The Grand Illusion

A somewhat forgotten entry in Richard Linklater's filmography, ripe for reappraisal.

Part of our Pocketful of Posey film series.

Five friends in their early twenties (Giovanni Ribisi, Amie Carey, Steve Zahn, Nicky Katt, Dina Spybey) spend their time hanging out behind a convenience store in a sleepy Texas town. Through meandering discussions, the group descends into a self-perpetuating cycle of malaise. Their routine, however, breaks when an old high school friend, Pony (Jayce Bartok), now an up-and-coming rock star, returns to town with his publicist in tow (Parker Posey), forcing the group to question their desire to stay in the suburbs doing nothing with their lives.

A darker variation on his single-night-hangout formula, SUBURBIA marked the first time Linklater didn’t direct his own script. Instead, Eric Bogosian adapted his play of the same name. Steve Zahn reprises his role from the original stage production and Linklater cast a couple DAZED AND CONFUSED alums to fill out the roster: Nicky Katt, whose bigoted ex-Air Force character unfortunately still feels all too familiar today, and Parker Posey, who makes enough of an impression among the ensemble that Roger Ebert gave her special mention in his and Gene Siskel’s enthusiastic “two thumbs up” review of the film.

“The performances are all good… Parker Posey is turning up a lot these days. She’s beginning to grow on me; I liked her in this film… It’s a real good film.” Roger Ebert

“The movie works because of Linklater’s direction and the script, a tough script, by Eric Bogosian, so dead-on that the film plays like an all-night howl of despair.” Gene Siskel

“SubUrbia provides a fascinating countermelody to Linklater’s freedom-rock choogle. In its own melancholy way, it captures something equally authentic about those alienated years between high school and adulthood…” Texas Monthly