For Michael and Jennifer Winestone, a Los Angeles couple uniquely steeped in the entwined worlds of real estate and divorce proceedings, watching Noah Baumbach'sjust once was never really an option. "The second time we watched it, we really studied it," says Michael, a Compass real estate agent who has carved out a niche as one of L.A.'s go-to realtors for divorce listings. "Basically, I'm surrounded by divorce," he says.
The national divorce industry is worth $50 billion each year, according to estimates, and a sizable chunk of that figure is tied to real estate. And while the divorce rate in the U.S. has dropped over the past decade, there is scant evidence that it has slowed within the entertainment industry , which has allowed for a divorce-related cottage industry to flourish.
Undergirding all the various housing scenarios is the liquidity of one or both of the spouses. High-profile attorney Laura Wasser , whose clients have included Ryan Reynolds, Heidi Klum and Johnny Depp, says she's seen clients work out all sorts of custody-related living arrangements. "A lot of people are nesting, and the kids are staying in the house and the parents rotate in and out based on the custody agreement. Where the parents go depends on the amount of money they have.
Around the corner from there is the Wilshire Corridor, which Mannis says remains desirable for an older set of divorcés. Coincidentally, three of his clients, though, have ended up on Malibu's Zuma Road in the past year.
I had to stop watching the movie. It was too disturbing. Boy, do lawyers look bad in this movie