A Sunny Sunday in Suburbia is a 2018 American thriller drama movie starring Joan Cusack and Gary Oldman, with Allison Janney, Dave Franco, Dacre Montgomery and Anya Taylor-Joy in supporting roles. The film is Sofia Coppola directed by , based on a script by Coppola and Ifan Barber. It focuses on Helen and Jeffrey Nathan, a couple living in Holborn Heights, a fictional American suburb, as they deal with the aftermath of their only daughter's murder and the events leading up to it. It was critically acclaimed and resulted in multiple awards, including 7 Golden Globes and 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Director. It was released nationwide in the US on December 21st 2018.
Plot[]
In 1972, Helen Nathan (Joan Cusack) and her husband Jeffrey (Gary Oldman) live comfortably in the suburb of Holborn Heights with their son Ashley (Dacre Montgomery) and daughter Evie (Anya Taylor-Joy). However, when Evie is found dead in the middle of the town's baseball pitch. After learning of her daughter's death, Helen goes on a warpath, convinced that Evie's older boyfriend Christopher (Dave Franco) is the killer and he becomes the investigation's prime suspect, but when Helen's sister Vivienne (Allison Janney) turns up unexpectedly on the morning of Evie's discovery, the events leading up to Evie's death unravel.
Cast[]
- Joan Cusack as Helen Nathan, a suburban housewife who's life is turned upside down when her daughter is murdered.
- Gary Oldman as Jeffrey Nathan, an insurance salesman and husband of Helen, he enters a state of denial when his daughter is murdered, he often rejects and condemns his son.
- Dacre Montgomery as Ashley Nathan, Helen and Jeffrey's 23-year-old son who has just opened a law firm in Holborn Heights after graduating from Law School, he yearns for his father's approval, but is continually rejected.
- Dave Franco as Christopher Applethwaite, the manager of a local grocery store and the suspicious older boyfriend of Evie Nathan, he becomes the prime suspect in Evie's death.
- Allison Janney as Vivienne Hope, Helen's older sister who's visiting from Connecticut, her arrival comes at an unusual time for the Nathans, while she isn't a suspect, she is clearly hiding something.
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Evie Nathan, an usual 19-year-old girl studying at the local secretarial college, after going out late at night to meet Christopher, she is murdered. She is found by Ashley the next morning. The events leading up to her death proves to be confusing and intriguing for the entire town of Holborn Heights.
Release[]
The first trailer for A Sunny Sunday in Suburbia was released on July 21st 2018 to rave reviews and high anticipation. A release date was confirmed as January 29th 2019 by Columbia Pictures, but this was advanced a month in August due to popular demand. Sunny Sunday was released on December 22nd 2018 to critical acclaim and commercial success.
Critical Reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98%, based on 300 reviews, with an average rating of 9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A Sunny Sunday in Suburbia uses one family's story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at lives too rarely seen in cinema." On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 99 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "universal acclaim." On both websites, it was the highest scoring film released in 2018.
Awards[]
A Sunny Sunday in Suburbia received multiple nominations across international awards ceremonies. Most notably, the film walked away with 6 Academy Awards at the 2019 ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Joan Cusack, Best Supporting Actor for Dacre Montgomery and Best Director for Sofia Cappola.
Sequel[]
Main Article: Another Sunny Sunday
In an unexpected announcement, Columbia Pictures confirmed in 2019 that they had obtained the distribution rights to Another Sunny Sunday, a sequel to A Sunny Sunday in Suburbia. The film will reportedly focus on Allison Janney's character Vivienne Hope in the late 1970s when her 10--year-old grandson goes missing and she becomes the prime suspect in his abduction. The film was confirmed by Sofia Cappola in late 2019, with a slated 2021 release date. Allison Janney confirmed her return to the role, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Lady Gaga confirmed to co-star.