Suburbicon

Dark undercurrents surface in a supposedly utopian 1959 suburb. As an African-American family moves in next door, a home invasion results in the murder of a housewife (Julianne Moore), terrorizing her young son (Noah Jupe), her husband (Matt Damon) and her twin sister (also Moore). When the boy catches his father and aunt refusing to identify the culprits in a police lineup, the plot thickens. Originally written by Joel and Ethan Coen, then reworked by Grant Heslov and director George Clooney (who are no doubt responsible for the undercooked racism subplot), the movie is a limp example of an unhappy genre: bland satire. The only touches of wit come from the opening sequence, a clever mock-commercial for the community, and a brief appearance by Oscar Isaac as a venal insurance investigator. J.L.