George Clooney's 'Suburbicon' Trailer Is Wicked And Hilarious

Not content with being a huge star, aging more gracefully than any human ever to live, and selling his tequila brand for a billion dollars, George Clooney continues to make the rest of us mere mortals look like turds by directing movies. His latest, the Coen Brothers-scripted Suburbicon is one we’ve been keeping an eye on. The first trailer just dropped and it’s pretty much what you expect, and I mean that in a good way. Check it out.

The Coen Brothers vibe is strong with this Suburbicon trailer. There's the black humor, quirky setting, flustered everyman protagonist with a strange name who's way out of his depth, and their stock cast of players, all cut through with startling bursts of violence. In short, all the things we expect.

The Brothers do that mix better than anyone else, and my worry is that when other folks try their hand, it doesn’t always work as well. Some of Clooney’s directorial work, like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Leatherheads, and The Momuments Men, does mine similar territory. And he’s worked with the Coens enough times that he’s probably picked up a thing or two. I’m curious to see if he just tries to ape their style or brings his own flair to the picture, and what balance he strikes.

We’ll have to wait and see if my paranoia is just that, but for now, Suburbicon seems fantastic. Matt Damon already looks like a suburban 1950s white dude, so that’s a nice bit of casting. I’ve heard Oscar Isaac steals every scene. And there is enough weirdness and off-kilter moments that this may well be a fun, nasty, gleefully mean-spirited dig at seemingly idyllic life in the land of cookie cutter homes and well-maintained lawns.

Here’s the actual synopsis:

Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns… the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit, and violence. This is a tale of very flawed people making very bad choices.

Suburbicon also stars Julianne Moore, Josh Brolin, Glenn Fleshler, and more. I told you it felt like a Coen Brothers movie. It debuts at the Venice Film Festival, which kicks off at the end of August, and it’s slated to pop up at Toronto after that. The rest of us have to wait until it hits regular theaters on October 27.