Plot
A father struggles to get back the home that his family was evicted from by working for the greedy real estate broker who's the source of his frustration.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 7.1/10 (748 voted)
Critic's Score: 71/100
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern
Storyline
Around the world everyone knows that honest hard work gets you nowhere. In sunny Orlando, Florida, construction worker Dennis Nash learns this the hard way when he is evicted from his home by a charismatic, gun-toting real-estate broker, Rick Carver. Humiliated and homeless, Nash has no choice but to move his mom and nine-year old son into a shabby, dangerous motel. All is lost. Until an unexpected opportunity arises for Nash to strike a deal with the devil - he begins working for Carver in a desperate attempt to get his home back. Carver seduces Nash into a risky world of scamming and stealing from the banks and the government; he teaches Nash how the rich get richer. Living a double life, Nash hides his new boss and job from his family. He rises fast and makes real money; he dreams bigger. But there is a cost. On Carver's orders, Nash must evict honest families from their homes - just as it happened to him. Nash's conscience starts tearing him apart... but his son needs a home. In a...
Writers: Ramin Bahrani, Ramin Bahrani
Cast: Andrew Garfield -
Dennis Nash
Michael Shannon -
Rick Carver
Laura Dern -
Lynn Nash
Clancy Brown -
Mr. Freeman
Tim Guinee -
Frank Green
J.D. Evermore -
Mr. Tanner
Yvonne Landry -
Frank's Neighbor
Noah Lomax -
Connor Nash
Nicole Barré -
Nicole Carver
Cullen Moss -
Bill
Wayne Pére -
Frank's Lawyer
Judd Lormand -
Mr. Hester
Donna Duplantier -
Mrs. Tidwell
Jordyn McDempsey -
Mrs. Tidwell's Daughter
Gus Rhodes -
Neighbor
Trivia:
This is the first time Andrew Garfield has grown a beard for a film. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 10/10
"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 trait 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-wrench, 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.
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 at a
severe cost. Nash's choices and inner struggle is 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.
Garfield may be know for his role as afflicted teen Peter Parker or
Spider-Man by many, while audiences may know Shannon best for his
villainous turn as General Zod in the recent Superman reboot Man of
Steel. The best part about watching 99 Homes is analyzing these men,
and seeing them transform before our eyes into the demons that haunt
the streets and doorsteps of everyday people. Sheltered in our own
little seats and watching the unfortunate tragedy unfold on-screen,
this compassionate slice of other people's reality is one of the most
engaging features of 2014. Founded on concrete performances, sturdy
direction and a narrative with a good roof on its head, 99 Homes is
built to last.
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