With generation-defining hits like “Big” and George Lucas’ original “Star Wars” trilogy on their respective resumes, Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher were among the biggest movie stars on the planet during the 1980s. Before the decade was up, the pair brought their star power and their razor-sharp comedic skills to a film called “The ‘Burbs,” a pitch-black comedy directed by “Gremlins” mastermind Joe Dante.
Released in 1989, “The ‘Burbs” stars Hanks and Fisher as Ray and Carol Peterson, an ordinary couple raising their young son in the suburbs. While enjoying some vacation time at home, Ray becomes increasingly obsessed with his reclusive new neighbors, the Klopeks, and the strange sounds emanating from their house at night. Are there killers on the block? You can find out for yourself on Tubi, where the movie is currently available to stream for free.
Despite Carol’s concerns, Ray joins forces with overgrown manchild Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun), Vietnam War veteran Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern), and cool-dude teenager Ricky Butler (Corey Feldman, another big star in the ’80s) to investigate the Klopeks’ bizarre activities. Events soon spin dangerously (and hilariously) out of control as Ray and his friends’ schemes threaten to destroy the suburb. Witty and imaginative, “The ‘Burbs” is a dark and delicious satire that’s a must-see for fans of Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher.
The ‘Burbs was ahead of its time
“The ‘Burbs” divided opinion upon its release in 1989. Soon after seeing the film, veteran film critic Roger Ebert dismissed Joe Dante’s warped vision of the suburbs as a “long shaggy dog story” that was “cut and dried.” However, over the decades the movie has developed a loyal cult following. Looking back on the film for Empire, Kim Newman praised its “sly gags and bizarre characterisations,” ultimately proclaiming “The ‘Burbs” to be “a pleasantly nasty delight that was strangely overlooked in the cinema.” The reviews accumulated over the years have led to the film holding a 56% rating on the Tomatometer, but don’t let that put you off: “The ‘Burbs” is one of several comedy movies with poor Rotten Tomatoes scores that are actually hilarious.
Film critic Charles Bramesco wrote about the significance of “The ‘Burbs” on its 30th anniversary in a piece for The Guardian, noting how its social satire acts as a time capsule that reflects American male anxieties about post-war suburban living. By casting Hanks as the increasingly unhinged everyman Ray Peterson, Dante found “a perfect manifestation of family man restlessness,” Bramesco argued. Today, “The ‘Burbs” shares a cinematic cul-de-sac with other sly, subversive ’80s films like “Blue Velvet,” “Parents,” and “Suburbia,” which also pulled the curtain back on postcard-perfect suburban life. The movie also happens to be very funny, and anyone in the mood for a wickedly good dark comedy should listen to Ray Peterson: “I’m gonna go do something productive. I’m gonna go watch television.”
“The ‘Burbs” is streaming for free on Tubi.