The Landlord(1970)- User Reviews

I stumbled across this movie on Netflick probably because I watched "Harold and Maude." I wasn't really sure what to expect. A lot of movies put poor black and rich white characters in the same space, but inevitably it's either completely stereotypical or everyone is on their best behavior. Not this movie. The rich white folks are crazy and guess what? so are the poor black folks. But they're the same kind of crazy as people we actually know.

Elgar Enders (Beau Bridges) is 29 and still living with his wealthy parents on their large estate. In a bid for independence he buys a tenement building, planning to evict the black tenants and renovate the house. Events proceed predictably, but hilariously, including the usual stolen hubcaps, bullying by "big scary black guys," parental I told you so's etc. Perhaps through its unsparing satire of everyone involved, perhaps through taking some unexpected turns (like Elgar's drunken night with a tenant) the movie avoids becomes the usual comforting racial fantasy, and we see people behaving in ways that ring true. And it's really funny.