Horrible poster. Ugh. Who would see the movie based on the poster? Oh, you marketing people. You are not artists, and it SHOWS. 99 Homes is a doozy, and people should see it. It’s not perfect, but it’s a relentless doozy! Director Ramin Bahrani takes on a big big topic, and goes after it.
Ramin Bahrani is a really interesting film-maker and I highly recommend you checking out Chop Shop, Man Push Cart and Goodbye Solo (My review here). His latest film, 99 Homes is the first to star name actors (Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, and Andrew Garfield). They’re all excellent.
I saw this one at Ebertfest, with Ramin Bahrani and Noah Lomax in attendance.
The poster sucks but Michael Shannon looks like one of those bonkers baroque statues of a demon or Hercules or something and I approve of that heartily.
Bonkers and Baroque being properties of Michael Shannon in general rather than anything the poster brings to the game!
Shannon is definitely Bonkers and Baroque in this!
He’s so good in it! Favorite detail (mentioned in review): his electric cigarette.
Wow what a movie!
Documentary feel, many of the “actors”, from the people being evicted to Rick Carver’s clean-up crew, were non-pros basically playing themselves, and this made the movie feel incredibly real. I loved Laura Dern, and Andrew Garfield was great too.
But Michael Shannon’s Rick Carver is one of the most fascinating movie characters I have seen in years. He has been labeled a Monster with a capital “M” in most of the reviews I have read, but I think that is way too simple.
Isn’t he really just a smart survivor? He certainly didn’t create the messed up system he finds himself a part of. He just figured out a way to exploit the situation for his own gain. Isn’t that the American way? With a slight rewrite he would be the Gordon Gekko like hero of the film. The movie does not choose to Glorify capitalism, which makes it feel almost Un-American. It’s like a gut-punch.
The movie makes it feel like the current state of the Country is kill or be killed, and in that scenario, isn’t it better to be Carver?
I can’t stop thinking about that character, need to watch it again!
// He has been labeled a Monster with a capital “M” in most of the reviews I have read, but I think that is way too simple. //
Me too.
I didn’t label him a monster in my review – he says himself that once upon a time he put people INTO homes, now he gets them OUT of their homes – and is that his fault? The system created him. It’s not his fault that the economy tanked – and when things fall apart, people will survive any way possible. Fantastic character. (My mother, a realtor, knows men like him – she had a couple of great stories about people who do jobs like that.)
I loved his lack of attachments (ironically) – he made tons of money but he didn’t really care about it. I mean, his houses were anonymous McMansions – he had barely moved in – because who cares? He’ll get a better house next month. He was so clearly working-class – which I also thought was perfect. It’s a very specific world Bahrani was targeting – have you seen his other films, Todd? I recommend all of them.
I agree, too, that all of the ancillary characters – the guy who flips out at the end, the people getting evicted – all of them were incredible. The guys in the sheriff’s department overseeing the evictions were actually sheriffs who did those jobs in real-life – and I think that helps with those scenes feeling like documentaries.
I also just loved the electric cigarette detail. Unexpected – but so real because of that. You’d expect that guy to be a chain-smoker.
Hi, you’re one of the few reviewers that actually GOT that characters’ humanity. You even used the phrase “tender”. Such an interesting character and performance. I haven’t seen Bahrani’s other films ( though ive been aware of them) but will seek them out now.
Chop Shop is great – Goodbye Solo is wonderful (feels a bit like a departure for him, but I absolutely loved it) – I just watched one he directed with Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron and the title now escapes me but it was excellent. He’s definitely interested in politics and economics.
and yeah: he definitely isn’t presented as a villain. Methinks people’s delicate liberal sensibilities blind them to the fact that everyone – even that guy – has their reasons. I loved his shark-eyes, too. Hard to picture anyone other than Michael Shannon in that role, right?
At Any Price is the name of the Efron movie; I have heard good things about that too.
Michael Shannon is a great actor, and no, I CANNOT picture anybody else in that role. He IS Rick Carver, forever more. I really think that is one of the more fascinating movie characters I have seen in years.
I totally agree. Bahrani told a great story about that first opening shot in 99 Homes (I saw it at Ebertfest, and Bahrani was there, as well as the little kid who played Garfield’s son). Bahrani knew he wanted to do it all in one take – and that’s a crazy shot. Michael Shannon – used to much bigger productions by that point – was hesitant at first and said to Bahrani – “You’re not gonna do any coverage on this??” Like: cover me, cover me!!
But the end result is so brilliant – and Shannon so glides through that shot like a shark – he owns it. I love how that shot ends, too – taking us out to his car.
So well done.
and yes – At Any Price. Really good!!
Great opening shot, I agree, really sets the tone. And I love what he says to the Cop as he walks out, something along the lines of (and I am completely paraphrasing) ” Is there any statement I could make that would adequately express the fucked-upedness of the current situation”.
Anyway, that was the sentiment, and as his first lines I think sets the stage for his character. As in, “Don’t blame me, I didn’t create the situation, I’m only doing my job.”
I also read that Shannon ad-libbed some of the movie’s more delicious quotes. He flat out owned that role.
This wasn’t just a great movie, but also I think an important one.
GREAT interview with Shannon on the role:
http://www.ew.com/article/2014/09/12/michael-shannon-99-homes
Thanks, Todd – will read it!