The combination of George Clooney directing and the Coen brothers producing a rewrite of one of their ideas sounds great. The result is anything but. Set in a seemingly perfect 1959 suburb, Matt Damon plays the husband of Julianne Moore, who has suffered terrible injuries in a wreck caused by Damon. Moore also plays her twin sister; and pretty soon, the twin and Damon conspire. This being a Coen brothers idea, things get dark fast. While the pair think of ways to eliminate Damon's wife, a black family moves into the all-white suburb, causing a riot. We see this through the eyes of a 10-year-old, played by Noah Jupe. The combination of innocence and malice gets heavy-handed fast. Things go so over-the-top, they turn "Suburbicon" manipulative. On the plus side, the film looks good. The 1950s set pieces feel perfect, but "Mad Men" and many others have already gone here. I'm sorry Clooney put his name on this. "Suburbicon," one star, rated "R." Does it deliver what it promises? Neither comedy, nor drama, nor satire but a big mess. Is it entertaining? Feels manipulative. Is it worth the price of admission? No.
