbicon is just too obvious in its satirical depiction of the dubious morality and social inequality behind the squeaky-clean façade of postwar American life, though it's watchable enough, and a distinct improvement for Clooney on his last directorial outing."[31]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients Result Ref.
London Film Critics Circle January 28, 2018 Young British/Irish Performer of the Year Noah Jupe (also for Wonder and The Man with the Iron Heart) Nominated [32]
San Diego Film Critics Society December 11, 2017 Best Supporting Actor Oscar Isaac Nominated [33]
Venice Film Festival September 9, 2017 Golden Lion George Clooney Nominated [34][35][36]
Green Drop Award George Clooney Nominated
Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award George Clooney Won
Fragiacomo Award George Clooney Won
Franca Sozzani Award Julianne Moore Won
Saturn Awards June 27, 2018 Best Thriller Film Suburbicon Nominated [37]
39th Young Artist Awards July 14, 2018 Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Teen Actor Noah Jupe Nominated
[38]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Suburbicon

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
![Suburbicon theatrical release poster][float-right] Suburbicon is a 2017 American directed by from a screenplay he co-wrote with Joel and Ethan Coen and , based on the Coens' original 1986 script. The film stars as Gardner Lodge, a family man in the fictional 1950s suburb of Suburbicon whose life unravels after a kills his wife, leading to schemes involving , , and , while a parallel storyline shows white residents harassing a newly arrived African American family. Clooney incorporated the racial tension subplot to draw from real 1957 events in , where a Black family faced violent opposition to their home purchase, aiming to contrast suburban hypocrisy with underlying social fractures. Produced by Clooney's in collaboration with and released on October 27, 2017, the film features supporting performances by as Lodge's sister-in-law and wife, as his son, and as an insurance investigator. Despite high-profile talent, Suburbicon underperformed commercially, earning just $137,000 in its opening weekend across 283 locations for one of Paramount's worst wide debuts, ultimately grossing under $6 million domestically against a $40 million . Critics delivered mixed-to-negative reviews, with a 27% approval rating on , faulting the for tonal inconsistencies in blending Coen-esque dark humor and thriller elements with unsubtle racial commentary that felt disconnected from the main plot. Reviewers noted the satire's failure to cohesively integrate its dual narratives, resulting in a experience where the depicted served more as backdrop than incisive , contributing to audience disinterest and poor word-of-mouth. The project's long development—shelved by the Coens for decades—highlighted challenges in adapting an early script to contemporary sensibilities without diluting its noir roots.

Background

Historical inspiration

In August 1957, William J. Myers, an African American engineer, and his wife purchased a home at 43 Deepgreen Lane in , from white sellers, becoming the first black family to reside in the suburb. , developed by starting in 1952 as a mass-produced suburban community for 17,000 homes, had originally enforced racial exclusion through company sales policies that barred non-white buyers, even after the U.S. Supreme Court's 1948 ruling rendered private racial covenants unenforceable in courts. These policies reflected developers' aim to appeal to white buyers concerned about property values and neighborhood homogeneity, leading to near-total white occupancy by 1957. The Myers' arrival on August 20 triggered immediate and sustained resident backlash, including crowds of up to 200 gathering outside their home by August 17 to shout racial slurs and demand their departure, escalating to rock-throwing, vandalism, and a cross burning on August 28. Protests persisted for seven weeks, with nightly gatherings involving effigies of the Myers family hung in mock lynching displays and threats from groups including Ku Klux Klan affiliates, driven primarily by white residents' fears of declining home values—estimated at a potential 10-20% drop—and erosion of the community's established cultural uniformity. Pennsylvania state police intervened with 100 officers by late August, dispersing crowds after clashes and arrests for disorderly conduct, while Governor George Leader publicly condemned the unrest but avoided federal troop deployment. The family, supported by a small number of white neighbors and civil rights advocates, endured the harassment without capitulating, with later recounting in personal accounts the psychological toll amid daily shotgun-armed protection from police. Unrest subsided by mid-October 1957 following intensified policing and media coverage, though sporadic incidents continued; the family resided there until 1961, when William Myers relocated for employment. Demographically, Levittown's black population remained under 1% through the , rising gradually to 5% by 1980 amid broader fair housing enforcement post-1968, reflecting persistent resident resistance despite legal barriers to exclusion.

