The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009)

26% of critics liked it
(100 reviews)
39% of users liked it
(72,444 ratings)

A smooth-talking jack-of-all-trades attempts to save a struggling car dealership from certain bankruptcy in this comedy starring Jeremy Piven, directed by Chappelle's Show creator Neal Brennan, and produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions. Don Ready (Piven) takes sales… More A smooth-talking jack-of-all-trades attempts to save a struggling car dealership from certain bankruptcy in this comedy starring Jeremy Piven, directed by Chappelle's Show creator Neal Brennan, and produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions. Don Ready (Piven) takes sales seriously; he's always up for a challenge, and he parties as hard as he works. Approached to help an ailing car dealership from falling into the red, Ready recruits a crew of his best men and descends upon the quiet town of Temecula determined to succeed. Before long the dealership is flourishing and Ready's crew are kings of the roost, but what happens when the man who made his mint by hustling cars meets the one woman who isn't charmed by his formidable skills as a salesman. Realizing this may be his one shot at true love, Ready starts working overtime to convince the woman of his dreams that he's the best bargain on the lot. Has the hustler finally found his soul, or is he so locked into his anything-goes lifestyle that there's no looking back? Ving Rhames, Ed Helms, James Brolin, and David Koechner co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Neal Brennan
Written By: Andy Stock, Rick Stempson
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 14, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Nov 10, 2009
Studio: Paramount Vantage

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
It's a grab bag of comic ideas, but some of the gags are impressively perverse.
Ben Lyons, At the Movies
I definitely laughed, just not enough to fully recommend it.
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies
This was funny in the beginning, no question, but then it turned into I thought a sort of a very stale comedy.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
I laughed more than I thought I would (though of course hope springs eternal at the movies) and if I ran the Hollywood zoo, I'd give these particular screenwriters another assignment.
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
The oh-so-out-there mentality earns some chuckles, but that, along with Piven's preening, gets very trying. A hard sell is still a hard sell.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard has a beater's clunky, fast-moving charm.
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
The Goods isn't trying for much but what it is trying for it more or less succeeds at. That doesn't make it a particularly good movie; in fact it pretty much ensures that it can't be one.
Sam Bathe, Fan The Fire
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard is an entirely throwaway experience that doesn't offer anything vaguely witty or clever. Look elsewhere to satisfy your comedy needs.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...an agreeable piece of work...
William Goss, Cinematical
While it is brash and absurd and funny in fits and starts, it also seems to lose its nerve as it goes on.
Edward Porter, Sunday Times (UK)
The number of remotely chucklesome jokes in Neal Brennan's comedy is way too low, and the stuff in between them is grimy and depressing.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
Vulgar, pointless, unfunny comedy.
David Edwards, Daily Mirror [UK]
Like a dodgy old motor, this smutty comedy about car salesmen roars with life to begin with but putters to a stop all too soon.
Nev Pierce, Empire Magazine
Sometimes this kind of comedy just goes too far into rubbishness to make it back.
David Jenkins, Time Out
A throng of outrageous supporting characters do little to salvage this stalled effort.
Holly Grigg-Spall, Film4
These jokes are fired out like one of those ball-throwing machines used for baseball practice - sometimes they hit and they hurt, sometimes they miss, and sometimes they meet the bat.
Toby Young, Times [UK]
It isn't merely bad, it makes you want to clamp your hands to either side of your face and do an impersonation of The Scream.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
This film is so crass and so lowbrow its hairline is level with the carpet underlay. And yet, and yet, I must hang my head and confess I did laugh a fair bit.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
They look as if they could provide more laughs but are defeated by bovine gags retrieved from a trashcan full of out-takes.
Adam Woodward, Little White Lies
That mainstream cinema continually serves up such offensive offal is one thing, but the fact that the boundaries of taste are challenged with such regularity is made all the more alarming when passed off as harmless fun.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Matt G

