99 Homes Review

99 Homes is a scathing thriller that kicks off with an intensity unmatched by the rest of the film. The early eviction of Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield, in a role that is thankfully not Spiderman) is brilliantly done, the frustration, embarrassment, and eventual acceptance of the situation captured perfectly by Garfield and Laura Dern; on the other side, Michael Shannon establishes himself as a force to be reckoned with right off the bat, and his character–Rick Carver–is the most fun to watch throughout. As for director Ramin Bahrani, he keeps the camera moving, doubling down on certain beats in order to hit us hard with the story. “How would you act in this situation?” he asks.

Unfortunately, this approach only works for the first third of the film, and it’s up to the actors to elevate an increasingly melodramatic, forced, and meandering script. The ending sequence in particular ruins much of the goodwill I have toward the movie, and it’s a case of Bahrani taking his thriller desires to the extreme. Overall, it’s a solid approach to an interesting topic, but the execution is botched.

GRADE: B-

Photo credit: 99 Homes, Image Nation

Tags: 99 Homes, 99 Homes ending analysis final shot boy in car window, 99 Homes review, Andrew Garfield Dennis Nash 99 Homes, Connor Nash Dennis son 99 homes, Dennis loses court case eviction 99 Homes, Dennis Nash buying back family home 99 Homes, Dennis Nash family moving into motel room 99 Homes, Dennis Nash Rick Carver eviction scene 99 Homes, Dennis Nash stealing from homes evictions 99 Homes, Dennis repairman construction Rick Carver Realty 99 Homes, Dennis Rick Carver forged document court eviction 99 Homes, Dennis sells family home buys new house 99 Homes, Financial housing crisis 99 Homes, Frank Greene shootout gun scene eviction 99 Homes ending, Laura Dern Lynn Nash mother 99 Homes, Michael Shannon Rick Carver Best Supporting Actor awards nominations 99 Homes, Ramin Bahrani director 99 Homes, Rick Carver Michael Shannon smoking e cigarette 99 Homes