The Trailer:
Director: Richard Bates Jr.
Cast: Matthew Gray Gubler & Kat Dennings
Synopsis: Raymond (Matthew Gray Gubler), a man with a prestigious MBA degree, struggles to find work so is forced to move back in with his parents. Back in his hometown he meets Becca (Kat Dennings) and they enter a world of paranormal weirdness together.
I'm conflicted about this film. While it had me laughing non-stop when it ended I still felt unsatisfied with the story. I think I just had really high expectations, that honestly, probably could never have been met. For the most part, though, I enjoyed Suburban Gothic.
So this is a horror comedy, which might be one of my favorites of the horror sub-genre's. This film in particular employs that kind of hipster, witty, clever quip type humor with some fun-poking at stereotypes. That might be off putting to some viewers, but I didn't have much of a problem with it, especially since the one making most of the stereotype judgments was coming from a man who everyone called a dick. Anyways, what makes me laugh the most in the film is Raymond's over the top, excessive reactions to the supernatural incidents. He has this childlike, pterodactyl squeal that is the perfect response to the paranormal. Matthew Gray Gubler's portrayal of Raymond and demeanor of a real life hipster (is it a portrayal? he might have not been acting in this) is spot on and hilariously made fun of by everyone in his small town, most notably his "European" style of dress. And all the dialogue between him and his father might be some of the most deadpan sarcasm I've heard in a good while. Plus I'd like to add that Matthew Gray Gubler is so gorgeous in a quirky way, I love him. Kat Dennings as Becca is wonderful as well. Her deadpan delivery of everything she says is something to admire and what makes her character so lovable/unpleasant.
The direction that Suburban Gothic has by the hand of Richard Bates Jr. is fantastically bizarre. There are all these strange surreal elements such as toenails dancing to a nice piano song. Yeah, it gets that kind of weird. Additionally, all of the moments that involve a ghost or spirit have a strange dreamlike quality with floating heads, stripteasing zombies, and a weird allusion to ghostly ejaculation. All of these peculiar details displayed make for a movie that is truly outlandish. Plus the way everything seems to be shot through with a high saturation filter adds to the overall dreamlike, kind of Burton-esque aura of the film.
Like I said before, I laughed tons throughout Suburban Gothic but I was still left wanting something more. I think the movie just got so tied up in it's own desire to be this bizarre, indie, horror-comedy that there wasn't enough effort and/or focus on the ghost story at hand. But, n the end, it was still good. Did I love it? Not at all. Would I watch it again? Hell yes, if not for Matthew Gray Gubler, then for the immense laughs!
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