I miss the days when Tom Hanks just made movies like this all the time. Yeah, he is most certainly a quality dramatic actor, but he is also a funny, funny guy. This movie has a great plot, it's well-filmed (on what appears to be the most perfect street in America!) and the cast is GREAT. Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern, Wendy Schaal, Rick Ducommon and one of the Coreys (Feldman) have great onscreen chemistry. These guys all epitomise the portrayals of, respectively, The Skeptical, Realistic, Down-to-Earth Working Guy, the Exasperated Wife Trying Desperately to Keep Her Husband from Getting an Ulcer, the Wacky, War-Crazed Vet, the (Seemingly) Ditzy, Beautiful Wife of the War Nut, the Irritating Neighbour Who Stirs Up Trouble, and, of course, the Neighbourhood Punk Kid. The characters can be totally off-the-wall, but are also surprisingly true to life. This movie is no "Green Mile", but it ain't any "Joe Versus the Volcano", either. A must-see for anyone who grew up in the suburbs, who's ever had weird neighbours, and/or for any true Hanks fan.
Review of The 'Burbs
