Suckers (1999) Poster

(II) (1999)

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6/10
Almost a good movie...
The_Limey9 April 2003
'Write about what you know' is advice given to any wannabe scriptwriter, it was advice followed here, as they used their insider knowledge of the used car business to great effect.

The characters, and situations, revolving around the dealership are great. It is funny, and feels authentic, and you will probably learn a lot.

However, they foolishly decided that people wouldn't just want to watch a movie of this nature, so badly welded on a 'so predictable it hurts', Tarrantino style crime caper. It ruins the pacing and feel of the movie.

Pity. Still worth a viewing though, although it has plenty of ripe language and nudity if you are offended by such things.
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6/10
The real car business?
frankiepena2227 March 2006
If you are in the car business, this movie does ring true here and there. The actual truth is I worked at the dealership this movie was based on (it is a proved fact, the writer of this movie worked at this dealership for about 2 years). Did ALL of these things happen? No. I would say a majority of the incidents in this movie did happen but were BLOWN UP or exaggerated to make for good entertainment. The blatant racism in this movie does not occur in the car business. The car business is the one business in the world that welcomes all of the melting pot through its doors. Uneducated? English not your first language? No scholastic possibilities? Don't mind long hours? Wanna make a lot of money? WHEN CAN YOU START? The drug content in this movie was ridiculous. All of that is for effect, we don't sit around snorting cocaine and waiting for customers. The thing about this movie that made me laugh were the white, bald headed General Manager and the black Closer. I know both of the gentleman that these characters were based on and the actors hit a home run. They were represented perfectly. The scene where they bring all of the items outside (desk, chairs, tables) for the customer who would not go inside happened just like that. I actual like the movie, some of the scenes were hilarious and the jokes were funny but at the end of this movie, there is some lame presentation about how to buy a car from the writer. Take it from someone who has been in the business a long time, he knows about 20% of what needs to be known to speak on the car buying process. The bottom line is a Car Salesperson is a professional whose job is to make as much money on you as possible. The customer's job is to savve as much money as they can - A good salesperson sells 15 cars a month and works about 50 deals to make that 15. Mr. Customer, you're gonna lose every time. All in all, the movie is entertaining, check it out.
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7/10
Good but could have been better.
pekak6214 July 2003
As an expose of one of the seediest 'professions' around, it works. But just. A bit stilted focused on the selling side of the used car business. Pity they didn't take the time to look at the shonky practices of rewinding the odometer, cosmetic repairs, and the such. Also, the 'Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels' ending seemed out of place. Also, shouldn't have Bobby stolen all the loot, after all, even if he had, who would have known?
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Training Day
Dr. Gore18 April 2004
Warning: Spoilers
*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

My brother told me that I had to see this movie. He watched it as part of his salesman training at a car dealership. He said, "You want to see how car salesmen really act? Watch "Suckers". Then you will understand." So one night we were at the video store looking for something to watch. I suggested "Hamburger Hill". My brother took a glance at the comedy section and saw "Suckers" sitting there. He yanked it off the shelf and sprinted to the counter. It was "Suckers" time.

"Suckers" is about car salesmen. It is a brutally honest look at how car salesmen lie, cheat, and scheme to get you to sign the deal. My brother was cringing while watching it. He said, "Wow, this is bringing back some memories. Man, it was brutal. Oh, you can make some money at a car dealership if you don't mind working for twelve hours a day. The guys at the dealership would say to me, 'Only twelve hours? Hey, that's only half a day! Where else could you POSSIBLY make $100,000 a year?' The kind of person who should be a car salesman is like the guy in "Suckers". Only the most desperate, broke, soon to be divorced, starving for food guys should be car salesmen."

Most of the movie is spent listening to Reggie, (Daniel Benzali), and his Saturday morning sales pep talks. These monologues are the backbone of "Suckers". Reggie gives some important pointers to the sales force. "Keep nodding your head. Soon the customer will start nodding his head with you. " Or, "Tell the customer to follow you into the office. Whatever you do, DO NOT TURN AROUND. They will follow you like a lost puppy." Reggie is usually right.

There is a second storyline playing in the background of "Suckers". It has something to do with embezzlement and gangsters. There is also some gratuitous nudity thrown into the mix as well. But the most important aspect of "Suckers" is learning about how car salesmen are out to screw you and seeing the level of contempt they have for the customers (suckers). I enjoyed my car salesman training lesson. It has taught me to fear the car salesman. Yes, I've been screwed on a car deal. I've been a Sucker too. I'll have to ask my brother for guidance the next time I do battle for a new car.
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7/10
This is a surprisingly good movie
HoldenSpark29 April 2007
After running across this movie last night late on cable I finally clicked on it. Like most nights on cable there is usually very little to watch that you haven't already seen or are categorically something you simply don't watch ever for any reason. One of my things is that I just cant take movies that are nothing but endless streams of suffering and pain and shootings and car crashings and people who get shot and don't bleed or cry or AND people who are splattered all over the screen. I just don't get all that crap. Life is hard enough, why do you have to absorb angry people on screen doing things that are mean and actually kill and torture others, be it with their words or their actions.

