Kick Off Oscars Weekend With 13 Films To Complete Your Real Estate Education
This Sunday the stars will come out to play in their finest garb at the 89th annual Academy Awards. Ahead of the big ceremony, we put together a list of some of our favorite movies with a real estate hook.
The Money Pit
Whether professionally or personally, we have all made bad investments — some that cost more than money. After being evicted from their Manhattan apartment, a couple buys what they think is the home of their dreams, only to find it is actually their worst nightmare. Consider this comedy a cautionary tale of the importance of due diligence.
I Love You, Man
Paul Rudd plays a real estate agent with no male friends. A man as likable as Paul Rudd being friendless is less believable than Batman, but despite that glaring flaw, the movie that is half rom-com/half buddy comedy is lovable and hilarious. Your takeaway: Sydney Fife, played by Jason Segal of "How I Met Your Mother," revolutionizes the real estate agent advertising game.
Pacific Heights
You think you have a bad tenant? At least they are not trying to kill you. Michael Keaton plays Carter Hayes, the tenant from hell. The psychological thriller features a score by Hans Zimmer, and The New York Times described the film as the first "eviction thriller." The lesson here is that trust with a tenant is ... difficult.
Gone With The Wind
"Land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it's the only thing that lasts," Gerald O'Hara proclaimed in the 1939 classic. At the heart of the story is the romance of Scarlett and the O'Hara cotton plantation ... and her affair with Rhett Butler. Love, war and business do not mix well.
99 Homes
99 Homes is the most underrated film on the list. The gripping tale follows a father working to get his family's home back by working for the man who evicted them. The film is raw and emotional, exploring the depths of both financial and moral bankruptcy. People will do anything to protect their family.
The Queen Of Versailles
The founder and CEO of the world's largest time-share company and his wife set out to build the largest house in the United States, over 90k SF — and then the market crashed. This riches to rags story is part documentary, part reality TV. You simply have to see it to believe it. While there may be a lesson about pre-nuptial agreements here, the real takeaway is to always be wary of the market.
You've Got Mail
The prominent use of AOL did not age well, but this film has. Sure, it is a quirky rom-com, but really this is the story of a tiny neighborhood bookstore being disrupted by the big-box retail giant. Little did they know Amazon would soon come along and end them both. Your business, industry and love life are always under threat of "disruption."
The Goonies
You thought The Goonies was innocent? No, it is the story of a group of young bandits working to stop the encroaching gentrification of a country club. Through sharp wit, camaraderie and hard work they attain enough treasure to avoid foreclosure. Fighting gentrification is as easy as finding buried treasure.
The Big Short
Director Adam McKay brings Michael Lewis' best-selling book about the lead up to the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis to life with a stellar cast. Nominated for five Academy Awards, the frightening and funny movie is made all the more intense by the fact it is all tragically true. Risk is a difficult thing to measure.
Glengarry Glen Ross
"It takes brass balls to sell real estate." Alec Baldwin's guest performance as a motivational salesman is one of the most iconic scenes in cinema. Over the course of two days, four real estate salesmen fight for their jobs. The leads are weak? You're weak. The lesson is simple: ABC. Always Be Closing.
High-Rise
High-Rise is a dystopian sci-fi about the wildest mixed-use development you can imagine. Oozing style in every frame, Tom Hiddlestone, Jeremy Irons and Siena Miller are enthralling. The film will keep you guessing. By the end, you will know just how crucial a good tenant mix really is.
Field of Dreams
At the core of Field of Dreams is the message every developer wants to hear, "If you build it, he will come." The 1989 film starring Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones is a lesson in development. Think big, trust your gut, move forward.
Inherent Vice
Thomas Pynchon's vibrant novel about a land developer involved in some shady dealings in Southern California is beautifully brought to life on screen by Academy Award-nominated director Paul Thomas Anderson. Keep your professional and personal lives separate.
