the movieGOOMBA

4 GOOMBAS

I often dream about having a beautiful two story white house, like the one from Father of the Bride, with the garage in the back, an attic and a basement (for my movie collection, of course), a huge front lawn, and tree branches kissing my rooftop. The perfect home; ideal for raising a family. Your kids can learn how to ride a bike on the street without any hesitation, you can walk to the local park, have the neighborhood kids come over for grilled cheese sandwiches, have the convenience of 'big city' perks in a 'small town' atmosphere. Ah, the suburbs ::sigh:: . . . and then I watched Little Children. An American Beauty-esque tale of suburbia gone wrong, Little Children portrays suburban living as not so perfect.

Sarah Pierce is wife and a mother, but she sucks at both jobs. At the park where she takes her daughter, she is constantly shown up by the other "perfect" moms, who sit and gossip, bring the perfect healthy snacks, for their perfect 6 year old spawn. Sarah can hardly remember to bring her daughter a granola bar. She has a husband who finds online erotica more arousing, and she often feels trapped and unable to show any love toward her daughter. Brad Adamson is a stay-at-home dad who is mentally castrated by his successful working wife. He and Sarah begin an affair. Other happening in Wisteria Ln.; there is a sexual assailant who lives in their neighborhood and a washed-up cop who thinks it's his moral duty to harass the sex offender.

Each character is representative of a childhood/adolescent archetype. The popular, shallow but perfect blond, the glamours ,knock out brunette, the bully, the "Prom King" football star, the gross, scary nerd, and the artistic girl who pays no attention to appearance but has a crush on the football star. Not such a new idea, but by placing this in the context of the "ideal" adult life, things that were just deemed childhood angst can create pretty sinister and serious events. Other strong themes to look out for include castration, voyeurism, and selfish, emotional disconnection.

This film, portrayed like a scientific test case, is a creative way of showing the dark side of that perfect two story white house.