99 Homes

Name: 99 Homes
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: September 25, 2015
Duration: 112 min
Rating: 76
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Clancy Brown, Laura Dern, Michael Shannon, Noah Lomax

2015

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Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 95 Ratings

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7.7

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99 Homes

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Movie Details & Credits

Broad Green Pictures | Release Date: September 25, 2015 | R

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Clancy Brown, Laura Dern, Michael Shannon, Noah Lomax

Summary: Charismatic and ruthless businessman Rick Carver (Michael Shannon), is making a killing by repossessing homes - gaming the real estate market, Wall Street banks and the US government. When he evicts Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield), a single father trying to care for his mother (Laura Dern) and young son (Noah Lomax), Nash becomes so desperateCharismatic and ruthless businessman Rick Carver (Michael Shannon), is making a killing by repossessing homes - gaming the real estate market, Wall Street banks and the US government. When he evicts Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield), a single father trying to care for his mother (Laura Dern) and young son (Noah Lomax), Nash becomes so desperate to provide for his family that he goes to work for Carver – the very man who evicted him in the first place. Carver promises Nash a way to regain his home and earn security for his family, but slyly seduces him into a lifestyle of wealth and glamour. It is a deal-with-the-devil that comes with an increasingly high cost - on Carver's orders, Nash must evict families from their homes. As Nash falls deeper into Carver's web, he finds his situation grows more brutal and dangerous than he ever imagined.… Expand

Director: Ramin Bahrani

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 112 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Steve Persall

Oct 8, 2015

99 Homes combines the insight of documentary filmmaking with a thriller's urgency, opening our eyes to a complex, real-life tragedy while keeping it entertaining. Read full review

The Playlist Jessica Kiang

Sep 1, 2014

99 Homes is by no means a perfect film, but it can achieve something more precious, and rarer than glossy perfection: it can take you by the shoulders and shake the apathy and complacency away. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Sheila O'Malley

Sep 25, 2015

Michael Shannon is both ruthless and strangely tender in his seemingly irredeemable character. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Sep 1, 2014

This is a tough, muscular, idealistic drama that packs a mighty punch, and Shannon and Garfield are excellent. Read full review

Alan Scherstuhl

Sep 22, 2015

The film is more closing argument than portrait of life in the downturn, but it's thrillingly vigorous in its damning. Read full review

Stephanie Merry

Oct 1, 2015

99 Homes isn’t just a straightforward drama. It’s a suspense movie. Read full review

Marc Savlov

Oct 7, 2015

Iwish I could say 99 Homes delivers a shockingly good sucker punch to the American electorate and a stand-up-and-cheer piece of socially conscious filmmaking, but it’s not. It lacks the satisfactory denouement of, for instance, Michael Mann’s The Insider (and Garfield is no Russell Crowe), in part because the events it depicts are still happening across the country (albeit to a lesser extent). Read full review

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NightReviews

Feb 3, 2016

“America doesn’t bail out losers. America bails out winners.” How is that for an American dream motto? This axiom, among many others presented in the film, is the foundation as the blood-splattered frames of Ramin Bahrani’s latest offering begin to roll.

The blood is from a homeowner“America doesn’t bail out losers. America bails out winners.” How is that for an American dream motto? This axiom, among many others presented in the film, is the foundation as the blood-splattered frames of Ramin Bahrani’s latest offering begin to roll.

The blood is from a homeowner who’d rather kill himself than be kicked out of his home by realtor Rick Carver (Michael Shannon). More of a preying vulture than empathetic human being, Carver shows no sympathy for the man who took his life instead of giving up his family home –an attitude we believe he has for everyone.

Bahrani, a prolific American independent director, is known for focusing on strong characters. Highly secretive and mostly broken individuals, the challenges and obstacles many of his protagonists face are mapped out and executed in unique but usually tragic ways. His expertise is focusing more on the formula of their progression than the final outcome. With 99 Homes, Bahrani switches gears, focusing more on the narrative and development of the story, rather than his deep, often slow, evolution of memorable characters.

Thankfully, Bahrani doesn’t exactly abandon ship in his character building philosophy with his main protagonist and antagonist in the film. He is able to put more focus on his narrative and visual style here, thanks to actor Shannon, who helps maintain the flow of Carver as well as the people around him. For the most part, character-driven directors find it difficult to give all creative energy to their actors, especially after building up a filmography that shows his obsession with leading his main men. But with an actor like Shannon, one of the most confident and reliable actors working today, Bahrani needs not have this fear of relinquishing control of character development. In fact, Shannon’s understanding of Carver’s journey and discreet choices of dialogue, begs the question if Bahrani could have achieved this character development on his own?

Bahrani’s protagonist is Dennis Nash, played wonderfully by Andrew Garfield. Garfield, who was one of the few fortunate Hollywood actors to grace the stage with the legendary Philip Seymour Hoffman on the Broadway stint of Death of a Salesman, seems to have absorbed much of the acting genius of the late Hoffman. Holding his own against a larger than life acting force that is Shannon, Garfield’s Nash allows himself to feed off Carver’s greed and sinisterly convincing monologues with scenes of heart-wrenching grit and sensitivity.

