SubUrbia (film)

SubUrbia is a 1996 American comedy-drama film written by Eric Bogosian, based on his play of the same name, and directed by Richard Linklater. It follows the relationships between a few young adults as they spend their time standing on "the corner" outside a local convenience store.

Bogosian based the story on his own experiences growing up in Woburn, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The convenience store setting is based on the 7-11 in the "Four Corners" section of the west side of Woburn, and the high-school fight song that is sung in one scene is the actual Woburn High fight song ("Black and Orange" to the tune of "On Wisconsin").

Plot

Set in the suburban neighborhood of "Burnfield" in Austin, Texas, five young adults are in the daily habit of hanging out by a garbage dumpster on the corner of a local convenience store, occasionally taunting the foreign clerk, Nazeer Choudhury, who works there. The film's main character, Jeff, is an aimless soul unsure of his future. Jeff is dating Sooze, who has expressed the desire to leave Burnfield and become an artist. Jeff's best friends are Buff, and Tim, a troubled young honorably discharged military man who drinks too much and has a knack for shooting his mouth off. Sooze's friend Bee Bee is a recovering alcoholic who is invited to join the group.

One evening, an old friend of theirs, Pony, now a rock star, shows up looking to reconnect with them. Most of the group is glad to see him, although some of them are bitter and jealous of his recent success. Through actions and conversations they all contemplate what they want to do with the rest of their lives.

Cast

• Jayce Bartok as Pony
• Giovanni Ribisi as Jeff
• Amie Carey as Sooze
• Nicky Katt as Tim
• Ajay Naidu as Nazeer Choudhury
• Parker Posey as Erica
• Steve Zahn as Buff
• Dina Spybey as Bee Bee
• Samia Shoaib as Pakeesa Choudhury
• William Martin Hayes as Scuff

Soundtrack

1. "Unheard Music" - Elastica & Stephen Malkmus
2. "Bee-Bee's Song" - Sonic Youth
3. "Bulletproof Cupid" - Girls Against Boys
4. "Feather in Your Cap" - Beck
5. "Berry Meditation" - U.N.K.L.E.
6. "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" - Boss Hog
7. "Cult" - Skinny Puppy
8. "Does Your Hometown Care?" - Superchunk
9. "Sunday" - Sonic Youth
10. "Human Cannonball" - Butthole Surfers
11. "Tabla in Suburbia" - Sonic Youth
12. "Hot Day" - The Flaming Lips
13. "Psychic Hearts" - Thurston Moore
14. "Town Without Pity" - Gene Pitney

Other credited songs

• "Peaceful Day" - Pennywise
• "Scum" - Meat Puppets
• "Rundown" - Sincola
• "NWO" - Ministry
• "Man Invisible" - Jayce Bartock
• "Salvation" - Jayce Bartock
• "Candle" - Sonic Youth
• "Huge Giant Omen" - Ed Hall

Reception

The film earned a ranking of 64% on Rotten Tomatoes.^[3] Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review giving the film 3 ¹⁄₂ stars out of 4, calling it "dark, intense and disturbing".^[4]

Awards

Ajay Naidu was nominated for Best Supporting Male at the 1998 Independent Spirit Awards but lost to Jason Lee.

Home media

The film has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray Disc, but is readily available on VHS, sporadically via Netflix instant streaming, iTunes, and Vudu.

References

External links

• SubUrbia at the Internet Movie Database
• SubUrbia at Box Office Mojo
• SubUrbia at Rotten Tomatoes