So, with all that said, this movie violates a tiny part of my overall total tiredness with nonsensical violence and extreme horrors being done to others on-screen. It is full of men who are being pretty much nothing but the lowest common denominator, which is simply the law of the jungle, eat or be eaten. But they're doing it in the format of a car lot as salesmen who have created careful scripts for handling customers and driving the customer to give up more than they may have had to if the customer had know the salesman's goal, which is just to get all they can get at all costs. And all costs means simply that being truthful isn't necessary or a reasonable thing for a salesman to do. But on top of that they're being mean to each other. Granted they're learning the hard knocks of that business and finding their way like the members of a pride of lions must find their way when the feeding frenzy begins otherwise they will starve.

And of course these guys are always busy couching everything in terms of being either a person who is a god of maleness who can have whoever he wants any time OR, he must be someone who can easily be pushed over by another man or anyone at all who can then rape him in the anus. Yes, you all know what i'm saying here. They're all full of stupid talk which, ever since Pulp Fiction, its pretty much that same nonsense that was fresh for a couple of years back in the mid nineties. But as this was made in 1998 for a 1999 release I guess we can forgive this tired way of talking on screen (though the guys at Entourage are certainly giving this way of speaking a much needed freshening up and making it fun again these days in 2007).

But, in spite of all this, this movie just just fun to watch. There is truly something going on here that transcends the story of these hungry wolves. It shows us we are all wolves.

And the way it does is to show that the customers aren't stupid either. But they have learned that if a used car saleswolf will behave in a certain way then customers have individually come up with strategies to keep themselves alive when the wolf makes his charge. And these are hilarious. Which make the men hilarious.

What the other people here who have reviewed this movie have noted is that there are some unfortunate (to the movie) side story lines that simply show that the writers here had something great going but didn't know what to do with it, so somebody just decided to send this movie down a tired and well-worn path to make it all end in a way that other movies have done. Most of this movie is fantastic movie making, but the tiredness of the side stories, as tedious and uninspired as they are, still somehow don't take away the joy of watching the majority of this movie.

Though its a bunch of men being mean to each other for the most part, its somehow great. When drug dealers and tired TIRED story lines like that disgrace the writers just realize that these are the moments you can slip away to the bathroom or get a snack. But when all that side crap goes away and the saleslions are taking to the zebra fields, then its great movie making.

