When people use the term “edge of your seat” it usually refers to an action heavy movie with no real plot and in my opinion is poorly used, really they just mean excitement whereas I think the term is more about gripping tension, so when I say '99 Homes' leaves you on the edge of your seat I really mean it. ​
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'99 Homes' concerns Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) a multi-skilled construction worker who thanks to the economic collapse has found himself all but unemployed. Enter the villainous Rick Carver (Michael Shannon) who from his first appearance we see is an amoral opportunist whose every action if not illegal is certainly treading a very fine line. Carver is a real-estate broker and he’s here to evict Nash on behalf of the bank who have taken possession of his home after several missed payments, again the morality of which seems a little questionable.

Nash is forced out onto the street, moving his family into a motel and looking out at an unsure future. Upset and angry he goes to give Carver a piece of his mind and after a violent altercation somehow ends up being offered a job, much to his own surprise. Thus begins Nash’s descent into Carver’s world as they become unlikely friends and Nash climbs the corporate ladder at Carver's side and Nash’s moral code is stretched to it’s limit.

The film is truly tense, we meet a host of characters all of whom are distraught and desperate and approaching the worst day of their lives, as Nash becomes the reluctant villain of the piece and it honestly feels like anything could break this world at any moment. It’s a story of corruption, manipulation and greed on a very personal level, like a small scale 'The Wolf of Wall Street'. Carver has made a niche for himself exploiting the broken system that is the American economy circa 2010 and on some level you kind of sympathize with him, especially once he explains how he ended up forced into this position himself by his own circumstances, actually making him a more rounded character than DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort. 

And I don’t make that comparison to Wolf lightly, '99 Homes' really is gripping. It’s not a perfect movie, Nash dancing around the moral dilemma that is his new life drags on long enough for you to wish you could reach into the screen and slap some sense into him, and stylistically it doesn’t have the pop that something like Wolf or 'Nightcrawler' (another good comparison) does. 

In fact those two comparisons are probably how I’d describe the film, it reaches for, though doesn’t quite achieve, either the pure entertainment factor of 'The Wolf of Wall Street' or the gut wrenching dark tension of 'Nightcrawler' but blends the two extremely well.

Personally I recommend it, and if my comparing it to two films you possibly didn’t see isn’t helpful let me just say that it is an edgy, engaging, seriously tense dramatic thriller that whilst a little slow is never boring.

A long time ago, all the way back in 1983, a man had a dream! That man was Clark Griswold. And his dream, come hell or high water, was to get his family to the famous Walley World theme park!

Two decades later, Rusty Griswold (son of Clark, and one of the children dragged along on previous misadventures) is all grown up and a firm testament to the belief that those who don't learn from their mistakes (or the mistakes of their father) are doomed to repeat them. 

Now a domestic pilot for Ryanair Econo-Air, Rusty (Ed Helms) returns home from another miraculously survived flight to discover some harsh and painful truths regarding the stability of his marriage and the happiness of his family. Upon doing so, he realises that there is only one option. To go on a vacation to Paris? No! They are going to drive across the country to Walley World. What could possibly go wrong?

In short, and as it turns out, the answer is everything... because everything is exactly what writers and debut directors Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley throw at the wall. The style of humour moves and swerves as fast and wildly as Walley World's infamous Velociraptor ride. Ranging from family banter to observational to slapstick to toilet and cringe-based humour, no comedic stone is left unturned. Unfortunately not all of it sticks, but when they succeed at hitting the mark they hit it with terrific force.

Especially when contrasted with the majority of the attempts at more heartfelt and reflective moments, which either lack adequate build-up to explain growth or sweeps previous events under the rug in a single moment of action or dialogue, just for the sake of tying up loose plot threads. Though the message of the importance of awareness, communication, and family remains sweet and is one to which most people can relate. 

With Ed Helms ('The Hangover' Series) the movie has found a worthy and capable, though not quite as mad, successor to Chevy Chase; imbuing the latest Griswold patriarch with a much needed warmth, innocence, and an unquenchable optimism you cannot help but root for.

Along for the ride, are his dissatisfied and begrudging wife Debbie (Christina Applegate), and their equally begrudging sons James (Skyler Gisondo) and Kevin (Steele Stebbins). The latter offering distinct, if occasionally grating, personalities and a refreshingly reversed dynamic that heralds back to 'Malcolm in the Middle'. Whilst the former expertly injects proceedings with the highly welcome and extremely hilarious dose of madness, as a woman with both a surprising past and an unpredictable streak. Of the core, Christina Applegate is truly the highlight, gamely throwing herself into every moment and situation with wild and wonderful abandon.

She is eclipsed only by the string of supporting appearances and cameos that pepper the film's run time, achieving a level of quality - in terms of name and performance - that would make 'Entourage' blush with shame. Most notably, Chris Hemsworth playing totally outside of his wheelhouse and sporting a very different kind of hammer; and the always brilliant Charlie Day, as the last person you'd ever want to be on a boat with.

How familiar people are with the misadventures of the Griswold family will no doubt vary, especially outside of America, but Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley are clearly fans who know their stuff. Sticking to the traditional episodic format of road-trip movies such as this - going as far even as to break up each chapter with a running gag involving a very temperamental sat-nav - the film is full to the brim with references and active call-backs to the original series. Not to mention an acute self-awareness and an impassioned sense of fun. 

Whether or not 'The Griswolds' will return for a new series of mishaps remains to be seen. But whatever the case, it was good whilst it lasted. 'Vacation' - though not hitting the heights of self-awareness and consistent hilarity as the Jump Street films or the charm and heart of 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' - is an enjoyable romp through which to lose yourself for a few hours.