why do rich suburban kids act like their lives are so tough?

I thought this was an undercurrent of the film? That it's suburban life, yet they act like it's brutal. And the film is showing us that, how closed-off surburbia is, that yeah, we should think these characters are crazy for not seeing how good they've got it.
Best part is that the film mocks their lives a little. So we laugh at their problems, like when Billy's eye is slashed, and when a wedding is ruined!


Or another way to look at it is this: Suburban life has its problems too. Suicide happens. Surburban teenagers do experience grief, have conflict within their families, are involved with drugs, etc. Doesn't matter if they have a pool in their backyard. And look! Here's a movie about that.

Just my thoughts. ^_^

This film had nothing to do with that, they didn't have it rough at all they were just all disconnected.
No one communicates with each other honestly, others couldn't care less about what the others feelings and etc. etc.

You're looking at movie in a wrong way. this movie wasn't suppose to be about some spolied little teenage brat living in a big ol fancy house with the perfect family. This movie was made for people like you to see that it isn't alway greener on the other side. Did these kids have everything they want? yes they did. Did these kids have the love and communication from their parents? no they did not. I really don't know how you misunderstood the movie, it pretty much screamed that this was about rich suburban families that have lack of attention & communcation. Like Dean trying to talk to his dad about the death of his friend OR that the kid was kiddnapped. but his dad just thought something was mentaly wrong with him so he would just shove meds down his throught, instead of talking with his son.

rich and suburban or poor and urban, we're all humans. They may not have it bad in the same manner you or I do but, clearly, they will still feel emotions. How dare you think you have it bad as an urbanite when we don't have it that bad in comparison to poor third world countries. There is always better, and certainly always worse for any situation. Money doesnt buy genuine happiness.

CaptainTeebs...how tough is your life?

I'm-a guess that you are homeless, and posted from a public library, right?

Sure you are...

I should point at that the majority of suburbanites in SoCal are NOT rich. They are lower-middle-class folks who are trying very hard to live as though they are rich. There is a BIG difference.

Life shouldn't be measured by how much stuff we own or are privileged too.

Yeah, I know what you mean and I had a hard time feeling compassion for any of them if it wasn't for Lou Taylor Pucci being so geekishly cute, although I hated his character for trying to kill that poor kid. I had absolutely no compassion for most of them because they were scumbags. The parents were the typical sketchers who were so wrapped up in their own lives to even care what happened to their children. I guess this is why suburbia/urban life differs so much from say, country life. It's a rat race out there, the worker bee must work hard to bring home the honey, and many jobs require overtime....which is a detrimental loss of home time.

Meh, didn't matter if this film was based upon some dirty reservation or ghetto... I still would have little compassion for people who make the wrong choices in life and then blame everyone else for their problems or let their offspring go through the same cycle of crap. Though, it's worse having spoiled or well off brats act like the world is all theirs and constantly ruin it for others. I just find it hard to relate to characters like that even though they are simply mirrors of our society that is full of dysfunctional family units. Everyone is too busy watching TV or on the computer to actually converse with other family members or their lives are just too busy being that there's not much free time left.

The problem with movies like this is that they tend to portray the parents like cardboard cutouts; unfeeling, thickheaded, and always clueless...like stupid androids. Granted a lot of parents are like that, but I'm guessing these movies wish to portray the children as victims of inexperienced and/or just bad parenting. When you think about it, did our own parents do all the right things and do we have the proper strategy to raise a family of our own being that there's no one book to apply in every situation? I don't know if it's a good idea to whitewash the youth into thinking our parents are retarded, but hey, some really are! I know why this movie is compared to Donnie Darko, likely because of sketchy parents, otherwise I have no idea unless it's because of the funny sounding monologue of the chumscrubber druggie - Troy got what he deserved by placing chit in the hands of those who didn't need it. Yeah, I know the movie was about the sticky tentacles of the evil pharma and the typical family breakdown, and Troy was no different than the doctor who slipped him the mind drugs, but Troy on a rope was a deed well done in my book.

The worse annoying character was Crystal... was she really necessary to the plot? Oh, that's right, a sympathetic follower character... perfect addition to stir the pot right full of suburban losers. So sympathetic that she lets the kidnapped kid have a cigarette and uses him to make her boyfriend mad. Keep in mind, she was a useless dealer like Troy and the others and guilty by association with the kidnapping. Whoa...flashbacks from Alpha Dog. Drugs are bad, mmmk?

Realism people, realism....how about some realism without going over the cliff? Well, face the facts, most family units are faulty and the prognosis on society is very, very bleak. Keep your children and pets indoors after 8 pm. Remember to wash your damn hands before venturing out in public, so others don't crowd the local ER for a cough or runny nose. For gawdsakes, please don't try on pants, skirts, and other bottoms while wearing dirty or no undergarments. Got germs? Don't share! If you're mad, don't shoot everyone else! Road rage and rage itself is a joke or more like a weakness. Do us kids have to teach you slow adults everything?! The point of this movie is to show the increasing decay of society's moral fabric. How parents can be easily distracted from parenting when trying to bring in a paycheck and the kids can be easily distracted from learning by doing drugs and playing video games. How many more films are needed before attitudes change?! People are so worried about leaving us a cleaner planet (ppssshhh, what a joke how most recyclables end up in refuse bins instead and thanks for saving fuel AKA non-renewable resources!), but how about leaving us with some fellow youth without emotional/mental issues from a less than decent upbringing? Yeah, thought so. Leave work at work and give the LCD screens a break once in a while....let's all talk and bond for freaksakes (no, silly creep, not at bars) and get some exercise. There are a lot of chubs these days. Get active, live a better life, and share the positive vibes! Meep meep!


Four out of five doctors agree that I am actually crazy hot!! ;)~~