For Sale by Owner (2009) User Reviews

Had me waiting...and I'm still waiting.

[tnntbrown · 5/10 · 26 October 2009]

I did not expect to be blown away by this movie, but interestingly enough found myself caught up in the story. That was until......the end.

The plot took a little bit of the unknown past, a ghost story, an old spooky house and some stereotypical country characters, but it had a nice little twist that made the story interesting to me. Simple but interesting. I felt as if I was watching a fresh ghost story and was anxious to find out how each character played a part in what was happening. The story held me until the last 10 minutes where the ending made the movie fall apart.

The end left a lot of questions and left me with a feeling of being ripped off from what could have been a great movie. You are left not knowing what purpose some characters had and trying to figure out how some even got in the story.

It was neat to see Skeet Ulrich step out of the attractive roles and play a small part as a strange, almost unrecognizable mechanic. The acting overall was good and the scenery was nice. If only the ending would have been different and tied everything together, I would be recommending this to everyone. Overall was a decent watch, but left me completely frustrated with the ending. Went from a 7 to a generous 5 if just a few minutes.

Great Supporting Cast Cannot Save Scott Cooper

[Kashmirgrey · 3/10 · 31 October 2009]

A supporting cast consisting of Tom Skerrit, Tom Bower, Joanna Cassidy, Kris Kristofferson, Frankie Faison, and Rachel Nichols made For Sale By Owner appear to be very promising indeed, and each of these stars put in decent performances albeit all fairly small in this low budget flick. Unfortunately, from the start, Scott Cooper's abominable acting and scripting proved nothing could salvage this debacle.

The Ronoake legend is one that has received a fair amount of play the past few years in films and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the 16th Century British colony is the backdrop once again here in this discombobulated tale. Father to be, Will Custis (Cooper) decides to purchase a dilapidated old Virginian home to partake in some historic renovation. When he discovers an old antique cross and a strange mural painted on the wall in the basement, things get a bit quirky. His wife (Nichols) doesn't dig the house and wants to call it quits and his father in law (Skerrit) wants to steal the credit for what could be an historic archaeological discovery. Top it off with ghosts apparently running around.

The film travels in a multitude of directions that lead nowhere and concludes with an absolutely ridiculous ending all in an effort to tie up all the loose strings. It's bad. However, it would not have been so lousy had it not been for Cooper who portrays a character so obnoxiously uninteresting I almost gave into the taboo temptation of hitting the stop button.

Anna? Anna? Anna?

Good story concept. Incompetent screenplay.

[jspradii · 3/10 · 14 November 2009]

Very suspenseful in places, but there are too many loose ends that are never tied up. The ending was awful and rushed, at that. Could have been better scripted; didn't seem like the editor could have saved this one. Several additional scenes needed to be added to provide plot and character continuity. Like, "Who was the boy and what was his significance to anything? What was his relationship to Gene? Who was Gene?" On and on and on.......too bad, good subject; bad screenplay. Although I know the background of this particular film (my daughter played in it), it is obvious that there was not enough money to go back and complete enough pick ups to make this thing flow the way it should have. 3 of 10 only because there were some decent performances by the cast and crew.A lot of soft focus when it shouldn't have been used. Don't know if this was intentional or not, but it was distracting.

Didn't even start of great

[fredroque1 · 1/10 · 10 November 2009]

The project was too big for this director/screenwriter. Unexplained (all the way to the end) phenomena happened throughout the entire movie, and when the plot was finally revealed, went on to explain that everything that happened was just a figment of the protagonist's imagination.

Q. Who was the boy in the white suit? A. it was all in his imagination.

Q. Why did he imagine people disappearing (like the real estate agent) when he wasn't even present in that sequence? A. it was all in his imagination.

I can go on and on with randomly idiotic examples from the movie. Make sure to steer clear from this unless you want to waste 90 minutes of your time.

Not clever. Not hard to understand - just bad.

[pyx · 1/10 · 6 November 2009]

I thought that the days of ending a horror film with, "And then he woke up to find it was all a bad dream" had died 20 years ago, but here comes this appalling drivel to prove that there's always some feeble writer that thinks this unbelievably weak get-out of jail free card is clever. I can only assume that the writer himself has spent the last two decades otherwise engaged.

