The Motel (2006)
87 %
Reviews Counted: 31 Fresh: 27 Rotten:4 Average Rating: 7/10
Runtime: 76 mins
Theatrical Release: Jun 28, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: This quiet gem marks the directorial debut of Michael Kang, and was produced by Miguel Arteta (THE GOOD GIRL, CHUCK AND BUCK). Thirteen-year-old Ernest Chin (Jeffrey Chyau) is the first-generation son in a family of Chinese immigrants; he lives in a sleazy motel run by his hardworking, dour... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Jeffrey Chyau, Samantha Futerman, Sung Kang, Jade Wu, Alexis Chang
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
A wonderful reminder that adult life is never as difficult as puberty was.
Comment
03/01/07
A most impressive feature film debut by writer/director Michael Kang who has crafted a compelling tale by examining rites of passage from a fresh perspective, namely, that of a Chinese-American adolescent.
01/25/07
The Motel gives the lie to all those mainstream teen sex comedies starring happy, horny gwailos .
11/17/06
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11/11/06
Perhaps The Motel meanders a bit too much -- hard to do in a 76-minute film -- but it is an engaging little movie.
10/20/06
Top Critic
Each of Ernest's interactions and epiphanies is pure, calculated movieland.
10/19/06
Kang and Chyau make for a great team, with Chyau able to give an honest performance that requires humiliation, but never disrespect.
09/21/06
As rundown as it is and as downbeat as its denizens are, only 76 minutes seems like too short a stay at "The Motel."
09/21/06
It's a modest triumph of unflattering realism, proving yet again that a camera, a few good actors, the right material and a sensitive director are all you need to illuminate any particular aspect of humanity.
09/01/06
It's pretty much a customary coming-of-age tale, though it is told with refreshing honesty and realism.
09/01/06
... suffers from rocky moments and an unsure eye, but [Kang's] sense of detail is rich with prickly contradictions and he resists tidying up the story.
08/31/06
There is honesty and integrity in the filmmaking and the performances, which make The Motel among the best character studies of the year.
08/31/06
Top Critic
It's Kang's understanding of human nature -- not particularly profound, but true and sharp as a perfectly drawn arrow -- that makes this unpretentious production sing.
07/28/06
A well-worn coming-of-age tale enlivened by pungent detail and a sharp visual sense.
07/27/06
Top Critic
Even if writer-director Michael Kang doesn’t exactly break new ground, he imbues his debut with a quiet, compelling inertia that mimics puberty’s rudderless drift, its burgeoning desire for something, anything, to change.
07/27/06
The third effort of Korean-American writer-director Michael Kang of New York brings attention to his unique demographic, but should have been a better made movie.
07/21/06
The film about of a teenage Chinese-American boy struggling with adolescent issues while working in his family's fleabag motel has the precise brevity of a well-crafted short story.
07/06/06
Top CriticRelated Forums
(2006/Animated)-Michael Kang's THE MOTEL scores an Independent SPIRIT nomination!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/9/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/9/07
(2006/Animated)-Michael Kang's THE MOTEL scores an Independent SPIRIT nomination!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/9/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/9/07
(2006/Animated)-Michael Kang's THE MOTEL scores an Independent SPIRIT nomination!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/9/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/9/07
(2006/Animated)-Michael Kang's THE MOTEL scores an Independent SPIRIT nomination!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/9/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/9/07
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