Five Reasons Why I Love The 'Burbs

[MockBot]

Automatically generated comment thread for Five Reasons Why I Love The 'Burbs (http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/the-burbs/default.php).

[plooker]

Yes, god yes. As a kid growing up this was in very heavy rotation in our vcr, to the point where 'Klopek' became a family macro for weirdo beyond the pale. Thanks Rog for reminding me my DVD collection is not yet complete. Now do 'Yellowbeard'.

[simogene]

I must have rented this movie about 300 time with my friends... come to think of it, why didn't we just buy it???

I had such a thing for Cory Feldman...

[Hurude]

This was one of the highlights of the good tom hanks era, bravo!!!

[argonath]

Love it. The humor was both so subtle and so over the top in this movie, it shouldn't have worked. But damn if it didn't.

Rog, you picked out some great parts of the movie. My favorite has to be when Ray first goes to knock on the Klopeks' door, and the camera does slow close-ups of all the other characters. The tension builds and builds, and then they do a close up of the dog. Priceless.

[Ashmodai]

I sometimes drive to the end of my driveway to take out the trash.

[Colonel Flagg]

Gods, but this was and is a great movie. The three scenes that stand out for me are 1) the bone they find in the back yard, when the camera goes in and out real fast while they stand there, screaming, in a truly cartoonish moment, 2) when the pizza delivery truck crashes at the end of the movie, and Corey Feldman shouts "Yo, pizza dude!" and 3) at the beginning of the movie when Feldman looks Mrs. Rumsfield up and down, nods and says "Hey, Mrs. Rumsfield! No tan lines!" Classic!

[atomic40]

Yo Rumsfield!!!!!

[Moranzollamas]

I absolutely love The Burbs. I even have a grind metal band dedicated to it.

http://www.myspace.com/rummyrumsfieldandtheklopecs

[Sleazeappeal]

Five... FIVE THINGS you love about "The Burbs" and you didn't mention Brother Theodore ONCE?

May you have your head removed and replaced with a bloom of broccoli!

[J. Tithonus Pednaud]

Around my home, a viewing of The Burbs was traditional when home sick. I seriously have to pick this up on DVD.

[rizzo]

A list of 5 things to love about The Burbs is far too few...make it 15 and you'll be able to get everything in. Ah, one of the last good Tom Hanks movies...

[thecatillaccat]

My favorite thing was always Cory Feldman trying to set up a party and going "Rumsfield, we've got the pizza dude coming!" And despite Tom Hanks being dragged down the street on a stretcher, all he cares for is the fact that the pizza dude dropped about 1000 large pies. "whoa! pizza dude!"

[Mockery]

Five... FIVE THINGS you love about "The Burbs" and you didn't mention Brother Theodore ONCE?

May you have your head removed and replaced with a bloom of broccoli!
I mentioned that he was about to stab tom hanks in the dream sequence, but no, he didn't make my "top five". If it were a "top ten", Uncle Reuben and his voice which sounds like he's constantly gargling, would have definitely made it. But as far as the Klopeks go, it doesn't get any better than Hans in my book.

Another honorable mention would be when Tom Hanks appears from the burning Klopek house at the end of the film like some kind of cowboy hero. I love the way he just slides down the steps as he leaves a trail of smoke behind him.

And argonath is right, the zoom-in close-up of the poodle is another classic moment as well.

http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/the-burbs/suspicious-poodle.jpg
He's soooo suspicious of them!

[Moranzollamas]

Rumsfield carrying the brownies to the Klopeks' house is also classic.

[Nick]

Remember when Tom Hanks used to make funny movies? :(

[Mc Mandi]

Remember when Tom Hanks used to make funny movies?

vaguely.

[Mockery]

I remember.

Joe Versus The Volcano is still one of my all-time favorites and it's EXTREMELY underrated.

The Money Pit is another great one. It kills me in the scene when he gets stuck in the floor and the scene when he laughs like a madman because the tub fell through the floor. Those two scenes had me in tears I was laughing so hard the first time I saw 'em.

[incognit000]

I think the inspiration for Rumsfield used to live down the block from me.

That, or men like that were installed in every suburb to stop terrorism.

[Tetsu Deinonychus]

I love this movie too.

The "Pizza Dude" and "Satan is our pal" are my favourite lines.

What's great about this movie is that everyone knows people like this.

[neoboman]

The part near the end where Tom Hanks is like "I'm sick! Take me to the hospital!" and then lays on the gurney, stands back up, throws it in the back of the ambulance and gets back on it is one of my favorite moments in cinematic history.