Okay, in this case, all of the horror pieces are simply elements of real life, woven into a schizo's psychotic fantasy, but what an unbelievable cheap shot. Because by making everything part of a delusion, none of the mysterious threads ever need to be logically resolved; and not a single one of them is resolved. Dead kids in rocking chairs, ghost child's voices at night, ghostly house sellers, murdered settlers, ancient burial grounds, disappearing real estate salesmen, and forgetful handymen are just random events that need no explanation, nor does the film even bother. The director has essentially thrown together half dozen mildly intriguing ghost mystery clichés, then rather than answer any, the protagonist simply wakes up in a straight jacket, and that's supposed to provide a satisfactory explanation. I can barely express the contempt I feel for the laziness of the script-writing that brought about this conclusion.

The really sad thing is, the movie had an interesting atmosphere, and was worth providing a sensible, logical ending. Yet another example of how 90 minutes can be ruined in the last 60 seconds. Like doing a 100 metre sprint and tripping just before the line.

Well made and well acted but the script is a real mess and makes almost no real sense

[dbborroughs · 3/10 · 28 October 2009]

Confused and confusing horror tale about a restoration architect who goes to restore and old home in Virginia and runs across evidence of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Strange things happen and people die…maybe. I'm sure this makes sense in someone's mind but to be perfectly honest I doubt anyone outside of the filmmakers will have any idea what's going on. At the start the film creates a great sense of place and it begins to build some tension and then you begin to wait for something to happen. Actually you begin to wonder "did I just miss something". There is a point relatively early on when the film begins to feel like you've missed a reel and the whys and the hows have been taken away. Why is the house locked? Why are these characters doing anything? It makes no sense. And then the denouncement at the end comes and its like WTF? It's a HUGE "WTF?". I was left shaking my head. What is this film? Well it's a mess, but beyond that, I have no idea. I'm going to guess that the actors were given a good script and they filmed it, and then someone came in and re-shot stuff and re-cut it and turned a well acted, good looking film into a complete mess. I mean this had to work at some point because the performances and the other aspects of the film do not seem to have been a paycheck job. Rather they seem like this was a film that everyone cared about. I can't believe the film as it's on the screen now is any sort of film that anyone would care about on any level. 3 out of 10 because the script is such a mess it pulls everything down

was this supposed to make sense?

[magmatoes · 4/10 · 27 October 2009]

After watching this film, I am left completely confused. Normally I do well with confusing films, such as Mulholland Drive, but this was just completely senseless. I felt as though each part was written by someone else without looking at the previous parts, and then they just went ahead and made it without looking at the script at all. I had a lot of hope, coming into this but after about a half hour I was just sitting here thinking to myself "seriously?" There were so many loose ends once this film was over, and the "twists" weren't really twists at all. They were entirely different stories. As soon as a 'twist' happened, i felt like i was watching a completely different movie, none of which had any endings. This movie left me with more questions than it answered. The idea was there, but man, what happened? The only reason I gave this 4 out of 10 is because I saw the potential in the film. Perhaps they should go back and pick one of the many directions they take, and make a better film so we can just pretend this never happened.

Not bad, not horrible but had the potential to be great.

[glotgering · 5/10 · 14 November 2009]

I am giving this movie 5 stars because while it may have been confusing in parts I did enjoy the cinematography and the plot was interesting (when I thought there was one). The acting wasn't bad but it certainly could have been better.

The movie kept my attention and I really thought this movie was going to have a great twist. There were many unanswered questions and I was hoping for great ending to bring it all together. Instead the movies it just ended and leaves feeling short changed.

It as almost as if the director didn't know how to end the movie and decides to end the movie in a psychiatric ward as if none of it ever happened. Pretty poor ending for a movie with such promise.

What?

[IMDBer100575 · 1/10 · 29 October 2009]

I watched this movie because it looked interesting, or at least interesting enough for a guy who was bored on a Wednesday night. It was a decent movie until the end. I think the writers ran out of weed and decided to end the movie; however, they forgot what they were writing about in the first place.

The acting was good, the atmosphere was good, the plot was decent. Stop reading here if you don't like spoilers. Basically, the movie ends with the main character waking up from a daydream. Someone should tell the writers that this is the cheapest way to end a movie.

Don't watch this movie, don't rent it, don't download it, don't play it as background ambiance while playing WoW, or even as background to a bad poker party. I have never given a 1-star rating here on IMDb, until now.

Random - Odd - Sorry - they tried

[agates34 · 2/10 · 25 October 2009]

i have just finished watching this film. To say the least i was/am very confused about the whole project. I just cannot believe that Nobody read the script from beginning to end and said it didn't make sense.

There were many different angles and leads that the writers could have taken. I saw so many different cut & pastes from movies, and ideas that were plastered together to make this................odd........