Synopsis

Plot summary

In 1959, the film is set in Suburbicon, a meticulously planned, idyllic suburban in the United States exemplifying American optimism and uniformity. The story centers on Gardner Lodge (), a mild-mannered living with his wheelchair-bound wife Rose (), their young son Nicky (), and Rose's sister Margaret (also Moore). During a nighttime by two masked intruders, the family is subdued with ; Rose dies from an overdose, while Gardner and Nicky survive, prompting an claim under a policy that doubles payout for . Parallel to the Lodge family's unfolding and investigation by a persistent agent (), a family, the Mayers—father , mother , and son Andy—becomes the first non-white residents to move into Suburbicon across the street from the Lodges. This triggers escalating hostility from white neighbors, including protests, barricades, and mob violence against the Mayers' home, which authorities largely overlook amid fixation on the Lodge case. Nicky and Andy tentatively befriend each other amid the turmoil, while Gardner navigates family tensions, including suspicions from Rose's brother Mitch (), and attempts to conceal elements of the and payout through and further criminal acts involving Margaret.

Production

Development and writing

The screenplay for Suburbicon originated from an unproduced story conceived by Joel and Ethan Coen in 1986, focusing on a dark crime narrative set in a suburban community. encountered the material in the mid-2000s and expressed interest in directing it as early as 2005, though progress stalled until revived around 2015. , alongside frequent collaborator , substantially rewrote the script, grafting onto the Coens' framework a parallel storyline depicting racial tensions inspired by the 1957 integration of an African-American family into the all-white suburb in , which had provoked violent backlash from residents. The final writing credits, per the Writers Guild of America, list Joel Coen and Ethan Coen as "written by," with Clooney and Heslov credited as "written by" for their contributions. Development accelerated in 2015 under Clooney's Smokehouse Pictures, the production company he co-founded with Heslov in 2006, leading to principal photography commencing in October 2016. Clooney's revisions aimed to juxtapose the original tale of suburban hypocrisy and insurance fraud with overt social critique, though the core Coen elements of moral ambiguity and black comedy remained central. The project proceeded with a reported production budget of $25 million, financed in part through Smokehouse and partners including Silver Pictures and Black Bear Pictures.

Casting

Matt Damon was cast as Gardner Lodge, the protagonist and father navigating a and scheme in the film's suburban setting. portrayed the dual roles of Rose Lodge, Gardner's wife, and her identical twin sister Margaret, a narrative device allowing for plot twists involving substitution and . played Nicky Lodge, the young son of Gardner and Rose, providing a perspective on the family's unraveling dynamics. was selected as Bud Cooper, the insurance investigator probing the Lodge family's claim. Supporting roles included as Ira, one of the intruders involved in the , and in an additional capacity announced during . was initially cast as a coach and filmed two scenes, but they were excised from the final cut following test screenings, as director determined they disrupted the film's tone despite their humor. Clooney, who directed and co-wrote the , chose Damon for the lead, continuing their collaboration from prior projects like the series. Casting announcements began in December 2015 with Damon and Moore attached, followed by in February 2016, reflecting the project's momentum under Clooney's . No public details emerged on competitive auditions for principal roles, with selections emphasizing established actors suited to the ' original script's dark comedic elements.

Filming

Principal photography for Suburbicon commenced in October in the area of , with shoots extending through locations in Fullerton and Carson to evoke the film's 1950s suburban milieu. Filming wrapped by December , utilizing both on-location exteriors and constructed sets to replicate the era's uniform and manicured landscapes. Robert Elswit served as director of photography, employing lighting and composition techniques to underscore the film's noir-inflected tension within the idyllic setting, drawing on period-appropriate wide-angle shots and . Production designer James D. Bissell led the recreation of Suburbicon's claustrophobic neighborhood, focusing on authentic elements such as ranch-style homes, , and era-specific props to maintain visual fidelity without modern anachronisms. The team's emphasis on historical detail extended to costumes and set dressings, ensuring alignment with 1957 aesthetics amid the logistical demands of coordinating large ensemble scenes in confined spaces.

