DARLING, LET'S KILL THE NEIGHBOURS
US, 1990, 100 minutes, Colour.
Teri Garr, Robert Urich, Alex Rocco, Susan Ruttan, Jeffrey Tambor.
Directed by Anson Williams.
Darling, Let's Kill the Neighbours (or originally A Quiet Little Neighbourhood; a Perfect Little Murder) is a piece of entertaining fluff, a shot at yuppy types and suburban styles, a shot at activists who let their imagination run riot. It is a murder mystery, more entertaining in the possibilities than in the solution, which is rather flat. Teri Garr enjoys herself as an activist housewife who hears conversations on a device for looking after her children - and gets conversations from cellular phones. Alex Rocco as the police investigator won't believe her, her husband Robert Urich gets exasperated. She pursues neighbours with various hypotheses until the murderer is finally revealed. An entertaining, light time-passer.
1. Entertaining comedy, parody of life in the suburbs? Murder mystery - sufficient clues, characters, resolution?
2. The portrayal of the suburbs and their tackiness, conformity - the houses all looking the same, Cynthia and her industry, the yuppy devices?
3. The title - and the alternate title?
4. The focus on Marsha and Roscoe, their farewell, promising not to adapt to suburban life? Marsha's activist background? Their arrival, not knowing which house? Settling in, Cynthia's visit and recruitment, not going? Their attitude towards the neighbours? Roscoe and his animal research and neighbours' antagonism? The new way of life - especially for Marsha learning to stay at home and look after the family?
5. The device for communication, it picking up the cellular phone conversation? The satire on soap operas - and everybody thinking the conversation was soap-operatic, the wives watching the soap operas, the excerpts shown during the film, the addictive enticement of the soap operas? The film parodying the soap operas?
6. Marsha and her discussions with Roscoe, his disbelief? The information, taking it to Inspector Locke, his politeness but disbelief? Her taping the conversations; their being not sufficient evidence? Her continued pursuit of the police with her hypotheses? The imminent murder, her following the characters around the town and getting confused? The continued steps of the plot being revealed over the cellular phone and Marsha hearing them?
7. The possible culprits and the play with the names of Judy and Don? (And their being in different soap operas?) Judy and Don and their tense marriage, Judy addicted to soap operas, Don as a doctor? Judy under suspicion, going to the hospital to take the pills? Her driving around? Don and his friendship with Roscoe, Marsha going to the hospital, wanting the check-up? Judy and Hank, Judy staying at home while pretending she was an executive, Hank being the beefcake soap opera type man - yet being the home carer and cooker? Cynthia and Don - Cynthia and her industry, Don and his ageing? (And the humour about Cynthia's hearing that Don was a sexpot - and the aftermath?)
8. The complications, the information on the phone, Marsha's hypotheses and following people around, challenging them, getting the wives together - and the revelation that Judy wanted to kill herself? The soap opera twist with collecting the blackmail money? The irony that it actually worked?
9. Roscoe, his exasperation, pleading with Marsha, getting rid of the talking head? Her taking it back? His moving out? His finally coming - and rescuing her?
10. The culprits - the motivation, Don and his attack on Marsha? The truth about the money and his wife's going to study? Judy - and her not wanting to go through with the plot and Marsha wanting her to be let off? Inspector Locke - finally believing everything?
11. The popular ingredients of the murder mystery inserted into contemporary suburbia with the spoof on soap operas?
