Entertainment
Forgotten, Unseen Coen Brothers Comedy Is Their Most Polarizing Effort
By Robert Scucci
| Published
It’s never fun when brilliant filmmakers like the Coen brothers swing for the fences and miss. In the case of 2017’s Suburbicon, the fences are of the white picket variety, and George Clooney handled co-writing and directorial duties. The result of this collaboration is two completely different films jammed into one, making for an interesting experiment in social satire that never quite feels satisfying.
Suburbicon was originally penned by the Coen brothers shortly after Blood Simple made its rounds in 1985. The project was conceived as a murder mystery set in an idyllic suburb, but it took on a completely different tone once George Clooney became involved. Clooney’s contributions to the script include a storyline about a Black family moving into an all white neighborhood in the 1950s, and dealing with the kind of racial fallout you’d expect when their new neighbors don’t take too kindly to their presence.
While both stories are solid in their own right and very well could have succeeded as separate films, Suburbicon ultimately misses the mark because they never fully converge. The result feels like two separate movies limping past the finish line instead of effectively getting their points across.
A Murder Mystery And A New Family On The Block
The primary story in Suburbicon centers on the Lodge family. Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) and his wife Rose (Julianne Moore) initially appear to be your typical American family. They project a happy marriage, and their son Nicky (Noah Jupe) is a picture-perfect child living in suburbia. Always present at the Lodge household is Rose’s identical twin sister, Margaret (Julianne Moore), who is romantically entangled with Gardner.
One night, hitmen Ira Sloan (Glenn Fleshler) and Louis (Alex Hassell) break into the Lodge residence, though their intent remains dubious at this point in the film. They chloroform the family to subdue them, but end up giving Rose, who is a paraplegic, a fatal dose, leaving Nicky without a mother. In the weeks and months that follow, Margaret begins dressing and acting like Rose, slowly infiltrating the Lodge family as if she had always been the matriarch.
The family is later brought into the police station to identify the men who destroyed their lives. Nicky is certain that the men who killed his mother are in the lineup. Gardner outright denies they are the same men, and Margaret follows suit. The entire situation doesn’t sit right with Nicky, and it is only a matter of time before the truth rears its ugly head.
Meanwhile, the Mayers family, who are Black, move into the Suburbicon subdivision and are met with immediate backlash. Nicky befriends Andy Mayers (Tony Espinosa), and the two get along just fine. Andy’s mother (Karimah Westbrook) and father (Leith Burke), however, are subjected to discrimination and cruelty from neighbors who want their community to remain all white. The racial tension ultimately boils over into a riot fueled by good old fashioned family racism, while the murder mystery at the Lodge residence continues to unfold with disastrous results.
Two Different Movies Trying To Be One
Both stories in Suburbicon work well on their own, but things get messy when they are forced together. The entire time I was watching the film, I kept waiting for both narratives to intersect in a meaningful way during the third act, and they technically do. However, that intersection feels forced through the film’s satire, resulting in a sloppy resolution. This is frustrating because the social commentary is all there, and the second and third acts could have been structured differently to tell a more cohesive story.
If the Coen brothers and George Clooney had wanted to fully commit to the satire and push Suburbicon into outright absurd territory, they could have pulled it off in the same way they did with O Brother, Where Art Thou?
A white family suffers a fatal home invasion at the same time a Black family moves into the neighborhood, even though we know the culprits behind the invasion are clearly white. The community then leans into racism by inventing a correlation and letting their imaginations spiral. We get traces of that idea in Suburbicon, but for it to land properly, the murder mystery would need to take the back seat.
By the same token, in order to fully explore the murder mystery, the racial commentary would need to be scaled back. Suburbicon suffers, and ultimately fails, because it does not know which lane to stay in, and even worse, it does not know when or how those lanes should intersect to create a sharp, effective satire that effectively explores both sides of the coin it’s tossing into the air.
Suburbicon boasts all the Coen brothers flair we have come to know and love over the decades, but it plays more like a proof of concept than a fully realized film. It never feels completely fleshed out. Instead, it comes across like their script was thrown into a blender with George Clooney’s, splattered onto a storyboard, and then rushed into production once Clooney said “action.”
As of this writing, Suburbicon is streaming for free on Pluto TV.
Entertainment
When will Wicked: For Good be streaming? What to know to watch it at home.