Music and soundtrack

The original score for Suburbicon was composed and conducted by , an Award-winning composer whose work incorporates orchestral elements reminiscent of 1950s scoring traditions, blending nostalgic suburban motifs with underlying tension to underscore the 's dark comedy and noir influences. Desplat's cues, such as "Welcome to Suburbicon" and "Sunday in Suburbicon," evoke period Americana through lush strings and whimsical brass, while tracks like "" introduce dissonant undertones to heighten suspense and irony. This approach draws on pastiches of classic Hollywood social drama scores, prioritizing emotional sweep over overt menace, though subtle hints of discordality reflect the narrative's concealed hypocrisies. The , Suburbicon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), was released digitally and for streaming on , 2017, by ABKCO Music & Records, coinciding with the film's theatrical debut. It comprises 23 tracks totaling approximately 67 minutes, with 22 original compositions by Desplat and one licensed standard, "When I Fall in Love" (music by Victor Young, lyrics by Edward Heyman, originally from the 1952 film One Minute to Zero), performed to fit the 1950s setting. Notable tracks include "Friends" (3:07), which builds interpersonal dynamics through gentle orchestration, and "7000 Apples" (2:15), alluding to a key with rhythmic percussion evoking everyday suburban routine. The received positive commentary for its evocative period authenticity but garnered no major nominations for its musical elements.

Release

Marketing and promotion

Suburbicon premiered at the on September 9, 2017, where director , along with cast members including , , and , attended the event to generate early buzz. , responsible for U.S. distribution, utilized the festival screening to highlight the film's dark comedic elements and ahead of its . The first official trailer debuted on July 27, 2017, via , showcasing the film's 1950s suburban setting juxtaposed with crime and intrigue, featuring Damon as the family patriarch entangled in a and insurance scam. Accompanying posters depicted idyllic neighborhood scenes with ominous undertones, emphasizing the contrast between perfect suburbia and underlying chaos to draw in audiences interested in satirical thrillers. Subsequent trailers, released on August 21 and September 8, 2017, further amplified the star power of Moore in dual roles and as an investigator, while underscoring the ' original screenplay as a key selling point. Promotion leveraged Clooney's reputation as a multifaceted filmmaker with directorial credits like and , positioning Suburbicon as a return to his satirical roots co-written by Joel and Ethan Coen, known for works such as Fargo and . Marketing materials and press emphasized the ensemble's pedigree without delving into plot spoilers, aiming to attract viewers through the promise of twisted humor in a period piece critiquing American conformity.

Theatrical distribution

Suburbicon premiered out of competition at the 74th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2017. It was then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2017. The film received a wide theatrical release in the United States on October 27, 2017, distributed domestically by Paramount Pictures. Paramount had acquired U.S. distribution rights in February 2016 for a reported fee in the range of $10 million. Internationally, pre-sales of distribution rights were handled by sales agent Bloom Media Group ahead of the premiere, with deals including Entertainment One for the , Tele Muenchen Group for , and other territories such as , , and . Theatrical rollouts in key international markets occurred concurrently with the U.S. in late October 2017, without reported delays.

Home media

Suburbicon was released for digital download and purchase on January 23, 2018, followed by DVD and Blu-ray formats on February 6, 2018, distributed by Paramount Home Media Distribution. The physical releases featured presentation with English 5.1 audio, Spanish 5.1 , and English tracks, alongside subtitles in multiple languages. The Blu-ray edition included bonus materials such as an by director and producer , three featurettes covering production aspects including behind-the-scenes footage and deleted scenes, and an digital copy redeemable via or similar platforms. These extras provided insights into the film's Coen brothers-inspired script and Clooney's direction. Subsequent streaming availability expanded consumer access, with the film appearing on platforms like following its initial rollout.

Commercial performance

Box office results

Suburbicon was produced on a budget of $25 million. The film earned $5,775,178 in the United States and . It generated $6,976,489 from international markets. Combined, these figures resulted in a worldwide gross of $12,751,667. The movie opened in 2,046 theaters across the on , 2017, collecting $2,840,246 over its first weekend, which accounted for 49.2% of its total domestic earnings. Its theatrical run demonstrated poor legs, with the overall domestic multiplier reaching only 2.03 times the opening weekend figure. This rapid earnings decline prompted theaters to reduce screenings after three weeks.