If you rent it, I promise you'll be glad you did.
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7/10
Remember Stir Crazy???
jlanevada200323 September 2003
Okay - this film starts out really funny, really shocking and really makes you think about what goes on at car dealerships behind closed doors. I have heard most of it is true, but in the last half hour they take a turn and have some gang drug deal infiltrate the car dealership that really makes the term "Hollywood Ending" come to mind. They should not have done that - it completely ruined a great film. Almost reminds you of Stir Crazy going into a prison Rodeo at the end...whatever!
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7/10
If you've ever done sales in a competitive industry, see this film.
kingmob-529 October 2000
It's a dark comedy in the spirit of Glengarry Glen Ross mixed with witty, harsh Tarantino style dialog and characters. I liked it so much I gave it an IMDB 9 points. Due partly to the fact that I'd never heard of the film, or recognized many of the actors, so that I had no preconceptions. Solid acting, fast presentation, real characterizations. Late night cable surfing delight. I was sold.
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8/10
how to sell cars
pepekwa7 January 2010
Every so often a low budget indie film comes out that blows away mots of the other dross out there and this is that movie. There are obviously a lot of similarities to glengary glen ross as selling is the focal point here and its cars not houses. Daniel Benzali as Reggie the dealership manager is a riot as the ultimate sell-your-grandma to make a buck maverick salesman His meetings where he explains selling technique to dealers is priceless entertainment and would strike the fear of god into anyone about to purchase a vehicle. There are so many funny lines and situations here where both dealers and customers try to get one over on each other to get the best deal. I didn't really care for the whole drug smuggling plot at the end, for me it detracted from the main point of the movie but I'm guessing as this wasn't a documentary (although it could have been as it was very realistic) the producers felt they needed to make some sort of stylish ending. Oh, and for Lori Loughlin fans, she looked fantastic in this movie.
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6/10
Hey, it was better than anything Freddie Prinze Jr. has done
ericghollis22 February 2003
This is a great find if you enjoyed "Glengarry Glennross" or "Clerks." The plot centers around the shady dealings that occur at a typical car dealership, and one of my buddies who sells cars told me that a lot of it isn't very far from the truth. The plot gets a little hackneyed at some points (especially the end), but the movie is worth watching for Daniel Benzali's performance alone. Actually, all of the actors do a really good job, but Benzali, Eli Danker, and Louis Mandylor really shine and bring life to their characters. Great movie to watch with friends and a couple of beers. Another one of those rare movies that should have gotten better publicity, because it is certainly a lot more compelling than another Freddie Prinze / Matthew Lillard team up. Hollywood producers should invest more time on material like this and less on the same old recycled feces.
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4/10
A harsh, biting look a the car sales game
=G=18 September 2000
This obscure little satire makes the point that there is "a sucker born every minute" and shows numerous examples to prove it. Examples which may be disconcertingly accurate. A sardonic spoof of the car sales business loaded with gratuitous sex, crime, and melodrama as filler, "Suckers" is a "B" flick a best. However, it is also a primer on scamming and could be worth watching before a trip to a car dealer.
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10/10
Surprisingly true to the nature of shady dealerships
ecd311 June 2005
Suckers takes a dealer point of view on car sales thus making it infinitely more entertaining than its Hollywood-point-of-view counterparts... see: Used Cars. If you have ever worked in the car industry at a less than reputable dealership, this is the comedy for you. If you have ever purchased a car from a less than reputable dealership, this is the tragedy for you. The ending does leave you with a "been there, seen that" feeling, but it's a guilty pleasure nonetheless. Suckers is clearly a low budget film for a selective audience, but it's one of the better written and directed low budget films that I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. I just wish this movie was a little easier to get a hold of on DVD.
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6/10
Brilliant start, frustrating second half
Cliff7295 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Released the same year as Mike Judge's "Office Space," "Suckers" shares something else with that cult classic: both films start out brilliantly, then go off the rails in the second half. "Suckers" focuses on the sales staff of the Avatar auto dealership. Their leader is Reggie, played by Daniel Benzali. For those who only know Benzali for his taciturn legal eagles on "NYPD Blue" and the first season of "Murder One," "Suckers" is a revelation. Reggie by turns is profane, hilarious, racist, cynical, and throughly corrupt, and Benzali hits all these notes with mesmerizing perfection. Anyone who's bought a car will feel a chill as the film peels back the art of the deal. The inflated opening offers, the deliberately confusing spiel of numbers, the manipulation of customers' behavior (keep them nodding, keep them saying "yes," walk away and make them follow), the "closers" who move in for the kill after the salesman has softened up the customers--all are on display here. And yet, like a great caper film, we can't help rooting for the salesmen as they ply their trade. Throughout its first half, "Suckers" purrs like a Ferrari... ...which makes it all the more frustrating when the second half clunks along like a used Pinto. Suddenly the "plot" of the film kicks in, and "Suckers" spirals into an uneasy mix of drug dealing, loan sharks, larceny, and violence, culminating in, of all things, a "Reservoir Dogs" styled shootout. The abrupt change in tone may have been intended as farce, but the film's conclusion still fails to live up to promise of its opening 40 minutes. "Suckers" isn't totally undone by its second half, but it never really recovers. That being said, I'd love it if the filmmakers attempted a remake. There's a new breed of auto buyers out there who think their internet research has prepared them for the showroom showdown, and I'd love to see how the sales force can still win out. And I'd love to see if, on a second go-round, the film can hit on all cylinders instead of coast on fumes.
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3/10
Not your usual movie
agray-1229 July 2006
I watched this movie several times because it didn't flow well at all but it had some great information in it. The beginning seems about one subject and suddenly it becomes an entirely different plot. Maybe the writers and director didn't want to spoon feed the audience into anticipating everything.

The whole film had a home movie quality about it but there are some very good performances in spite of this.

Maybe someone will remake this and fix the problems. I wonder which story they will go with?? Really though, either story in this film is worth watching. And it could be fixed where the first story could move into the second smoothly. That would be my preference. If they did that I would watch it again to see who plays the surprising characters in that one. There are several characters that are very much worth watching.
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good satire, bad ending
franrodriguez200115 May 2002
This is a good satire of the sales car world. The movie is very good, some nudity moments very funny, but at the end everything goes bad, it is like they dont know how to finish it, and decide that Reggie is so bad that he must be a drug dealer...In my opinion the car salesmen are very well acted, but the clients should have also their punishment, people who want a new car and spend money they dont have looking for a good 'deal' for example the guy that thinks he is so smart he doesn´t want to go to the office, and Moe the Afghan salesman brings the office to the man. It is good.
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2/10
Too perverse to be funny after the fist few minutes
SusieSalmonLikeTheFish9 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The plot itself is very creative; I've always loved seeing films that portray things from the POV of employees, e.g. Silkwood (1983) and Stalking Laura (1993). Suckers had potential, and at first was pretty funny.

