Suburbia (film)



Suburbia is a 1984 film about teenagers living in a punk house in Los Angeles. Evan and his kid brother Ethan flee their alcoholic mother and join a gang of punks called T.R. (The Rejected). A familial bond forms among them, but some of the local suburbanites are set on getting rid of them, one way or another.


 * Abusive Parents: Ethan's mother hits him and yells at him;
 * Adult Child: Mattie and Christina are teenagers, but they want Sheila to read fairy tales to them.
 * The Alleged Car: And how.
 * Amateur Cast: Director Penelope Spheeris decided it would be easier to make punks into actors than actors into punks.
 * Big Brother Worship: Ethan to Evan.
 * Covered with Scars: Sheila, for whom they are also Physical Scars, Psychological Scars.
 * Crapsack World
 * Department of Child Disservices: Many of the kids fear this is where they'll end up if they have to leave their punk house.
 * Drugs Are Bad
 * Due to the Dead:
 * Fluffy Tamer: Razzle.
 * Grey and Gray Morality: The protagonists rob garages, vandalize storefronts, and rip a girl's clothes off at a concert. The antagonists shoot dogs and visit strip clubs while talking about family values. The protagonists are only more sympathetic because of Sympathetic POV and their difficult lives.
 * I Am Not My Father: Jack and his stepdad.
 * Important Haircut: Sheila and Ethan.
 * Kick the Dog: Jim and Bob first appear shooting dogs, including a puppy.
 * Lady Drunk: Ethan and Evan's mother.
 * Only One Name: Keef, Skinner, Razzle...
 * Police Are Useless: Justified; the cops are put in the difficult position of needing to appease Citizens Against Crime while not wanting to arrest a bunch of kids who are largely the victims of circumstance.
 * Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: Completely averted, since the cast are all amateurs who talk like real teenagers.
 * Scars Are Forever: Joe's objection to getting branded.
 * Shown Their Work: Spheeris previously directed a documentary about punks.
 * Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Solidly planted on the right end of the scale.
 * Special Guest: The bands shown playing at the club (TSOL, The Vandals, and DI) are all real.
 * Suburbia
 * Teens Are Monsters: Citizens Against Crime thinks so, and the teens themselves don't do much to convince them otherwise.
 * Team Dad: Jack.
 * True Companions
 * Unusual Dysphemism: "He's going to shit Twinkies!"
 * "What Now?" Ending
 * When All You Have Is a Hammer: For Skinner, punching things is always the answer.
 * When All You Have Is a Hammer: For Skinner, punching things is always the answer.