The only reason i gave it a 2/10 is due to the fact that some big names were listed in the movie.

what the hell? I would only watch this if a friend rented it from the $1 redbox and i was drunk.

Sorry crew/actors... you tried but...

great watch

[kw213 · 8/10 · 28 October 2009]

a very well done and interesting journey with twists and turns. Great cast and an unbelievable ending. It makes you think and follow the story. Not a movie for short attention spans. Watch again to catch the clues. I would give it a 9 out of ten but i don't give 9 ,s . The locations are also really interesting. Give it a look. Skeet has a couple of great moments as well as Tom Bower as the sheriff. In the same vein as the sixth sense. Looks terrific great camera work the only thing maybe it is slow in parts but that is to weave the story deeper is my guess. Hope this helps it is nice to see something that attempts to be different and has a nice historical hook to it. Again definitely worth a look.

For history's sake.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 2 November 2009]

Scott Cooper directs and stars in this modest drama about a preservation architect, Will Custis(Cooper), who will be challenged by ghosts of the past, his own ancestry and sanity. Custis will take on the task of refurbishing and old estate on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay that he buys from its owner Ferlin Smith(Kris Kristofferson). The homestead has been in the Smith family for decades and may actually have hidden secrets to an old legend in America's history. The past will come flickering back and forth as the young University of Virgina scholar seems to be on a psychological thrill ride ready to separate him from his sanity.

Interesting scenery and a story line that borders creepy. The supporting cast includes: Rachel Nichols, Aimee Teagarden, Tom Skerritt, Scott Ulrich, Tom Bower and Joanna Cassidy.

Could've been good - lousy ending!

[ironhorse_somo · 4/10 · 23 February 2010]

This movie had the potential to be pretty darn good. The historical aspect involved made it even more interesting. The acting ranged from passable (the leading man, who comes across as not likable at all,) to strong (Skeritt.) The plot was fairly good, until just after the half-way point, but left some threads hanging that I kept expecting to be tied up, but they never were. The ending was nothing short of unfortunate. It was as if the writers couldn't come up with a good ending, and took the cheap route out. I can think of a couple of endings that would've earned this movie a solid 6 or 7 rating. Unfortunately, the writers couldn't, so they're stuck with a 4 - and I'm stuck with my disappointment.

had no reason at all to suck and yet...

[vgailj · 3/10 · 27 October 2009]

It had a good story with a real hook to it. I was very excited to see Kris Kristofferson, Tom Skeritt, and Skeet Ulrich in the same movie. The location was extraordinary and the house itself became a character in the movie. Good story, great actors, wonderful location and they still managed to screw it up. They dragged it on and on and then... LIMP CITY. This movie was all foreplay and no climax. Instead of going for a real thrill they wimped out. The "oh it was all just a dream" cop out wasn't used, but they might as well have. Were they trying to save money? Would a real story have been too long? The ending had that hurry-up-and-finish feeling to it. Maybe those big names who got conned into this thing deserved that kind of treatment, but the story didn't.

not bad :D

[Hex-Helluthor · 5/10 · 29 November 2018]

Average movie with dazed ,confused, schizophrenic ending

'Identity'-wannabe

[Troubleboy · 6/10 · 10 December 2009]

The schizo plot is an interesting concept, but it's been done before and to much greater affect in 'Identity.

'For Sale By Owner' plods along at the pace of the river that it's set against and Tom and Kris, pretty much, email in their performances.

The male and female lead - whose names are forgettable - at least to this viewer are wooden and uninspired.

I gave it six for location, but there's no tension and the film is repetitive (doors that slam and lock by themselves, shadowy movement behind the main characters, etc).

This film won't enhance any careers.

very nice suspense historical thriller

[webmaster-1356 · 7/10 · 6 December 2009]

To be honest, this was a weird movie. It didn't have all the "hollywood" added to it. I was very interested within the first 15 minutes which is highly unusual for me. It tells the story of a man that restores homes from Virginia. At the start you will think his is having a panic attack but you will see that he suffers from skitzophrenia. The movie plays into the role perfect & if you have ever met someone like that (I am), it's truly wonderful how they had the "mind set" perfect. It also has a lot about history in Virginia & one of the oldest mysteries surrounding the United States. I don't want to spoil it for you, but if you want to venture off into a movie with lots of twists & a decent story line, this is for you. You will have to pay attention or maybe watch it twice. The first time is like, WOW, then the second you can see more clearly what is going on. Im surprised this movie doesn't have many ratings or views. Probably because its not "Hollywoodified".