Completely what I expected. Pretty terrible except for Will Ferrell. He was so funny.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, James Brolin, David Koechner, Kathryn Hahn, Ed Helms, Jordana Spiro, Craig Robinson, Tony Hale, Ken Jeong, Rob Riggle, Joey Kern, Jonathan Sadowski, Noureen DeWulf Director: Neal Brennan Summary: When businesses are failing, they call in Don… More
Cast: Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, James Brolin, David Koechner, Kathryn Hahn, Ed Helms, Jordana Spiro, Craig Robinson, Tony Hale, Ken Jeong, Rob Riggle, Joey Kern, Jonathan Sadowski, Noureen DeWulf Director: Neal Brennan Summary: When businesses are failing, they call in Don Ready (Jeremy Piven), a fast-talking closer who can sell anything to anybody. Hired to rescue a flagging auto dealership during a Fourth of July sale, Don spends his days on the lot and his nights at local strip clubs. Everything's going swimmingly ? until he gets blindsided by love. My Thoughts: ''It had its moments of funny. It even had some good one-liners, but that's about it. The story wasn't really great. But all the characters made up for it. Kathryn Hahn as Babs was just hysterical. Will Ferrell's small part in this was pretty funny. Liked David Koechner as well. Just OK for me. Nothing special happening in this."
Alexis N

What can I say about this movie that's new and you didn't get from the trailer? It's funny, silly, a good time, has a great cast and the 1-liners are fantastic. Anchorman-ish, in the sense that you may not love it the first time you watch it, but the more you think… More
What can I say about this movie that's new and you didn't get from the trailer? It's funny, silly, a good time, has a great cast and the 1-liners are fantastic. Anchorman-ish, in the sense that you may not love it the first time you watch it, but the more you think about it and quote the movie, the more you'll like it. The cameo was amazing!!
James A

If you like easy lazy comedy that is enjoyed by Dane Cook fans and people who wish Pauly Shore type movies were still a thing please enjoy.
KJ P

A good comedy! It doesn't rely on too much slapstick and has just the right amount of laughs to keep me interested... thank you NEAL!
Josh L

The Goods is one of those movies you unabashedly enjoy on an entertainment level, but you realize you might be losing a few brain cells along the way. The movie is crude, rude, offensive, but it is still occasionally funny in those ways. It's a guilty pleasure sort of movie, and… More
The Goods is one of those movies you unabashedly enjoy on an entertainment level, but you realize you might be losing a few brain cells along the way. The movie is crude, rude, offensive, but it is still occasionally funny in those ways. It's a guilty pleasure sort of movie, and I admit to liking it in that way, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's just not a recommendable movie. You know if you like these kind of movies, and if you do The Goods will satisfy. If you don't, stay far, far away as The Goods will probably make you want to vomit on the people that inspired it. I will say though, that all the actors looked like they were having a good time, and it rubs off on the viewer.
Manu G

Pretty funny but that's about it, very short film and perverted lol. In a desperate attempt to save his rapidly failing used car dealership, Ben Selleck hires a crack team of "car mercenaries" to ramp up sales during the Fourth of July weekend. Led by the… More
Pretty funny but that's about it, very short film and perverted lol. In a desperate attempt to save his rapidly failing used car dealership, Ben Selleck hires a crack team of "car mercenaries" to ramp up sales during the Fourth of July weekend. Led by the fast-talking, foul-mouthed, self-assured Don "The Goods" Ready, the group has three days to sell over 200 cars. But as Don undertakes his newest mission, and quickly falls for the boss's daughter Ivy, he realizes he'll have to trust more than his cars and his crafty skills in deceit to make a success out of the daunting weekend.
Derek A

The Goods boasts a strong, funny cast... but the end result is a total waste of time. The acting seemed forced and cartoonish and the dialog was lame and just not funny. There were a few funny lines here and there, but those lines were in the trailer. A… More
The Goods boasts a strong, funny cast... but the end result is a total waste of time. The acting seemed forced and cartoonish and the dialog was lame and just not funny. There were a few funny lines here and there, but those lines were in the trailer. A ridiculous plot with over-the-top cheesy scenes that are so embarassingly bad that it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Don't waste your time with this turd.
Aaron N

