99 movie review and rating

Ramin Bahrani makes films about the American Dream as seen through the eyes of those on the margins of the increasingly unrealistic "mainstream" life: immigrants, children, transplants, or those too damaged to participate anymore (like the grizzled old dude played by Red West in " Goodbye Solo "). For the most part, these people still believe in the American Dream. They hope, strive, plan. But the system has failed them. The system is broken, and never more broken than in Bahrani's latest film, "99 Homes," starring Michael Shannon , Andrew Garfield and Laura Dern .

"Don't get emotional about real estate," warns real estate broker Rick Carver (Shannon) throughout "99 Homes," as people are forcibly evicted after defaulting on bank payments. Carver's may be practical advice, considering the economic crash and the housing crisis, but it is also heartless. Real estate to Rick Carver means money and opportunity; real estate to everyone else means "home," and what is more emotional to human beings than the concept of "home"? 

The film opens with a brutal eviction sequence, filmed in one take. Blood spatters the bathroom walls as the resident commits suicide, all as the sheriff's department swoops through the house, overseen by Rick Carver, a shark-eyed man in an ill-fitting blue suit, smoking a glowing-blue electric cigarette. The story shifts to Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield), a single dad living with his mother (Laura Dern) and his little boy Connor ( Noah Lomax ) in the family home. Mom works a hairdressing business out of the living room. Dennis works construction but jobs are hard to come by. Nobody's building anymore. Bills pile up. They are in danger of losing their home. Dennis goes to court to fight for more time, he tries to get a lawyer to work pro bono.

One day, the reckoning arrives. The sheriff's department shows up, led by Rick, to evict them. In a harrowing scene of mounting panic, Dennis and his mother protest as Rick drawls, both easily and with enormous aggression, "This isn't your house anymore, son." The fight that ensues is acted and filmed with almost unbearable immediacy (cinematographer Bobby Bukowski does superb work throughout). Given two minutes to vacate, the hyperventilating family pile up whatever possessions they can fit into the back of a pick-up truck, and head to a cheap motel, filled with people in the same situation. "We've been here two years now," says a woman.

Dennis will do what it takes to get his home back, including accepting a job working construction for his nemesis Rick. It's a deal with the devil, and all that that implies. Dennis gets sucked into Carver's circle of easy cash, shady deals. Within almost no time, Dennis is on the other side of those evictions, standing in the doorway, waiting for the confused angry residents to vacate. The door-to-door sequences are masterful. These people don't seem to be professional actors (although they may be), their reactions are so raw and real. The audience is placed in the uncomfortable position of voyeurs, eavesdroppers, on a human being's lowest moment. 

"99 Homes" operates like a thriller (from its stunning opening one-take sequence), with elements of melodrama to heighten the stakes. (Some of the melodramatic elements don't work as well as the rest, relying, as they do, on coincidence, racing against the clock, etc; the reality is horrifying enough.) Held together with Antony Partos and Matteo Zingales' portentous original score, thrumming underneath almost every scene, "99 Homes" represents a shift for Bahrani. His other features have been small dramas, filmed accordingly: lots of hand-held camera work and a naturalistic approach. "99 Homes" has a strong look, a bold mood, with attention-getting shots like that opener, as well as a couple of aerial shots showing homes stretched out below. From that vantage point, homes look generic. To those on the ground, of course, it's a very different story. 

Andrew Garfield, as a man who has "failed" in his duty as protector and provider, has an almost constant sense of panic throughout, catching his breath in his throat, his posture tight and alert. Tears threaten to overwhelm him, but Dennis does not have time for self-pity. Nobody does. His one goal is to get his house back, the crevasse of permanent instability opening beneath him and his family. Bahrani keeps that heat turned up in the machinations of the plot, as Carver seduces Dennis with offers of wealth (meaning, in Carver's world, self-respect). "America doesn't bail out losers," Carver tells Nash. " America bails out winners."

Michael Shannon is both ruthless and strangely tender in his seemingly irredeemable character. Carver explains his background to Dennis, his humble roots, his roofer father, his jobs in construction. Up until the crash, his job was putting people into homes. It's not his fault that his job has now become throwing people out. Any hard economic time will create a man like Rick Carver, determined to make more money off the slump than the boom. It's a very honest performance. 

Reminiscent of the films of Jafar Panahi (which also focus on those on the margins), Bahrani's films are a critique of the very concept of "mainstream." If there is to be a mainstream, then the boundaries must be more inclusive. Bahrani's films represent an urgent demand that audiences pay attention to the world and the people around them. His films insist: Look. See.  Bahrani accomplishes this not by making "message" films, but by focusing on individual characters, whether it be a Pakistani former singer who now pushes a food cart in Manhattan (" Man Push Cart ,") a little Latino boy working in an auto-body shop (" Chop Shop ,") or the optimistic Senegalese-American who drives a cab and dreams of being a flight attendant ("Goodbye Solo.") Through these characters, Bahrani critiques American life, its economics, its class divides, its assumptions and social strata. Like Panahi, he is a humanist. The dignity of the individual is all. 

"99 Homes" is a ferocious excavation of the meaning of home, the desperation attached to real estate, the pride of ownership and the stability of belonging. The pace never lets up. Once a person slips below the mainstream, it is nearly impossible to gain a foothold again. These characters struggle like hell to survive.

Sheila O'Malley

Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

• Tim Guinee as Frank Green
• Laura Dern as Lynn Nash
• J.D. Evermore as Mr. Tanner
• Noah Lomax as Connor Nash
• Andrew Garfield as Dennis Nash
• Nicole Barré as Nicole Carver
• Clancy Brown as Mr. Freeman
• Judd Lormand as Mr. Hester
• Cullen Moss as Bill
• Michael Shannon as Rick Carver
• Amir Naderi
• Bahareh Azimi

Director of Photography

• Bobby Bukowski
• Ramin Bahrani

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Rent 99 Homes on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Fueled by powerful acting and a taut, patiently constructed narrative, 99 Homes is a modern economic parable whose righteous fury is matched by its intelligence and compassion.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Ramin Bahrani

Andrew Garfield

Dennis Nash

Michael Shannon

Rick Carver

Frank Green

Connor Nash

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A gangster deputes two of his men to recover money from an out of town compulsive gambler. A gangster deputes two of his men to recover money from an out of town compulsive gambler. A gangster deputes two of his men to recover money from an out of town compulsive gambler.

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• Trivia Krishna D.K. : The guy in the meeting room when the character Rahul is first introduced
• Goofs 99 is set in the year 1999 and early 2000. CNG auto-rickshaws were introduced in Delhi around 2001-2002. But the movie still shows the green three-wheelers (though not the CNG label on them).
• Connections References Qurbani (1980)
• Soundtracks Soch Mat Dobara Written by Amitabh Bhattacharya Composed by Roshan Machado Performed by Bonnie Chakraborty and Earl D'Souza Courtesy of Saregama HMV

User reviews 27

Intelligent, smart and entertaining.

• May 15, 2009
• How long is 99? Powered by Alexa
• May 15, 2009 (India)
• Official site
• Delhi, India
• People Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• Runtime 2 hours 15 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Almost Perfect: 55 Movies With 99 Percent Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes

‘How to Train Your Dragon’ and ‘Chinatown’ are equal in the eyes of Rotten Tomatoes critics.

In May 2021, one negative review caused Paddington 2 (2017) to lose its perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes , sending the beloved sequel from the “100% Club” to the slightly less impressive “ 99% Club .”

But at least it’s in good company. The group of movies just shy of perfection features a number of Hollywood classics, from 1942’s Casablanca and 1949’s Orson Welles–starring The Third Man to the 1966 war epic The Battle of Algiers and the 1964 James Bond installment Goldfinger . That said, even a cursory glance at the list reveals that the overwhelming majority of the films came out in the 21st century—which is mostly because newer films garner more reviews.

“When a work generates nearly 400 critics’ appraisals, its Tomatometer score can better endure Rotten reviews and sustain its 99 [percent] score,” Rotten Tomatoes explained. “Classic films, by dint of having fewer reviews in written existence, can have their scores torpedoed by a single Rotten remark.”

In fact, at least one classic film has already fallen out of the 99% Club since this list was last updated: Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), which now holds a score of 97 percent .

Finding Nemo (2003), on the other hand, is still holding strong at 99 percent, as are 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon and 2015’s Shaun the Sheep Movie . Even better represented than charming children’s tales are documentaries . There’s 2013’s 20 Feet From Stardom , about the backup singers behind your favorite superstars; and Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro (2016), which draws from James Baldwin’s work to paint a portrait of race in the U.S.

See the full list below, and find out more about the movies on it here .

• Lady Bird (2017)
• Eighth Grade (2018)
• Selma (2014)
• Finding Nemo (2003)
• Paddington 2 (2017)
• Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
• Shoplifters (2018)
• How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
• I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
• Apollo 11 (2019)
• A Separation (2011)
• Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)
• Happening (2021)
• L.A. Confidential (1997)
• Amazing Grace (2018)
• Ash Is Purest White (2018)
• They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
• Miss Juneteenth (2020)
• Things to Come (2016)
• Faces Places (2017)
• My Life as a Zucchini (2016)
• Casablanca (1942)
• 20 Feet From Stardom (2013)
• McQueen (2018)
• Wadjda (2012)
• Starred Up (2013)
• All About Eve (1950)
• On the Waterfront (1954)
• Cameraperson (2016)
• Knock Down the House (2019)
• Saint Frances (2019)
• Tower (2016)
• Le Havre (2011)
• Song of the Sea (2014)
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
• The Interrupters (2011)
• Under the Shadow (2016)
• The Battle of Algiers (1966)
• The Missing Picture (2013)
• The Third Man (1949)
• The Wailing (2016)
• The Tale (2018)
• Chinatown (1974)
• Moolaadé (2004)
• Bill Cunningham New York (2010)
• On the Record (2020)
• Darbareye Elly (2009)
• 007: Goldfinger (1964)
• The Invisibile War (2011)
• Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working With Time (2001)
• The Chambermaid (2018)
• Truman (2015)
• The Twilight Samurai (2002)
• 56 Up (2012)
• Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013)

A version of this story ran in 2022; it has been updated for 2024.

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99 Movie Review

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99 - Official Trailer

99 | Song - Gamyave

99 | Song - Anisuthidhe (Lyrical)

99 |Song - Navilugari

99 | Song - Heege Doora (Lyrical)

99 | Song - Aagide Aagide

99 | Song - Naa Sanihake Innu

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Users' Reviews

Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive . Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.

UMESH UMI 1550 days ago

Tuff hi by <br/>Vhjhjjc h

Ice Bay 1582 days ago

Wonderful movie, very nostalgic. It felt like going through own school days. Ganesh and Bhavana played very matured role, hats off. It was really a true story which would have passed through each person's life (I may be wrong). I too have similar various ups and downs throughout my carrier which I would like to script it. Hope one day I may come up. Need all your supports.

KUMAR HADIMAN 1585 days ago

Fabulous movie I remember my school days

Ankush Mathur 1614 days ago

Ram singh 1633 days ago.

its good than the original

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