The Spot: A title card reads “The Debate.” We fade in on a couple standing in their kitchen, arguing about whether to buy a new house. The wife is the aggressor; the husband has his doubts. “Suzanne researched this,” says the wife in exasperation. As we’re wondering who Suzanne is, the ad cuts to an image of the couple’s kitchen telephone. “This listing is special, John,” says the voice of their real estate agent over the speakerphone. “You guys can do this.” The husband caves. “This is awesome,” says the wife. We see a picture of the agent’s Century 21 business card.
“The Debate”: It’s terrifying. The problem lies in the performances. That beleaguered husband, dough-faced and weary, seems highly sympathetic as he expresses a few doubts about this major life decision. Meanwhile, the wife (who looks like a more hostile Mary Louise Parker—though she lacks MLP’s patented bone-dry delivery) just knits her eyebrows at the guy like he’s unfathomably dense. Later, she jabs him with an accusatory “What?!”—her eyes wide and wild, her neck muscles flexed, her head twitching in disbelief at what a ninny her husband’s turned out to be.
The capper comes when their real estate agent, who we discover has been listening in on what should be a private and delicate moment, takes sides with the wife and thereby crumbles the husband’s defenses. Don’t listen to her, John. Of course your agent wants you to buy a house you can’t afford—she gets a bigger commission!
Duration : 0:0:29
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
women caused the …
women caused the subprime crisis. Get back to the kitchen now!
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
$400k house… $12k …
$400k house… $12k in Suzanne’s pocket. Worthless real estate agents are the scum of the earth.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
What happened to …
What happened to personal accountability? My wife and I talked to plenty of real estate agents and bankers, we were approved for $380k but we knew we could not afford that so we waited until house prices came down and bought a house for 170k, which we could afford. Don’t blame the Realtors, the are not financial advisors!!
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Die realtors
Die realtors
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Wow! Take a step …
Wow! Take a step back - all Suzanne researched was her fat commission cheque - never trust someone on commission - ever!! What we don’t see is this is a conference call - also on the line is Suzanne’s pet valuer to inflate the house’s value, finally is Suzanne’s pet mortgage agent to give a 105% loan to these schmucks! Suzanne is a real cunning witch - thanks Century 21, now we know what your staff do.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
real estate agents …
real estate agents brought down this economy. and everyone is distracted by wall street… did a goldman sachs executive sell you a house?
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
LOL…she’s …
LOL…she’s probably a mouthpiece at those “Flip that Foreclosure” seminars.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
They can all get …
They can all get tossed out on their for all I care. They thought they would become rich from their overpriced shitholes. Good, enjoy either sticking it out and living house-poor the rest of your life, or mail the keys back to the bank and become the type of person you’ve belittled the past few years: renters.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I love the way the …
I love the way the husband drunkenly slurs “see that garage” at the end of the video. Now that the viper wife got her way, and the ARM mortgage has reset to oh say 11% I’m sure castrated fat boy hung himself in that garage. Unless the shrewish viper wife poisoned him first.
Wonder what Suzanne is doing these days? She sounded a little to old to be pole dancing.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I kid you not that …
I kid you not that I’ve overheard many women talking about their boyfriends or husbands as some house-trained dog on a leash. Respect goes both ways; treat a guy like that and you get your just deserts.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Check your stocks …
Check your stocks today?
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
That man needs to …
That man needs to give proper disobedience to his wife.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
“Are you kidding me …
“Are you kidding me”?
The reason why she says that is really because she can’t believe he is such a pussy.
I know she’s an actress, but aren’t all women who betray themselves.
“are you kidding me” says “I can’t believe it’s this easy to a guy over without any intelligent authority derived from the man!”
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I would’ve …
I would’ve complained if prices had kept going up. I couldn’t afford a house a year ago, but now I can get one for what I roughly pay in rent, and it’ll be all mine.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I love it! Almost …
I love it! Almost time for a fire sale!
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
HAHA. Welcome to …
HAHA. Welcome to September 29, 2008!
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
“I love that house. …
“I love that house…Plus the schools”
“Ok honey, we’ll risk our financial future so you can be in a house that you’ll get sick of in a few years and everyday about it. We can send our children to the same worthless public brainwashing schools that are everywhere regardless of where we go. As long as you’re happy, honey.”
That’s what I think of that guy. He’s a fat castrated bitch!
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
The house hogs who …
The house hogs who just had to have a McMansion are now all crying that they are the “victims” of evil realtors, brokers, bankers. The concept of “affordability” was just oh so hard to grasp. And now, with the help of the govt, the househogs have bent the taxpayer over their expensive but oh so pretty granite countertops to give the taxpayer a real good screwing, all the while chanting, USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!USA!
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
ASSERTION: “Do you …
ASSERTION: “Do you have any compassion for people who now have to pay lump sums (20K - 30K) to make their loan be LESS THAN the value of their homes? They are the newest type of foreclosure victims!”
RESPONSE: I have no compassion for people whose greed caused them to buy a house they couldn’t afford. Thanks to all of these greedy house-hogs, the country is having a financial meltdown. You don’t need an IQ over 80 to look at your income and your likely mortgage payment and know if to buy.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Too bad it’s not …
Too bad it’s not the same movie where all the characters start singing Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up.”
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I don’t really pity …
I don’t really pity people who wanted to get rich quick. Most of this was inspired by stupid people motivated by selfish greed. They thought it would be so easy to buy a house they couldn’t afford and flip it in 6 months for 20%. They were lining up and spending the night to get in line to jump off a cliff. That’s what happens when you view your home with such little respect, just as a tool and not for its real intrinsic value of being a home.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
It’s sad when …
It’s sad when someone loses their home but no one would be complaining if prices had kept going up. Why is it only when prices tank that people start looking for a crime? At some point people have to take some individual responsibility for not having a clue how to value something and for reckless speculation.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Ironic how this ad …
Ironic how this ad exposes the cynical realtor mindset towards home buyers. Naturally the guy is a spineless weakling, and the woman an overbearing shrew–exploit their weaknesses to make a sale. So what’s the sequel–Suzanne sells their foreclosed home to a foreign speculator, and advises a ruthless divorce lawyer to the wife? Gee, thanks Suzanne…you suck.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
You don’t think so? …
You don’t think so? Picture this guy actually standing up for himself and saying no, now is not the time. He would have to hear about it every freakin’ day. To me it is the scariest video on Youtube and why I believe people who marry are crazy.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Another great …
Another great performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman!