Plot: What’s it about?
Sadly one of the most underrated films of 2015, 99 Homes showcases another winning performance from Michael Shannon and gives Andrew Garfield a chance to shine as well. After having his home foreclosed on, Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) begins working for Rick Carver (Michael Shannon). The interesting twist here is that Carver is the man who evicted Nash out of his home. Dennis Nash is a single father who also supports his mother, Lynn (Laura Dern). Dennis is told that he has 30 days to file an appeal, but is given surprised when Carver, along with a couple of police officers show up at his home to evict him at that very moment. It’s a harsh reality, and it’s carried over the entire film. We learn that Nash is a pretty versatile handyman as he can do plumbing, roofing and electric work to name a few. It doesn’t take long for Dennis to become Rick’s assistant. We get many scenes of Nash and his crew looking for vacated houses, stealing water pumps from houses and even AC units. These scenes prove to be very effective, especially since Dennis has a lot of empathy for the people he’s evicting since he was in nearly the exact same situation not long before.
During his commentary on this disc, Director Ramin Bahrani tells us that he wanted to leave many things open to interpretation with the film’s ending. He mentions that emotionally it’s where it needs to be, but specifics are left for us to decide. While I can appreciate that aspect, the ending is where Homes falls a bit short. I’ll tread the waters carefully to avoid spoilers, but it just doesn’t sit well. It feels a bit of a cop-out since we’ve invested so much time with these two characters to just end it the way it does. It isn’t a deal breaker, however, as the film is well worth watching, and arguably one of 2015’s finest efforts. I had the chance to see it in theaters during the brief run, but I’m assuming it flew under many people’s radar. What’s so interesting is that Nash pretty much starts out as our leading man, a likeable guy who’s just having some troubles financially. He quickly become the thing he hated. It poses a moral dilemma and lets us form out own opinions on it.
Performances are spot on as Shannon plays Carver as something of a sleaze ball, but is able to keep his cool under pressure. Garfield deserves much credit as well. Nash is very much a good guy just trying to provide for his mom and child, but is guilt-ridden with a good conscience. We learn pieces of these two characters as the film progresses, but I would’ve liked a bit more. We hear snippets about Nash’s wife, but never really learn what happened to her. We get some of Carver’s background (he was involved in real estate), but the film could’ve provided a little more details there. Still, there’s enough character development to get us to care and the plot may even hit close to home for some people.
Video: How’s it look?
The film might not be the flashiest, but this transfer was never less than fantastic. The film takes place in Florida, and that lends itself nicely to the HD format as the background shots are often finely detailed and pleasing to the eye. The wrinkles on some of the actor’s faces also come through strongly. All in all, the transfer will be more than pleasing to fans of the film. The image is AVC encoded with a 2.40:1 ratio.
Audio: How’s it sound?
We get a DTS track that’s also pleasing, but admittedly the film is mostly dialogue driven. Still, there’s little reason to complain as the vocals shine through and it serves the film as it should. There are occasional instances of background noise that come through nicely as well.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – This is a very strong track from the Director. Many topics are covered here. The film is dedicated to the late Roger Ebert, and Bahrani shares some interesting notes about how he knew Ebert and feel he would be pleased with the film.
- Deleted Scenes – Strangely, this comes after the commentary track and closing credits of the film. It can’t be accessed from the special features menu. Despite that annoyance, it’s a decent scene, but Bahrani provides commentary over it, so we really don’t get to see it on its own.
The Bottom Line
Sadly overlooked, hopefully 99 Homes will attract an audience on the Home Video format. Despite a disappointing ending, the film has an intriguing plot and some great performances. It resonates long after it has ended and therefor comes highly recommended.