Table of Contents
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande returned to the big screen to conclude Elphaba and Glinda’s story this past fall with Wicked: For Good.
Directed by Jon M. Chu once again, Wicked: For Good continues the story from the Broadway musical adaptation Wicked, which absolutely dominated the box office in 2024. Part one also picked up 10 Academy Award nominations, winning two for production design and costume design, and setting the bar extremely high for part two.
Besides Erivo and Grande, Wicked: For Good also stars Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, and Marissa Bode. It hit theaters in November 2025 and is now officially available to watch at home. Here’s everything you need to know to tune in — including when and where it’s streaming.
What is Wicked: For Good about?
Wicked: For Good picks up where Wicked leaves off — in the wake of Elphaba’s (Erivo) showdown with the Wizard of Oz (Goldblum). Having been labeled as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba now lives in hiding. Glinda, on the other hand, has become a symbol of good as well as a public figure. Glinda hopes to protect Elphaba from an actual witch hunt, all the while, an outsider (Dorothy) arrives in Oz. The second act follows Dorothy and her Yellow Brick Road-trekking pals from the perspective of Elphaba.
Check out the official trailer below.
Is Wicked: For Good worth watching?
It’s tough for a sequel to live up to its predecessor, and Wicked: For Good struggles to match the magic of the first movie. On Rotten Tomatoes, for instance, Wicked holds an 88 percent critic score. Wicked: For Good, on the other hand, holds just a 66 percent. Audiences are pretty enthralled with both, though. Both films have over a 90 percent audience rating, though many people have debated whether two separate films were necessary in the first place.
“In the end, Wicked: For Good is sure to enthrall fans of the Broadway show, the first movie, and just about anyone who loves a splashy movie musical. Despite its faults, it’s still good,” writes Mashable’s entertainment editor, Kristy Puchko.
Check out our full review of Wicked: For Good.
How to watch Wicked: For Good at home
Credit: Universal Pictures
There are now a few different ways you can watch Wicked: For Good at home. You can buy it or rent it at digital-on-demand retailers for as low as $19.99, or you can stream it on Peacock. See the details below.
Mashable Top Stories
Buy or rent it on digital
Wicked’s second act is available as of Dec. 30, 2025, to buy or rent at digital-on-demand retailers. If you choose to rent, you’ll get 30 days to watch the film and just 48 hours to finish it once you start. If you choose to buy it instead, then it’s yours to keep with no watch limits.
Here are some quick links to rent or purchase the film:
Stream it on Peacock
Following the same timeline as its predecessor, Wicked: For Good will start streaming on Peacock on March 20, 2026. That’s almost exactly a year to the day since Wicked part one made its streaming debut.
If you don’t have a Peacock subscription, you can sign up for $10.99 per month with ads or $16.99 per month without. Before you get ahead of yourself, though, be sure to check out the best ways to save some money on a subscription below.
The best Peacock streaming deals
Best Peacock deal: Save 17% on an annual subscription
$109.99 per year or $169.99 per year (save 17%)
The best Peacock deal for most folks is the annual subscription deal. You’ll get 12 months of streaming for the price of 10 by paying for a year upfront. That’s a total of $109.99 with ads (which breaks down to just $9.17 per month compared to $10.99) or $169.99 without ads (which breaks down to $14.16 per month compared to $16.99). That’s about $21.89 in savings on the ad-supported tier or $33.89 on the ad-free tier.
Best Peacock deal for Xfinity customers: free Peacock Premium for eligible accounts
Credit: Peacock / Xfinity
Free for select Xfinity customers
Xfinity customers should check the eligibility details below before signing up for Peacock, as you might be able to score a subscription for free. Check out the breakdown of who is eligible to get Peacock for free through Xfinity below (or head to Xfinity.com for more details).
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Xfinity Internet customers who are Diamond or Platinum Xfinity Rewards members can get Peacock Premium for free by redeeming a reward for it. Sign in at xfinity.com/rewards and choose Peacock as a reward. Then, wait for your email (it may take a few hours) with instructions on activating the offer.
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NOW TV customers can also receive Peacock Premium as part of their service.
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New customers with Xfinity Internet and an X1 TV Box, Flex streaming TV Box, or a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity can get Peacock Premium for free for six months.
Best Peacock deal for students and young adults: Save $5/month for one year
$5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month)
$5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month)
Students and young adults can save $5 per month on a Peacock Premium subscription all year long. Just verify your student status via SheerID and retrieve the unique promo code to knock the cost down to just $5.99 instead of $10.99. Note that after the promo year is up, you’ll be charged full price again unless you cancel.
Best for first responders, medical professionals, military, and teachers: Save $4/month
$6.99 per month (save $4 per month)
$6.99 per month (save $4 per month)
$6.99/month (save $4 per month)
First responders, medical professionals, military personnel, and teachers can all secure a Peacock Premium subscription (with ads) for a discounted rate of $6.99 per month by verifying their professional status via SheerID. Unlike the student deal, however, it’s not limited to a year. Those who continue to meet verification qualifications can renew their subscription at a discounted rate each year — although you may have to go through the verification process each time and receive a new promo code. Rates are also subject to change year to year.
Best for Instacart users: free Peacock Premium for Instacart+ subscribers
Credit: Instacart / Peacock
Free for Instacart+ subscribers (save $109.99/year)
An Instacart+ membership ($99.99 per year) unlocks a free Peacock Premium subscription ($109.99 per year value) on top of free grocery delivery, lower fees, and credit back on eligible pickup orders. Plus, if you’re new to Instacart+, you’ll get a free two-week trial to kick things off. Just be sure to cancel before you’re charged the full amount — do yourself a favor and set a calendar alert.
Best for Walmart shoppers: free Peacock Premium for Walmart+ members
Walmart now offers Walmart+ members the ability to choose Peacock Premium (or Paramount+) as a free perk. A $109.99 value, your $98 Walmart+ membership is already a better deal than paying for Peacock on its own. Add in free shipping (with no order minimums), fuel discounts, a Scan & Go checkout tool, and early access to deals during Walmart’s major shopping events, and you’ve got yourself a pretty sweet subscription. Amazon Prime who?
UPDATE: Feb. 9, 2026, 11:51 a.m. This article has been updated with new streaming details.
Entertainment
Sukhie’s Lipstick Trick Is Too Good
Do you have a holy-grail beauty product or trick? A few months back, Joanna shared five products she swears by, and it got us thinking about the tried-and-true favorites we’re devoted to: the nail polish we go back to over and over again; the world’s best-smelling sunscreen; that one little tip that totally changed the way we do our hair (for me, it was this post!). This week, after seeing Sukhie Patel’s gorgeous lipstick on Instagram, we asked her to share her secrets. And boy did she deliver…
Sukhie’s lipstick trick: “I apply a thin layer of Anastasia Lipstick in American Doll, blur the edges around my lip line with my pinkie, then add a layer of Weleda Skin Food, which keeps my lips moisturized all day.” How gorgeous is the effect?
The duo works for blush, too. “Next, on the back of my hand, I mix a tiny dollop of Skin Food with liquid lipstick, and dab it on my cheeks for a sheer, glossy blush that inherently compliments my lips,” says Sukhie. “Finally, I add a couple dots of plain Skin Food to the tops of my cheekbones as a highlighter — et voila.”
How about her runners up? “My magical mousse for curly hair gwôrls: Evo Whip It Good — I even buy travel bottles for work trips. Plus, skin scrubby mitts, the bulk bag of Epsom salts (16 oz tins in this economy?!), Clinique bottom lash mascara that gives a kitten flick at the corners of your lashes and doubles as an eyebrow gel; and using my electric toothbrush in the shower to combat sensory challenges.”
Thank you, Sukhie!
Do you have a favorite product or trick? In the past, we asked folks about their beauty uniforms. Now we want to know about your heroes: those few things you will love forever. More posts like this coming up soon. xo
P.S. Sukhie’s week of outfits, and the random $10 beauty product we swear by.
Entertainment
How to unblock Pornhub for free in Texas
TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Texas with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.
More than a third of U.S. states have introduced age verification laws for online adult content, including Texas. In response, Pornhub banned access for users in those locations. That means millions of users in Texas are now unable to access Pornhub.
There are complicated reasons for this restriction, but the workaround is simple. If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Texas, we have all the information you need.
How to unblock Pornhub for free in Texas
VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.
Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:
Mashable Trend Report
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Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub
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Visit Pornhub
$139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for Pornhub?
ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
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Fast streaming speeds free from throttling
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Up to eight simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Unblock Pornhub for free in Texas with ExpressVPN.
When will Wicked: For Good be streaming? What to know to watch it at home.
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