The problem is, when the first racist joke was cracked, just seconds later the whole thing spiraled into 87 minutes of sleazy salesmen who seem to talk about nothing but sex and money. In fact many of them are perverted sex maniacs and the whole film is highly predictable. The ladybug joke was pretty bad and there are many more disgusting scenes I'd rather not discuss.

It's highly disappointing, sad and pathetic when a film with so much potential gets wrecked with sex, swearing and racism. I really wouldn't bother watching this if I were you.
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10/10
Car selling from old days
user-472030 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
My brother has been a car salesman for three decades and gave this flick a 90% accuracy rating for the way cars were sold until about ten years ago. "It could have been a training film," he told me. Even the sales board in the dealership meeting was dead on the money. Suckers could almost be a documentary film, but with dark humor only understandable to those in the automobile business. The story line about the narcotics sales was more of a distraction than anything else.This movie only had a $500,000 budget and was shot in two and half weeks, but was more than fun to watch. The DVD has a very informative director commentary track that shouldn't be missed.
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5/10
not bad, not terrible.
korona16 March 2000
why i stay up late at night watching "B" movies on hbo and cinemax is beyond me, but i think they're fun. Well, The Postman was on HBO and this movie was on the Max.. i am taking a film as lit class and well, i saw a few things in this movie.. it's entertaining, it's classified as a comedy, but i don't see it as one.. sure, there's some funny parts, but nothing extravagant. it wasn't a waste of my time at all, the popping up of recognizable charactors was also nice.. it seemed like i have seen everyone in some other movie, or tv show. So all in all, it wasn't bad. catch it if you want.
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9/10
The only thing that matters is money
culwin16 March 2000
This is a great overlooked movie that is similar to, and almost as good as, "Reservoir Dogs". The one aspect this movie has over Dogs is that almost everyone who has ever been in a sleezy car dealership can relate to this movie. If you want a preview, just drive into your local "Auto Mega-Mall" and watch the salesmen run up to you before you even get out of your car. The characterisations are right on the money - there are no bad actors in this movie. I highly recommend this film, if you can find it. This movie is so good, I have to watch it again. 9 out of 10
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8/10
This is how it really is!!!
sassheckscher1 June 2001
Trust me, I was once a used car salesman's secretary. You think this movie is far fetched. Think again. Nothing brings the "oil" out of the woodwork faster than selling a used car (or even a new one).

Car Salesmen think they are IT, and the movie shows this.

Great performances from Daniel Benzali and Louis Mandylor, particularly Louis and I'm not just saying that because I'm a fan. He really gets under the skin of a nice guy who discovers just how much better it is for him to be a not so nice guy.

Benzali struck all the right notes of manic, obsessed, spoilt, poisonous glory. My admiration knows no bounds.

If you have an evening with nothing on the telly. Check this out. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
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10/10
From an ex car salesman this movie should be in the documentary section
tristanostara2 June 2019
From an ex car salesman this movie should be in the documentary section, so true( aside from the murders)
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It's all true!
bhops2218 November 2003
Watch this movie if you plan to purchase a car anytime soon! Everything is true from the meetings to the banter between the salesmen and customer. I was introduced to this movie by my manager at a Dodge dealership and it was like the movie was a documentary of our store. Most car salesmen (especially used car salesmen) are very shady and will do anything to make the sale, I know that this is common knowledge But watch this movie and arm yourselves for buying a car because it's all true!
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10/10
Great car sales scum movie
DJAkin30 July 2006
I am giving this ten stars! Why? Because this movie captured my attention from beginning to end. The main character is that bald guy from Law and Order. He cusses like a sailor and encourages his sales staff to stick it to the customer throughout the entire movie. There are many un-nerving scenes where the customers are getting a raw deal. This is not a comedy at all and it's not a drama. It's more like Glen Gary/Glen Ross-ish. There are a lot of racist jokes in this movie and racism is a common threat throughout. Reggie, the bald guy is so full of hate that it's almost hard to watch him. He hates EVERYBODY. Eventually, drugs come into play and so does loan sharking etc. There is a tad of violence in this movie as well. This movie is very easy to watch and never gets boring. Thanks to that bald guy from Law and Order.
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10/10
The humor caught me off guard..really hilarious
vigilantx19 September 2000
The whole movie really caught me off guard. The humor was sharp and precise. The characters constantly delivered numerous one-liners throughout, and it didn't get old. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes comedy or ever had a fear of buying a car. A solid, smart comedy.
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Most realistic "behind the scenes" car dealer movie ever.
Turk 182-230 October 2000
I stumbled across this movie late night on cable. I missed the first ten minutes or so. I actually thought I was watching some kind of documentary or personal story of the car business. The slang is correct, the "techniques" are accurate, everything. The movie fails as far as storyline and general quanlity of the picture, but everyone must see it for the sheer realism and boldness of that industry.
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