[Captain PirateFace]

Best part is when Art is in Camo and Ray and him are talking as they kind of semi ignore the dog as he keeps bringing up a human bone and Art keeps throwing it... until they both realize what they have and Art say's "Ray, This is Walter"....

que overly long and damn comical scream ended abruptly by a Klopek in walking slowly behind the fence...

laughing just thinking about it.

PS
I may be pushing it but I rocked to "Joe Versus The Volcano" too.

[Überguy]

It seems like most gifted comedy actors either decide to change genres (Hanks, Willis, etc.) or they cling to comedy and end up with dying careers and LAME movies. (Murphy, Steve Martin, etc.)

[NightProwler]

Fantastic article. I absolutely love this movie. You did not mention it,so I am assuming you are unaware(but I doubt it) that "Hans Klopec"(Courtney Gains) was also "Malachai" in "Children of the corn". Another 80's classic.

[Badgers ate my FaCe]

I'm going to buy this on DVD today. Thank you for reminding me that this is still a classic flick. This is "Mr. Oscar WW2" Tom Hanks at his pre-Gump best, and you get a side of Princess Leia and Henry Gibson, to boot! Toss in a take-out order for Cory Feldman and you've got yourself a classic.

[Ruinne]

*Sigh* "Didn't ch. 11 or something show this movie every other month back when there was always something entertaining to watch on T.V like almost everyday? Man T.V sucks now. I can't remember the last time I saw this movie. :("

[Mockery]

Fantastic article. I absolutely love this movie. You did not mention it,so I am assuming you are unaware(but I doubt it) that "Hans Klopec"(Courtney Gains) was also "Malachai" in "Children of the corn". Another 80's classic.
Damn it, I've been told that a million times, but every time I see The 'Burbs, I never seem to remember that he was Malachai. "Outlander! Outlander!" Definitely a good call man... maybe I'll actually remember it next time I see The 'Burbs and think to myself, "Boy, that Hans is one weird dude."

[sakura]

HOLY CRAP

this site never ceases to amaze me on how you guys' taste in film is so uncannily similar to my own. I've had the 'Burbs on my myspace faves list forever now, and every person i talk to has absolutely no clue what the hell these movies are.

So since once AGAIN you've mirrored my joy, here's some other titles I'd like to see a review on (or I'd gladly do myself):

Screamers
The Miracle Mile
Disorderlies
Phone

...just to name a few. Or I'll gladly accept paypal for anyone who says at least one of these doesn't have a review already in the making

[Captain PirateFace]

I agree with Sakura....

Do "The Miracle Mile" next.... Pure 80's Joy!

and "Night of the Comet"

[strangejosh]

love this film. wish they made more films like this, but i guess the era is over.

[BurntToShreds]

Damn, now I need to buy this. The ending was one of my favorites in film history.

[Captain B O'Hare]

I read this and it made me join the site, Watch the DVD and start spying on my neighbors. That has to be one of the best things I have read in a while.

[Slobulus]

This movie was king!

[Tanuki]

Kinda disturbed...but I must go find this movie now.

[artattack]

One of my all-time favorite movies from the 80's.

Love it when Rumsfield is at the Klopeks house and starts pulling the wallpaper from the wall.

[briny bill]

comeon rueben was the best part

[ricobico]

Great article.
My favorite lines:

"What you got in the cellar, HAIR Klopek!?!"

"There go the goddamn brownies!"

[captain516]

Did anyone else spot that the Klopeks have Rosebud in their basement?

[FELDMAN<3]

corey feldman is so cute in this movie!!!

[Jauly]

OMG, nobody here noticed the resemblance to Maniac Mansion?? Hans reminds me somehow of Weird Ed, and as "the doctor" shows up from the cellar, he looks like Dr. Fred Edison :D
Love them both, the Klopeks & The Edisons!

[Scooter Atreides]

One of my personal favorites.

Notice how this film seems to be a swan song for a lot of the actors:

You've got Tom Hanks just before the start of his Serious Actor phase, Carrie Fisher at the tail end of her hotness, Corey Feldman's last role in a movie more than 12 people saw, Wendy Schaal right before most of the universe forgot she existed, and, though I haven't looked this up, probably Gale Gordon's last film prior to shuffling off this mortal coil.

[Shadowdancer21b]

I love this movie. Anyone else notice the Klopek theme is very similar to the wrestler Kane's old entrance music?