(1997)
3
Brian J. Dillard
If fans of punchier or more titillating teen-angst fare find Richard Linklater's SubUrbia unaccountably dreary, it's because this slightly stagebound Eric Bogosian adaptation is actually more of a darkly comic critique of aimless post-adolescence than an exploitation of it. The conflict between the hard-working immigrant kids who run the convenience store that serves as both primary setting and overriding metaphor and the aimless American youth who hang out in its parking lot says a lot about the supposed middle-class "right" to youthful rebellion. A left turn into suspense may provide the material with a stronger plot arc, but it's the bitching and moaning that provides this film its worm's-eye view of overprivileged disaffection. The young cast proves capable, particularly Ajay Naidu as the perpetually harassed Nazeer and Steve Zahn, reprising his stage role as the goofily endearing Buff. Linklater vets Nicky Katt and Parker Posey also get juicy roles, Katt as the most self-destructive of the film's young protagonists, Posey as a hilariously vacuous music agent. Bogosian and Linklater may seem to view growing up as a choice between selling out and going nowhere, but by the end of their film they portray at least a few more options, giving SubUrbia a sense of optimism that its first two acts may not make obvious.
awards for SubUrbia on AllMovie
SubUrbia (1997)
Independent Spirit Awards
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor
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1997 |