Reception

Critical response

Suburbicon received predominantly negative reviews from critics, reflecting broad disapproval of its execution despite its pedigree. On , the film garnered a 27% approval rating from 256 reviews, with an average score of 4.9/10; the site's critical consensus describes it as "a disappointing misfire for director ," faulting its feeble attempts to blend social satire, racial commentary, and murder mystery. On , it holds a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 49 critics, signifying "mixed or average" reception. Audience responses were similarly tepid, with polls yielding a D- grade from opening-night viewers, and an IMDb user rating of 5.8/10 from over 49,000 votes. Critics frequently highlighted tonal inconsistencies and muddled pacing as primary flaws, arguing that the film's dual narratives— a noirish family intrigue alongside a subplot on suburban racism—failed to cohere effectively. Roger Ebert's review called it "shockingly unfunny," criticizing the "leaden, shapeless direction" and performances from leads Matt Damon and Julianne Moore that "never seem to settle on a consistent approach." The Guardian deemed it a "misjudged take on race relations," where the African American family's plight feels secondary and underdeveloped relative to the central crime story. Other detractors, including Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal, labeled it "not only unfunny... but deep-dyed dislikable," pointing to a lack of satirical bite in its critique of 1950s hypocrisy. Amid the criticism, select reviewers praised elements of the ' original screenplay for its dark humor and the standout s, particularly Oscar Isaac's portrayal of the insurance investigator. Isaac's role was noted for stealing scenes with slick charisma, providing a highlight in an otherwise uneven ensemble. Julianne Moore's dual as sister and wife also drew commendations for its commitment to the material's absurdity, with some observers appreciating the film's evocation of Coen-esque absurdity in isolated sequences. Fionnuala Halligan of Screen Daily described it as "a solid, pleasing piece," though acknowledging it fell short of its bleak potential. These positive notes, however, were outnumbered by assessments viewing the film as a stylistic misstep for Clooney, diluting the script's potential through overambitious layering and insufficient narrative focus.

Accolades

Suburbicon competed for the at the on September 9, 2017, but did not win. received the Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award for his contributions to cinema at the same event. was awarded the Award, recognizing emerging female talent in film. The film earned a nomination for Best Thriller at the , presented by the Academy of , Fantasy & Horror Films in 2018. was nominated for Young British/Irish Performer of the Year by the London Film Critics' at their 2018 awards. Suburbicon received no nominations from major awards bodies such as the or Golden Globes.

Analysis

Themes and allegory

Suburbicon examines the inherent in mid-20th-century American suburbia, depicting an ostensibly perfect where , greed, and moral decay fester beneath a veneer of conformity and optimism. The central of and familial betrayal underscores themes of personal avarice and ethical erosion, as characters prioritize self-interest over communal harmony or familial bonds, reflecting broader societal flaws in post-war prosperity. The film's noir influences, drawn from the original Coen brothers screenplay conceived in 1986, infuse it with a blend of dark comedy and fatalistic elements, evoking classic pulp fiction motifs of scheming protagonists ensnared by their own machinations. Director , who co-wrote the adaptation, intended this framework to highlight causal disconnects in suburban life, where individual sins provoke little outrage compared to perceived external threats. A key allegorical layer involves the subplot of , inspired by the events in , where a family's arrival incited mob violence while a concurrent white family's murder went largely unheeded by residents. Clooney grafted this historical episode onto the Coen narrative to allegorize selective outrage and institutional blind spots, portraying white residents' fury toward the newcomers as a diversion from their own complicity in internal crimes, thus symbolizing entrenched racial hypocrisies and the myth of egalitarian suburbia. Actor described this dynamic as emblematic of "white privilege," where societal norms shield intra-community deviance but amplify responses to demographic shifts. The allegory critiques how fear of integration exposes underlying , with the community's inaction on mobsters and contrasting sharply with its zealous opposition to the family, grounded in Clooney's aim to mirror real causal asymmetries in .