Don Ready: I don't know how you got on this lot blind man, but your not leaving here until I've sold you a car. Ok, this movie was way funnier than it should have been. With the combined talents of a very funny supporting cast, this film, headed by Jeremy Piven managed to… More
Don Ready: I don't know how you got on this lot blind man, but your not leaving here until I've sold you a car. Ok, this movie was way funnier than it should have been. With the combined talents of a very funny supporting cast, this film, headed by Jeremy Piven managed to be some of the most fun I've had at a used car lot. Jeremy Piven stars as Don Ready, a man for hire, who leads a team of car salesman around the country, promising to get cars out of the lots. His team includes Ving Rhames, David Koechner, and Kathryn Hahn (who was hilarious throughout). James Brolin (who is great just for being a part of this movie) plays a lot owner who needs to sell his cars or else he'll lose his business, so he hires Don and his team. The plot ensues, and brings into play other car salesman and characters including Ed Helmes, Ken (that Asian guy who is everywhere lately) Jeong, Craig Robinson, Tony "Buster Bluth" Hale, Rob Riggle, Charles Napier, and an uncredited Will Ferrell. Brent Gage: In schoolyards, "Don Ready" is a euphemism for a hard-on. The movie was directed by Neal Brennan. Who? Brennan was Dave Chapelle's writing partner on the Chapelle Show and Half Baked, but has now moved on to head up his own feature film and a lot of that humor is present here. It is a wonderful combination that brings together a lot of talented comedians and actors into a crude and raunchy movie that makes sure to be random, offend, and provide an overall good time. Babs Merrick: If he sells that car, I'm gonna eat my own pussy. Brent Gage: At a girl.
Lorenzo v

"In schoolyards, "Don Ready" is a euphemism for a hard-on." Used-car liquidator Don Ready is hired by a flailing auto dealership to turn their Fourth of July sale into a majorly profitable event. <center>"In schoolyards, "Don Ready" is a euphemism for a hard-on." Used-car liquidator Don Ready is hired by a flailing auto dealership to turn their Fourth of July sale into a majorly profitable event. <center>REVIEW</center> Billed as 'from the makers of Talladega Nights and Anchorman', this one doesn't come close to either. Sure Adam McKay and Will Ferrell are as listed Producers, and Mr Ferrell has another of his unending string of cameos, but the film has none of the charm or big laughs that those two far superior comedies offer. Jeremy Piven just can't carry a film ... and I believe he is a talented actor. But after this one, Smokin Aces and Keeping up with the Steins, he has proved to be much more effective in supporting roles (see Entourage). His career will last much longer if he will just embrace the supporting role. In this film, he is so over the top that his character is neither a parody nor believable nor really very funny. Comedy works best if we feel a touch of empathy or even hatred for the lead. Here, I liked the movie best when Piven was not in a scene (which rarely happened). The good things about the film are the work of Bab's husband James Brolin, the interesting Kathryn Hahn, the raging Charles Napier, "10 yr old pituitary case" Rob Riggle, and Cameron Diaz lookalike Jordana Spiro. But the absolute best part is the fast rising Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover). He really goes all out in his role as spoiled grown-up in a "man band". For two better comedies set at a car lot, see Used Cars (with Kurt Russell and the great Jack Warden) and Cadillac Man (Tim Robbins and Robin Williams).
Dan S

A disappointing comedy full of pretty talented and funny individuals who unfortunately are caught in the middle of a formulaic storyline. Sadly the script couldn't be lamer, and the way the Piven cares so much about this small car dealership makes no sense, hence why the… More
A disappointing comedy full of pretty talented and funny individuals who unfortunately are caught in the middle of a formulaic storyline. Sadly the script couldn't be lamer, and the way the Piven cares so much about this small car dealership makes no sense, hence why the movie's direction feels so fake. There's no doubt Piven has talent, he's showed that in this film, as well as what made him popular in "Entourage", but he needs better material, he can't carry a movie completely on his shoulders, and that's what the film attempts to make him do. Ken Jeong and Ed Helms are wasted, and some of the dialogue is pretty crappy. I will admit I laughed a few times, but not to the extent that some of the recent comedies that have come out recently (most with Judd Apatow's prints somewhere, producing or directing) have.
Rico Z

