Overview
The Suburbans is a 1999 American comedy-drama film that satirizes the 1980s revival hype around the turn of the 21st century. It stars Donal Lardner Ward, Craig Bierko, Will Ferrell and Tony Guma as one-hit wonder band the Suburbans and Jennifer Love Hewitt as a record company executive who wants to re-establish the band's claim to fame. Ward also co-wrote and directed the film.
The Suburbans premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 1999. It was released on a very limited number of screens (11) on October 29 of the same year, and grossing $11,130, is considered to have failed commercially. Of ten reviews counted at Rotten Tomatoes, all ten are negative.
Plot
In 1998, Danny, Mitch, Gil and Rory, who were once a long-forgotten, early 1980s one-hit wonder band, the Suburbans, reunite to perform their only hit single at Gil's wedding. After the gig, Cate, an up-and-coming record company executive, approaches them and suggests shooting a pay-per-view reunion show that would eventually re-establish the band's claim to fame. The four, more reluctantly than not, agree and subsequently face the ramifications on their personal lives as the show's production contrasts their former rock 'n' roll image with their now middle-class, suburban lifestyle. It soon becomes evident that Cate is probably the only remaining fan of the band, who, out of a personal interest in the matter, put her own career at stake.
Cast
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Cate, a record company executive, who wants to re-establish the band's claim to fame
Donal Lardner Ward as Danny Moran, the Suburbans's lead singer
Craig Bierko as Mitch, the Suburbans's guitarist
Will Ferrell as Gil, the Suburbans's bass player
Tony Guma as Rory, the Suburbans's drummer
Ben Stiller as Jay Rose, a record company owner
Jerry Stiller as Speedo Silverberg, a record company owner
Amy Brenneman as Grace, Danny's girlfriend
Bridgette Wilson as Lara, Rory's girlfriend
Perrey Reeves as Amanda
Robert Loggia as Jules Marcelle
David LaChapelle as Thorlakur
J. J. Abrams as Rock Journalist
Dick Clark as himself
Kurt Loder as himself
A Flock of Seagulls as themselves
Brian Chlebowski as Kenny
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).