Interpretations and controversies

Critics have faulted Suburbicon for subordinating its depiction of against the black Mayers family to a parallel white , resulting in tonal inconsistencies that undermine the film's . described the racial subplot as striking a "strange, condescending bum note," arguing that it fails to integrate meaningfully with the noirish , leading to a consensus among reviewers that the film's optics on race feel mismatched and ineffective. Similarly, the critiqued the film for borrowing historical elements of 1950s suburban integration struggles but conveying "little in the way of truth," with the serious theme of racial exclusion clashing against glib comedic violence among white characters, producing a disjointed narrative. characterized this as an "uneasy mixture" of socially conscious drama and grisly , where the black family's passive victimization serves primarily as backdrop to the white protagonists' absurd scheming. Some defenses countered that negative reception stemmed partly from preconceptions tied to director George Clooney's and star Matt Damon's liberal politics, exacerbated by the film's release amid the 2017 scandal, rather than inherent flaws in intent. Splice Today argued the script, originally from the and refined by Clooney, delivers a "pretty evil and twisted" that was unfairly dismissed, suggesting critics overlooked its execution challenges—such as balancing dark humor with —while amplifying political biases against the filmmakers. Others, like , viewed it as a valid political critiquing 1950s , defending the dual storylines as intentional to highlight suburban complacency toward external amid internal moral decay. Debates over the film's have centered on its portrayal of suburbs as bastions of unexamined white resisting integration, which some contend overlooks historical causal factors like voluntary community formation and policy-driven segregation. Movieguide.org criticized Suburbicon for depicting "virulent " as baked into suburban life, arguing it plays "fast and loose" with by ignoring how such communities arose from market preferences for homogeneous neighborhoods, often reinforced by federal policies like FHA that incentivized exclusion until challenged by court rulings. noted the film's inspiration from real events, where African-American entry in 1957 sparked riots, but observed that suburbs like maintained exclusionary practices for decades post- (1948), evolving toward integration gradually through private choices rather than the film's implied uniform suburban animus. This interpretation posits that the movie's causal realism falters by framing resistance as irrational prejudice alone, neglecting evidence of suburbs as voluntary associations fleeing and crime, where forced integration via policy correlated with subsequent and persistent socioeconomic divides.

References

  1. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/10/george-clooney-explains-how-suburbicon-happened/544397/
  2. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491175/
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  4. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491175/plotsummary/
  5. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/suburbicon-venice-2017-1034831/
  6. https://www.movieinsider.com/m13747/suburbicon
  7. https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2017/10/29/box-office-suburbicon-bombs-with-paramounts-worst-wide-debut-ever/
  8. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/30/george-clooney-matt-damon-film-suburbicon-crashes-/
  9. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/suburbicon
  10. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/27/george-clooney-suburbicon-racial-politics
  11. https://levittownnow.com/2022/01/17/65-years-ago-levittown-cemented-place-in-civil-rights-history/
  12. https://www.nosue.org/civil-rights/integrating-levittown-1957/
  13. https://ushistoryscene.com/article/levittown/
  14. https://www.law.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/siwp/Rose.pdf
  15. https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/segregation-real-estate-history/
  16. https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/news/local/2025/09/26/levittown-first-black-family-1957-unrest-memorialized-on-pa-marker-bill-daisy-myers/86330527007/
  17. https://jewishcurrents.org/remembering-the-battle-to-integrate-levittown
  18. https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/redliningpa/levittown
  19. https://www.bristoltwppa.gov/414/Honoring-the-Legacy-of-Daisy-and-William
  20. https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/suburbicon-review-matt-damon-george-clooney-1202544864/
  21. https://www.motionpictures.org/2017/07/first-trailer-george-clooneys-suburbicon-written-coen-brothers/
  22. https://www.shouldiseeit.net/reviews/2017/suburbicon-2017
  23. https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2017/11/suburbicon-is-a-tepid-take-on-a-controversial-topic
  24. https://www.theringer.com/2017/10/30/movies/suburbicon-box-office-flop-clooney-coen-brothers
  25. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491175/fullcredits/
  26. https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/9/10/16277264/suburbicon-review-clooney-coen-brothers-damon-tiff
  27. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Suburbicon
  28. https://variety.com/2017/film/awards/george-clooney-suburbicon-awards-season-release-1202017497/
  29. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/suburbicon/cast-and-crew
  30. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/10/matt-damon-julianne-moore-george-clooney-suburbicon-coen-brothers
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  32. https://consequence.net/2016/05/woody-harrelson-joins-star-studded-cast-for-george-clooneys-suburbicon/
  33. https://ew.com/movies/2017/08/14/george-clooney-suburbicon-josh-brolin/
  34. https://www.ocregister.com/2016/10/17/george-clooney-matt-damon-film-in-fullerton-through-monday-for-suburbicon/
  35. https://fullertonobserver.com/2021/04/07/filmed-in-fullerton-movies-made-on-location/
  36. https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/suburbicon-venice-review/5121919.article
  37. https://leonardmaltin.com/suburbicon-you-wouldnt-want-to-live-there/
  38. https://www.abkco.com/film/suburbicon-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-2/
  39. https://www.movie-wave.net/suburbicon/
  40. https://moviemusicuk.us/2017/11/17/suburbicon-alexandre-desplat/
  41. https://www.allmusic.com/album/suburbicon-original-motion-picture-soundtrack--mw0003118511
  42. https://www.abkco.com/store/suburbicon-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/
  43. https://music.apple.com/gb/album/suburbicon-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1443483637
  44. https://www.amazon.com/Suburbicon-Composed-Conducted-Alexandre-Desplat/dp/B076FC6HX3
  45. https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/25/entertainment/suburbicon-toronto-international-film-festival
  46. https://www.forbes.com/sites/hylabauer/2017/09/10/suburbicon-directed-by-george-clooney-premieres-in-toronto-and-co-star-julianne-moore-wore-dior/
  47. https://www.gettyimages.com/editorial-images/entertainment/event/toronto-international-film-festival-suburbicon-premiere/775034897
  48. https://deadline.com/2017/07/suburbicon-trailer-matt-damon-george-clooney-coen-brothers-video-1202137169/
  49. https://screenrant.com/suburbicon-trailer-poster-matt-damon/
  50. https://www.imdb.com/news/ni61374485/
  51. https://deadline.com/2017/09/suburbicon-trailer-matt-damon-julianne-moore-george-clooney-joel-coen-ethan-coen-1202164337/
  52. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/exclusive-new-poster-george-clooney-suburbicon/
  53. https://variety.com/2017/film/news/suburbicon-trailer-matt-damon-video-watch-1202508519/
  54. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491175/releaseinfo/
  55. https://www.screendaily.com/distribution/efm-paramount-pays-10m-for-george-clooneys-suburbicon/5100270.article
  56. https://variety.com/2016/film/global/international-rights-george-clooney-suburbicon-1201706425/
  57. https://25thframe.co.uk/movies/suburbicon/release-dates
  58. https://screen-connections.com/2018/02/09/blu-ray-review-suburbicon-now-available-on-blu-ray-dvd-digital-from-paramount/
  59. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Suburbicon-Blu-ray/191939/
  60. http://www.dvdmg.com/suburbicon.shtml
  61. https://www.netflix.com/title/80186472
  62. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0491175/
  63. https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2017-2/suburbicon/
  64. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/weekend-box-office-george-clooneys-suburbicon-doa-jigsaw-heads-no-1-1052479/
  65. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/suburbicon
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  73. https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2017/1027/Suburbicon-is-an-uneasy-mixture-of-noir-and-socially-conscious-film
  74. https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/george-clooney-rebukes-racism-in-backdrop-of-thriller-suburbicon-idUSKBN1CU393/
  75. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/venice-matt-damon-calls-suburbicon-definition-white-privilege-1034837/
  76. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-suburbicon-review-20171025-story.html
  77. https://www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictures/film-review-suburbicon-unfairly-trashed-for-political-reasons
  78. https://theweek.com/articles/732603/defense-suburbicon
  79. https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/suburbicon-playing-fast-loose-americas-cultural-history.html
  80. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/suburbicon-real-life-racial-battle-inspired-george-clooneys-film-1034430/
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