Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Suburbia

Play trailer Poster for Suburbia R 1996 1h 58m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
69% Tomatometer 29 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Five teen friends (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 pointless discussions, the group descends into a self-perpetuating cycle of malaise. Their routine, however, brakes when Pony (Jayce Bartok) returns to town after finding success as a rock star, forcing the group to question their desire to stay in the suburbs doing nothing with their lives.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

Suburbia

Suburbia

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Suburbia succeeds in its blistering, ensemble-driven exploration of middle America, though it never quite reconciles the disparate stylings of director Richard Linklater and writer Eric Bogosian.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Richard Williams Guardian Sep 22, 2025
There is affection in Linklater's eye, but no comfort in his conclusion. SubUrbia can only advance his reputation as the Eric Rohmer of the strip-malls. Go to Full Review Quentin Curtis Daily Telegraph (UK) Sep 22, 2025
The movie is clearly in the hoary tradition of The Group. But Bogosian's perfect ear for the characters' gripes and gags, and Linklater's feel for rhythm make it close to a Big Chill for the slacker generation. Go to Full Review Ryan Gilbey Independent (UK) Sep 22, 2025
As Linklater demonstrated on Slacker and Dazed and Confused, his forte is the fluid direction of ensemble casts, and he moves among the eight main characters with a seductive ease and compassion worthy of Rohmer. Go to Full Review Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) Aug 2, 2026
An underrated film from Richard Linklater. Go to Full Review Matthew Sweet Independent on Sunday Sep 22, 2025
[Richard Linklater's] cinema has always been -- programmatically -- an endurance test, but this new entry really tries the patience. Go to Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Sep 1, 2022
B
The tension underneath the movie is the friction between Bogosian’s tense urban sensibility and Linklater’s relaxed, generous style. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Robert P @Superbad Oct 7, 2026 Suburbia is a *3.5* Movie... See more Oliver C @OliverClose Sep 25, 2025 As Linklater demonstrated on Slacker and Dazed and Confused, his forte is the fluid direction of ensemble casts, and he moves among the eight main characters with a seductive ease and compassion worthy of Rohmer. See more Kevin L @Lakeman Aug 5, 2025 That's it, I'm done w/ Linklamer for good. I tried, but aside from the two early ones that established him, the rest have been a bore. I get his take here, but I'm not gonna go w/ Ebert's 'Godot' comparison. Hell no. Just another slacker flick w/ less interesting, more annoying characters; Bogosian or not. Who's he anyhow? 2.4 stars Parker Posey deserved better. See more Tara C. @Tarachi31 Jul 29, 2025 My favorite movie forever. See more Kathleen H @RT20191880 Apr 27, 2025 So, is this some cinematic great? No, not really, but that scene where Steve Zahn is running backwards with a car is pure comedy. I don't think I've laughed like that in a long time. I watched this when it came out and it was a staple. It's one of the few movies that I have to own. Steve Zahn will always be a favorite of mine because of this movie. Seriously, just don't take it so seriously. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Apr 18, 2025 Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é mais ou menos, mas o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e mais relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom. See more Read all reviews
Suburbia

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Richard Linklater

Director

Jayce Bartok

Pony

Amie Carey

Sooze

Nicky Katt

Tim

Ajay Naidu

Nazeer Chaldi

Parker Posey

Erica

More Like This

View All
Dazed and Confused 94% 90% Dazed and Confused Watchlist TRAILER for Dazed and Confused Palookaville 64% 64% Palookaville Watchlist Wedding Bell Blues 40% 45% Wedding Bell Blues Watchlist Beautiful Thing 92% 93% Beautiful Thing Watchlist Waiting for Guffman 91% 91% Waiting for Guffman Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Suburbia

Suburbia (1996) Suburbia (1996) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Five teen friends (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 pointless discussions, the group descends into a self-perpetuating cycle of malaise. Their routine, however, brakes when Pony (Jayce Bartok) returns to town after finding success as a rock star, forcing the group to question their desire to stay in the suburbs doing nothing with their lives.
Director
Richard Linklater
Producer
Anne Walker-McBay
Screenwriter
Eric Bogosian
Distributor
Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Detour Filmproduction, Castle Rock Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 11, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$656.2K
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Surround
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings