IMDb RATING
5.7/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Home early from their vacation, a wealthy Pacific Palisades family discovers a pair of homeless young drifters who were squatting in their home.Home early from their vacation, a wealthy Pacific Palisades family discovers a pair of homeless young drifters who were squatting in their home.Home early from their vacation, a wealthy Pacific Palisades family discovers a pair of homeless young drifters who were squatting in their home.
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Well, that's nearly two hours I'll never get back. This movie is bad on so many levels. No time was taken to develop the characters, a preposterous plot, bad writing, it's just bad all around. Gabriella Wilde is the only watchable one in the film. While it features other rather talented actors, there's only so much you can do with such poor writing. I can't believe Richard Dreyfuss would lend his name to this awful movie.
As a side note: Could we please dispense with the clichéd British bad guy?? In this film especially, I felt I was watching Austen Powers at times, it was so ridiculous.
As a side note: Could we please dispense with the clichéd British bad guy?? In this film especially, I felt I was watching Austen Powers at times, it was so ridiculous.
The first portion of Squatters didn't impress me very much. After all, it simply consists of bad people doing bad things. And, I was worried that the film would simply glorify rotten behavior or have the baddies die in a hail of bullets. However, don't worry—the film gets better—a lot better! And, it doesn't succumb to the usual clichés.
When the film begins, Jonas and Kelley (Thomas Dekker and Gabriella Wilde) are homeless. They survive by rooting through dumpsters for food and shoplifting. And, when they aren't doing this, they sleep outdoors and do drugs. Their life isn't very satisfying or complete, that's for sure. However, through some dumb luck, while Jonas is out looking for something to steal, he manages to overhear a woman talking to her maid about their family going on vacation. And, because the woman thinks the two of them are along, she tells the maid the combination to the burglar alarm system! Jonas follows the lady woman home and it looks like he's got it maid the woman is rich! Later, after the family has left for their trip, Jonas brings Kelley to the house for a little vacation and to steal everything he can get! For a while, the pair see what it's like to live like rich folks—and they treat themselves to the family's clothes and sports car as well as a great dinner—all paid for by the people on vacation. However, while they stay there, Kelley finds herself looking through videos of the family. And, the more she watches them, the more connected with these people she feels. And, over time, she starts to care for these people she's never met and who they've been robbing. Jonas, on the other hand, just sees it as a chance to make a HUGE killing—and plans on selling everything he can. While this may not seem like that interesting a film, it's the second half that really works well when the family returns. I could say a lot more about this, but frankly it would spoil the film. Suffice to say it's worth the wait.
This is a very interesting film because Richard Dreyfus and Lolita Davidovich play very small parts in support of Dekker and Wilde. Considering that Dreyfus is an Oscar-winning actor and probably doesn't need the money, you can only assume he liked the script or director of they were holding his family hostage to make him appear in the film (I would REALLY like to know)! Regardless, the pair were a really nice addition to what otherwise might just look like an indie picture. Dreyfus is, as always, terrific and Davidovich is timelessly beautiful. They also make GREAT supporting characters. Imagine a Hollywood film in which rich people are nice and haven't earned their fortunes by being jerks! They are just sweet folks—as is their son in the film (played by Luke Grimes). In fact, although I am definitely straight, I found myself falling in love with Grimes' character—he was just so decent and sweet! With such great support, the film cannot help but work. And, let's not forget Dekker and, especially, Wilde—they are just terrific.
Overall, this is a surprisingly good film that is best seen instead of described. Be forewarned, however, that this is rated R and has a bit of nudity and violence (especially at the end). Now this is NOT to say it's gratuitous—as many nude scenes are done with great taste and are not intended to titillate but forward the plot. Well done all around and, unusual for me, there really isn't anything I didn't like about the film!
