The immoral, corrupt developer was the go-to villain for a spell in Hollywood with one of the most celebrated — and seasonally appropriate — examples being the ying and yang of George Bailey and Henry F. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life.
Though the trend of the developer-as-a-bad-guy seems to have tapered off after the 1980s according to City Lab, saving a threatened piece of land from big business remains a universal story of struggle, regardless of where your allegiances truly lie.
In time for the final days of this holiday season, here’s a list of some of the most celebrated movies where real estate drives the plot line (usually for the worst) as compiled by City Lab:
1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
A classic with a good developer (now a rarity) pitted against a slum lord.
2. Scooby-Doo (1969 to 1986)
That gang of kids who continually outfox a ghostly real estate speculator just in the nick of time.
3. Herbie Rides Again (1974)
(Sicnag/Wikimedia Commons)
The beloved car with personality helps an elderly lady stop a developer from building a mall.
4. Superman (1978)
(Gareth Simpson/Flickr)
An unscrupulous developer plans to up his property value by sinking California so he suddenly has coastal property. Superman, obviously, intervenes.
5. Poltergeist (1982)
Another good vs. bad developer case: the good guy faces off with spirits after moving into a home built on a former cemetery.
6. The Goonies (1985)
(Toni Castillo Quero/Flickr)
A treasure hunt sparked by a greedy developer threatening a pair of brothers’ home.
7. Beetlejuice (1988)
(Erwin Soo/Wikimedia Commons)
A real-life developer moves into a new house with his family without knowing a ghost couple also call it home; comedy and conflict ensue as the ghostly couple tries to chase out the humans.
8. Medicine Man (1992)
The development of a road throws the cure for cancer into jeopardy. Set in the Amazon jungle.
9. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Office politics get intense in this one: real estate agents compete head-to-head after their head office announces they’ll be firing all but two members of the sales team.
10. The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)
(ABC Television/eBay)
In this architect vs. developer movie, the Bradys’ gaggle of a dozen kids try to help their architect dad win money to stop a bad developer from taking their house.
[City Lab] — Erin Hudson