99 Homes shouldn’t be described as the typical tour-de-force, but more of a tour-de-fact cinematic achievement. The filmmaker, whose adamant cinematic attitude is almost non-apologetic on-screen, choosing to highlight a truly sad time in American history. Set in Florida in 2010, when homes were being repossessed by the bank for every chime of the clock on the wall, the film shows a raw portrait of every family’s worst nightmare; a moment of complete vulnerability and uncertainty–being left on the side of the road, with all you’re worldly possessions sitting on the lawn.

As troubling as it sounds, some of the best scenes of the film are when people are evicted from their homes. Beginning with Nash, his mother Lynn Nash (Laura Dern) and son Connor (Noah Lomax), and ranging from young, old, non-English speaking, accepting, and manic; the film shows the different shades of people, sometimes dangerous and always desperate.
99homes1

Nash, a general contractor who never sits at the wayside, becomes a true character of action. The determination of Dennis Nash, thanks to the convincing acting of Garfield, is a little glimmer of hope that man is able to triumph over the recklessness of society’s actions, but sometimes at a severe cost. Nash’s choices and inner struggles are a sharp and dangerous double-edged sword. Nash is a truly tormented moral character who, through his journey of self-discovery, wealth and pain, always draws on the most basic human elements. The biggest question Bahrani leaves audiences with is, “what would you do if you were left in the same situation?”

Possibly the most commercial of his work thus far, the director of Chop Shop, Man Push Cart, At Any Cost and my personal favourite Goodbye Solo, does a magnificent job of juggling the moral and ethical lines of his characters, allowing the audience to ask itself the same questions the characters are asking themselves as the film progresses. This fine element of 99 Homes keeps Bahrani’s tradition of bustlingly tragic and anguished characters alive with vivid, exciting, and mostly unpredictable results.

99 Homes is one of the most complete and appealing films of Bahrani’s career. Engaging enough for causal movie-goers, and enough to chew for veteran nit-picking cinephiles, the film is easily one of the most compelling films at TIFF.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

Vadertime

Apr 11, 2016

I really like Michael Shannon. He was great as General Zod in Man of Steel and he is excellent in this movie as an opportunistic foreclosure specialist in the REO industry. On the other hand, Andrew Garfield's performance was shaky at best, because it seemed like he was trying to hard. LauraI really like Michael Shannon. He was great as General Zod in Man of Steel and he is excellent in this movie as an opportunistic foreclosure specialist in the REO industry. On the other hand, Andrew Garfield's performance was shaky at best, because it seemed like he was trying to hard. Laura Dern plays a lesser character in the movie, but should have been given a greater role and more depth to her character. It's a good movie and it's well made. Definitely worth the watch.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

SomePersona

Feb 4, 2017

Excellent screenplay and amazing performances. Unfortunately, the movie looks kind of bleh, and there is nothing very special about the cinematography, the editing, or even at times, the direction. But it has an awesome screenplay and a great cast which brings it up a lot.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TVJerry

Oct 15, 2015

After a single father (Andrew Garfield) loses his family home during the foreclosure crisis, he attempts to regain his financial footing by working for the man who actually evicted him (Michael Shannon). The ethically complex world of home repossession frames the film's discussion, but theAfter a single father (Andrew Garfield) loses his family home during the foreclosure crisis, he attempts to regain his financial footing by working for the man who actually evicted him (Michael Shannon). The ethically complex world of home repossession frames the film's discussion, but the father's moral dilemna drives the drama. Garfield and Shannon both create compelling characters and the scenes of families being evicted are heartbreaking. An absorbing drama.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Proteus

Oct 10, 2015

Who knew there were this many irresponsible homeowners in America? The movie presents the poor homeowners who get evicted as victims but we know much better than that. Every one could have moved out and into an apartment months before the evictions took place. But that wouldn't make a good story.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

Q8MarrongGlace

Mar 10, 2016

H O M E

Your own country within a country This movie touches every person who knows or tries to live without a home , this movie talks about one of the most important issue , I really respect the cast & crew for all the work they done to see that story in a most amazing and realisticH O M E

Your own country within a country

This movie touches every person who knows or tries to live without a home , this movie talks about one of the most important issue , I really respect the cast & crew for all the work they done to see that story in a most amazing and realistic acting and performance and the emotional that reflect the real world and how unfair it is . its one of my favorite movies that I won't forget.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

hotfromcauldron

Oct 15, 2015

99 homes sit on a street- 99 homes on a street -if one of them haps to foreclose -98 homes before I doze.
Greed and corruption and the American dream should make for an exciting blueprint - like Boiler Room and Margin Call. But once you’ve seen the opening five minutes of this film -99 homes sit on a street- 99 homes on a street -if one of them haps to foreclose -98 homes before I doze.
Greed and corruption and the American dream should make for an exciting blueprint - like Boiler Room and Margin Call. But once you’ve seen the opening five minutes of this film - there’s nothing to phone home about. As the middle class learns a house is not a home. And the cookie cutter arc of the lead character - a man torn between putting a roof over his family and living with himself makes for a weak foundation to support this ninety minute house of cards.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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