Los Angeles Times

Real estate tale has strange design

- — Katie Walsh

When you peel back the aggressive soundtrack, offensive racial stereotype­s, gratuitous nudity, and music-video style editing, one finds that the Los Angeles real estate drama “Pocket Listing” is essentiall­y a bonkers, beefed-up episode of the Bravo reality show “Million Dollar Listing.” The main character, shifty, disgraced broker Jack Woodman (James Jurdi), daydreams in the style of promos for the reality show, addressing the camera as if he’s a latter-day Robin Leach from “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

Jurdi, who has the bearing of a suaver Corey Feldman, also wrote the script, directed by Conor Allyn. The plot follows the travails of Jack as he rises and falls in the real estate industry, finding rock bottom as a warehouse slumlord. He’s soon courted to broker the sale of a Malibu estate belonging to shady internatio­nal oilman Frank Hunter (Rob Lowe). It’s his chance to get back on top and make a sweet commission.

As Jack tangles with Russian mobsters, Chicano homies, his old compatriot­s at the real estate office owned by former boss Ron Glass (Burt Reynolds), and Frank’s seductive wife, Lana (Jessica Clark), “Pocket Listing” descends into a chaotic mayhem. Every scene manages to play like the dramatic lead into an adult film, only with less production value. Enjoy a marathon of Bravo’s real estate reality shows for more nuanced characters and compelling story lines instead. “Pocket Listing.” Running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes. Rated R for language, some drug use, sexuality/nudity and violence. Playing: Arena Screen.

 ?? Momentum ?? A BROKER tries to make a comeback with the sale of a Malibu estate owned by an oilman and his wife.
Momentum A BROKER tries to make a comeback with the sale of a Malibu estate owned by an oilman and his wife.

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