At the age of twenty-nine, Elgar Enders "runs away" from home. This running away consists of buying a building in a black ghetto in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Initially, his intention is to evict the black tenants and convert the building into a posh flat. But Elgar is not one to be bound by yesterday's urges, and soon he has other thoughts on his mind.
Liberal guilt, with a few good laughs, a lot of frantic activity, and the occasional backfire.
– Dave Kehr,
Chicago Reader,
7 May 2013
fresh:
An elder spokesman of New Hollywood's vanguard, former editor Hal Ashby's debut film keeps veering away from expectations and easy answers.
– David Fear,
Time Out New York,
18 Jan 2008
fresh:
Beau Bridges heads the uniformly excellent cast as a bored rich youth who buys a black ghetto apartment building and learns something about life.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
31 Oct 2007
fresh:
The Landlord remains one of the funniest social comedies of the period, as well as the most human.
– J. Hoberman,
Village Voice,
25 Sep 2007
fresh:
It's a compelling and adventurous spectacle, which feels simultaneously like a time capsule and a crucial influence on such recent films as The Royal Tenenbaums and Half Nelson.