When the film begins, Jonas and Kelley (Thomas Dekker and Gabriella Wilde) are homeless. They survive by rooting through dumpsters for food and shoplifting. And, when they aren't doing this, they sleep outdoors and do drugs. Their life isn't very satisfying or complete, that's for sure. However, through some dumb luck, while Jonas is out looking for something to steal, he manages to overhear a woman talking to her maid about their family going on vacation. And, because the woman thinks the two of them are along, she tells the maid the combination to the burglar alarm system! Jonas follows the lady woman home and it looks like he's got it maid the woman is rich! Later, after the family has left for their trip, Jonas brings Kelley to the house for a little vacation and to steal everything he can get! For a while, the pair see what it's like to live like rich folks—and they treat themselves to the family's clothes and sports car as well as a great dinner—all paid for by the people on vacation. However, while they stay there, Kelley finds herself looking through videos of the family. And, the more she watches them, the more connected with these people she feels. And, over time, she starts to care for these people she's never met and who they've been robbing. Jonas, on the other hand, just sees it as a chance to make a HUGE killing—and plans on selling everything he can. While this may not seem like that interesting a film, it's the second half that really works well when the family returns. I could say a lot more about this, but frankly it would spoil the film. Suffice to say it's worth the wait.
This is a very interesting film because Richard Dreyfus and Lolita Davidovich play very small parts in support of Dekker and Wilde. Considering that Dreyfus is an Oscar-winning actor and probably doesn't need the money, you can only assume he liked the script or director of they were holding his family hostage to make him appear in the film (I would REALLY like to know)! Regardless, the pair were a really nice addition to what otherwise might just look like an indie picture. Dreyfus is, as always, terrific and Davidovich is timelessly beautiful. They also make GREAT supporting characters. Imagine a Hollywood film in which rich people are nice and haven't earned their fortunes by being jerks! They are just sweet folks—as is their son in the film (played by Luke Grimes). In fact, although I am definitely straight, I found myself falling in love with Grimes' character—he was just so decent and sweet! With such great support, the film cannot help but work. And, let's not forget Dekker and, especially, Wilde—they are just terrific.
Overall, this is a surprisingly good film that is best seen instead of described. Be forewarned, however, that this is rated R and has a bit of nudity and violence (especially at the end). Now this is NOT to say it's gratuitous—as many nude scenes are done with great taste and are not intended to titillate but forward the plot. Well done all around and, unusual for me, there really isn't anything I didn't like about the film!
First, the director and the writer both need to be permanently banned from making any more stupid movies. Nothing is good about this. Bad acting, bad directing, bad art direction. Nothing is convincing and everything screams pretentious. Prop design and costume designers are beyond pathetic. I wonder if the whole crew got recruited from a local church stage acting somewhere. I got aggravated watching these fools delivering bad acting and bad plots. Did they not know the viewers are not as stupid as they wanted us to be? Who are the fooling? It all goes back to the sh**ty screenwriter and equally bad director getting together luring numb skulled producers to agree to fund this pathetic movie. I wish them all go to hell for wasting my time and making this nonsense movie.
I found it telling that the criminals pad was more spectacular than the 1%'er fat cats, no doubt that was intentional, maybe crime does pay after all. In contrast to most other reviews the only thing I found preposterous was the ending and the police not checking out the house when they come around. definitely would not have been something cursory in the Palisades, given the taxes those people must pay. Other than these things it was quite OK, obviously not Oscar material. it was interesting to live vicariously thru the squatters enjoying the house (but annoyingly not fully) for the duration. a bit like hitting the mall in the dawn of the dead. the sons pad in Venice though not glamorous was also nothing to sneeze at, but that's fat cats for you, they make sure the next generation of fat cats are well set up.
Was too fakey right from the start. Most dumpster diving streeters look nothing like our Hollywood made up with make up, eye candy actors. The ripping off of a small deli scenes were Holly stereotyping; the grungy look was too wardrobe department shopping; the dirty faces/bodies looked like what a make up artist would create with a brush and the same medium gray water based paint - brush painting in all the right places. More laughable than real. The matrix slow motion effects were as cheap as the very fake punches being thrown in one scene. The owners' reactions to home invasion and serious theft - "What's for dinner!" Son in owner's family predictably and unimaginatively falls for our now magically transformed theft girl (Cinderella after a bath and stolen clothes.) and like all love stories (well, Hollywood love stories) he never truly leaves her.
Roughly equivalent to daytime tele soap opera production if that is one's entertainment interest.
Roughly equivalent to daytime tele soap opera production if that is one's entertainment interest.
Did you know
- TriviaGabriella Wilde shot her scene after she gave birth to her child, Sasha Blue Pownall.
- Crazy creditsand THIS is where our STORY ends
- ConnectionsFeatures The Kid (1921)
- SoundtracksShadows
Written by Quiet Corral
Performed by Quiet Corral
Details
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
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