Without a doubt, this is one of (if not the) best films to never see a DVD release. It's honestly nothing short of a travesty that, even in 2011, one cannot even purchase this excellent work on any modern format. Mind you, thanks to streaming sites like Netflix, one can still get their hands on this one, even if they've long since put-away their old VHS player, but that doesn't do much for those of us who pride ourselves on our film collections.Overall, this is a truly exceptional film with a fantastic cast, great soundtrack, and plenty of the amazing dialogue that Linklater's films are known for. If you haven't seen it- please do yourself a favor and give it a look... if you're anything like me, you won't be disappointed!

Suburbia is without a doubt the best movie I have ever seen dealing with young adult angst. No, there is no excessive drug abuse and there is no moral tale to tell about the dangers of leading a overly hedonistic lifestyle. In fact, Suburbia steers clear of the usual teen/young adult stereotypes found in films such as Kids and Requiem for a Dream. Unlike those films, this movie will not give you the comfort of being a spectator watching a train wreck of a life. Instead Suburbia will show you something so realistic that the characters on screen could be you and that their problems could in fact be your own problems, which is what makes this film so unbelievably powerful.Released in 1996, this overlooked gem is about a group of friends who waste their days hanging out at the parking lot of a local convenience store. The film centers around the story of Jeff... a twenty-something guy who doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. Jeff's girlfriend, Sooze, is a zealous feminist performance artist wannabe with dreams of someday going to art school in New York. Jeff's two friends, Buff and Tim, are also drifting through life and not doing anything especially important. Buff works at a local pizzeria and does nothing but make up stories about getting laid and Tim spends his days and nights drinking alcohol. And Sooze's friend, Bee-Bee, is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict fresh out of rehab. The only person to leave and escape the suburbs was their old high school friend Pony... who left the suburbs and is now returning as a up and coming rock star. When Pony arrives onto the scene in a limousine with his nicely dressed publicist Erica the cast of characters react to his presence in variety of different ways. Buff and Sooze are both intrigued by Pony's success while Jeff and Tim are jealous of it. Bee-Bee is pretty much forgotten.... and she never let's her feelings be known to the rest of the characters.... She takes everything deep within herself and is perhaps the most self-destructive/self-loathing one out of them all.In the end, Suburbia doesn't provide you with any clear answers or solutions, but it does raise a number of relevant social questions. As a young adult, this movie had a massive affect on me and it made me question the direction/course of my own life. I really think that this is one of the best movies I have ever seen and the script, acting, and filming was all top notch. However, there are certain things and elements in this film that make it sort of dated. This movie is obviously set during the 90's, but I really think that the messages found within this movie could still be applied to today's youth. This film really paints an ugly picture of the suburbs as a flat, plain, dull, and genuinely depressing landscape that breeds apathy in people.Check this movie out. You will not regret it.

I'm a big fan of Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, as well as the excellent, yet little known 'Tape' - but this film, SubUrbia (silly 'U' in the title), doesn't live up to the high standard of the latter mentioned films. Linklater obviously has respect for drama and dialogue, but he's let himself down here because a lot of the action and words in the film are silly, and delivered by a bunch of caricatures. We've got the irritating feminist, the famous guy trying to hang out with his old friends, a rich bitch with a heart of gold, a drunk who cant take his beer, a drunk who can, a girl out of rehab and a guy who holds everything together, simply by being more drab than the rest of them. The cast try their best with their characters, and the film isn't 'boring' - but it stinks of a decent film striving for greatness, and it never even nearly achieves it. The plot is basically about a bunch of Americans 'kids' that hang around parking lots, as they have nothing else to do. The film takes place around the same time that some guy they used to know, now a big rock star, is coming home to 'hang out' with them.Not much of this film is really believable. I don't think that Giovanni Ribisi's character would ever go out with the irritating feminist, for example, and a series of things like this make the film really difficult to get along with. The film is based on a play by Eric Bogosian, so it's unfair to blame Linklater (who I actually like) for the film's shortcomings with the characters; but to be fair, his direction is lethargic and doesn't really get along with the hip style that the film feels like it should have. Most of the characters are annoying rather than likable, and this means that by the time of the ending; you really don't care what happens. This is made worse by the fact that this is one of those 'ambiguous' films that leaves itself wide open at the end. Writers really need to learn when to, and when not to, use an ending like this. Ambiguous endings simply don't work when it doesn't matter what happens, and rather than making you think as the writer intended; it just turns you off. I appreciate this film a little because I like dialogue; but to be honest, there isn't a lot I can recommend it for. I do like the song, "A Town Without Pity", used in the opening credits though.

A story so simple, yet very touching, excellent performances, and a strong soundtrack makes this a movie you can't get out of your mind. Some people regard this as a comedy, and maybe in the beginning you may regard some of the lines as funny, but actually this is a very tragic tale of youth and the lives they live.