You live in Temecula, California. Your marriage is "dead" and your used car lot is in shambles. What do you do? You call Don Ready; because, although he isn't able to relocate you or fix your broken marriage (and your late-night male-craving-induced cruising that caused… More
You live in Temecula, California. Your marriage is "dead" and your used car lot is in shambles. What do you do? You call Don Ready; because, although he isn't able to relocate you or fix your broken marriage (and your late-night male-craving-induced cruising that caused it,) he does "move cars, motherf*cker!" From the creators of Talladega Nights and Step Brothers (yes, that means Adam McKay and Will Ferrell,) comes a new slant on the used-car salesman. This movie is essentially for auto salespeople what Waiting... was for restaurant workers and what Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was for newscasters across the country: it's a skewed, graphic and ludicrous depiction of a class of worker that is prone to ignorant stereotyping to begin with. Well, The Goods intends to demystify the car seller and create an even harsher and more pronounced parody to laugh at. Jeremy Piven (of "Entourage" fame) is back playing his usual cocky, self-righteous, smart-ass characterization of a grown-up, albeit stunted, fratboy. In this movie, however, he just happens to be an overzealous, patriotic, strip-bar-loving, alcoholic car mover who can sell any car to anyone. Is there any other kind of dealer?!? The script can sometimes spill into patronizingly atrocious dialogue of the kind that tries too hard to pull a laugh (like teeth at the dentist.) But ultimately it is the performances by the supporting players that brings it all into one cohesive ensemble piece that shoots darts of comedy into the audience at a breakneck speed. Most notably, it's the performances by James Brolin as an ambiguously gay straight man; and a riotous turn by Kathryn Hahn as a semi-pedophile closer (whose carpet matches the drapes, by the way,) and what you've got is comedy gold. As if that weren't enough, we get some more gold nuggets with a cameo by a certain curly-haired producer-funnyman and a backpack full of accessories that are never to be mentioned in the same breath with "Abraham Lincoln." A hilarious, potty-mouth set of angels that sing dirty gospel verses is also a highlight to look forward to. All-in-all, this movie wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. Considering that we live in a culture where gas is pricey (to say the least) and where our junkyards are filled with "clunkers," this movie couldn't be more topical. But, ultimately, that isn't what it's all about. It's just about having a good time for a few hours with characters as irreverent as those you'd wish would actually approach you at a real-life car dealership. Maybe then, they'd get you to buy something. But in case you're ever on the flip side of the coin and you have wheels to get rid of, call Don Ready. Because he "moves cars, motherf*cker!"
Walter M

"The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" is a moderately amusing comedy that works at cross purposes. On the one hand, you have Don Ready(Jeremy Piven, who I would definitely buy a used car from), master salesman, who is so good at his job that he convinces a flight crew that… More
"The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" is a moderately amusing comedy that works at cross purposes. On the one hand, you have Don Ready(Jeremy Piven, who I would definitely buy a used car from), master salesman, who is so good at his job that he convinces a flight crew that smoking is okay in violation of half dozen federal statutes.(Smoke 'em if you got 'em. I don't fly. I don't care.) Even though they have not been home in over a year and a half, he accepts another job on behalf of his crew(Ving Rhames, Kathryn Hahn & David Koechner) to save a failing car dealership owned by Ben Selleck(James Brolin) in Temecula, Ca. For which, Don also requires strippers and a DJ. But something has been gnawing at Don since Albuquerque which does not inolve a wrong turn. And beneath the movie's silly veneer, it tries to work in some serious stuff about staying on the road too long but it should not matter if you are enjoying yourself. And since everybody is too busy at the party, they do not have any time to think much of anything. It is the morning after when you have a moment and a huge headache, that the reflecting can kick in but the characters are not quite there, yet. So, while the movie might have ambiguous feelings about its traveling salesmen(never a good sign), it harbors little ill will towards its small town characters, as many a familiar face shows up. And then there is Alan Thicke playing the villain of the piece.
Sol C

Jeremy Piven's performance is definitely one reason to watch this film. The pacing is a bit off, especially from the middle to the end. I was expecting a better finale than the one in the film. They needed another rewrite. Ken Joeng, Kathryn Hahn, Charles Napier, and David… More
Jeremy Piven's performance is definitely one reason to watch this film. The pacing is a bit off, especially from the middle to the end. I was expecting a better finale than the one in the film. They needed another rewrite. Ken Joeng, Kathryn Hahn, Charles Napier, and David Koechner are hilarious in the film in their supporting roles. Will Ferrell's first appearance in the film was hilarious and better than his other 2 appearances in the film.
Alec B

Its not completely terrible, there are a few very funny things in it, however on the most part the movie seems oddly restrained, they could have gone so much further with this idea.
Christopher H

Jeremy Piven is amazing! The movie... not so much. Pretty sure I laughed only a couple times, mainly in the beginning. Jeremy Piven carried most of the film, but with the jokes being very hit or miss (mostly miss) just wasn't enough to make me like this film. Probably will never… More
Jeremy Piven is amazing! The movie... not so much. Pretty sure I laughed only a couple times, mainly in the beginning. Jeremy Piven carried most of the film, but with the jokes being very hit or miss (mostly miss) just wasn't enough to make me like this film. Probably will never see it again sadly.
Deb S

The Goods is a raunchy and crude little comedy about a car dealership business founded by Ben Selleck (James Brolin), who is now being threatened with foreclosure by the competition Alan Thicke. His sales force made up of the likes of a senile drill sergeant (Charles Napier) and a… More
The Goods is a raunchy and crude little comedy about a car dealership business founded by Ben Selleck (James Brolin), who is now being threatened with foreclosure by the competition Alan Thicke. His sales force made up of the likes of a senile drill sergeant (Charles Napier) and a madcap korean (Ken Jeong) spells doom especially when they lose customers. James Brolin gets desperate and decides to hire super hot-shot car salesman Don Ready (Jeremy Piven) and his team of Jibby Newsome (Ving Rhames), Brent Gage (David Koechner) and Babs Merrick (Kathryn Hahn) for his upcoming Fourth of July sale in hopes of saving the business. The movie has a lot of jokes flying around constantly but many fall flat on their faces; however there are some that work. Will Ferrell shows up for a brief but rather funny cameo. This movie is along the lines of Old School, Anchorman, Step Brothers so if you didn't like those movies, I would suggest that you don't see this one either.
Philip P

'The Goods: Live Hard. Sell Hard', is exactly what it looks like. A good, raunchy and hilarious time at the movies. It was evident in 'Old School' Jeremy Piven had what it took to hold down a feature and he finally gets his chance here. Along with Piven we get a… More
'The Goods: Live Hard. Sell Hard', is exactly what it looks like. A good, raunchy and hilarious time at the movies. It was evident in 'Old School' Jeremy Piven had what it took to hold down a feature and he finally gets his chance here. Along with Piven we get a great, and I mean great supporting cast-Ken Jeong, who seems to be in every comedy that is released now, does his usual funny stuff, only to never get enough screen time to satisy the audience or make us sick of him. Ving Rhames is hilarious and is so likeable in everything he does, he scores many a laughs here as does David Koechner, who seems to have his biggest role since Anchorman here. Craig Robinson is catching up with Jeong, as he too is popping up everywhere and steals almost every scene he has. Ed Helms, coming hot off 'The Hangover' scores some big laughs, as does Rob Riggle who had small bits in both this and that hangover movie. All this combined with one of Will Ferrells best cameos, probably would rank it right below the 'Wedding Crashers' one, and a great stand-out performance by Kathryn Hahn make 'The Goods' one of the more enjoyable comedies of the summer. Other than the fact the cast is so much fun to watch, we do have a little bit of a story, something about saving a family car dealership before it is sold to Alan Thicke, and thats all good and somewhat important, but the film seems it was assembled very sloppily, not just in editing, but also, like it had to loose a direction-as if the director got a little to caught up in having fun on set. It is cheesy on purpose and goes for the gold with every racist, sexist and vulgar joke it makes-you can't be angry though because 9 out of 10 times the jokes hit and make you laugh out loud. 'The Goods' is quick, funny and painless, nothing no one should think too much about or ridicule too much, its goal is to be funny and in that regard, it fully succeeds.
Curt C

[1000th Rating!] The jokes come a mile a minute, and there are far more hits than misses. This is my first experience seeing Jeremy Piven in ... well, anything, and he does a solid job. Two things really grease the wheels to make this an excellent comedy - first, the supporting… More
[1000th Rating!] The jokes come a mile a minute, and there are far more hits than misses. This is my first experience seeing Jeremy Piven in ... well, anything, and he does a solid job. Two things really grease the wheels to make this an excellent comedy - first, the supporting cast is universally excellent. Dr. Ken Jeong, Ving Rhames, David Koechner, Ed Helms, Craig Robinson, and Charles Napier are all hilarious; with my favourite being Kathryn Hahn. Seriously, that is a top notch supporting cast that brings the funny. Second, "R-Rated" doesn't just mean "dick and poop jokes" as I've seen with so many other comedies the past few years. The jokes are genuinely funny, sleazy, and risque, although they to milk a few longer than they should.
Jonny C

Pretty much a hit a miss comedy, where a lot of the jokes fall flat, but those that do hit the mark, have you in stitches. Since his role in Entourage Jeremy Piven has become more than John Cusack's wing man, and it's nice to see him in a leading role. The Goods also has a… More
Pretty much a hit a miss comedy, where a lot of the jokes fall flat, but those that do hit the mark, have you in stitches. Since his role in Entourage Jeremy Piven has become more than John Cusack's wing man, and it's nice to see him in a leading role. The Goods also has a hilarious cameo from Will Ferrell, and you'll probably recognise most of the cast from his previous movies.