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The Motel Life transcends its frustratingly uneven screenplay with some outstanding work from a talented cast.
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (13) | DVD (1)
The film is heavy-going, unformed and self-indulgent, with characters who are neither sympathetic nor (crucially) interesting.
Sensitive lensing and acting render an unusual story of brotherly love touching in a promising first film.
Alan Polsky and Gabriel Polsky propel the material in a way that can feel over-determined. But they grasp the eccentricities and desperation of fringe dwellers, and at its strongest their atmospheric film has the pull of a sad outlaw song.
We have seen many films about losers on the run, but in the directorial debut of former Chicago siblings Alan and Gabe Polsky, we get an intriguing new take on brotherly love not only gone wrong, but clearly hopeless from the beginning.
This independent drama effectively captures the spirit of much contemporary fiction: the tone is at once precious and stark, and the narrative drifts from one episode to another (and from realism to fantasy) as though it were playing out in a dream.
As good as "The Motel Life" is for the actors, that's how bad it is for the viewer.
Too often veers from the road by misguided design.
As a mood piece it works extremely well.
The film is more downbeat than tense, interweaves animation sequences, and perhaps worked better in the original novel.
A pedestrian, undeveloped indie clunker, its failure as a complete, satisfying story especially disappointing since the sibling relationship at its center could have been special with a better script.
Watching The Motel Life, I felt that I was in the hands of someone capable of making a great film.
There's definitely a niche audience out there that will love The Motel Life; and this is a film that deserves to be loved.
The dark indie drama The Motel Life is a macabre tale that's pointless and depressing. Based on a novel, two brothers, Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan, are a couple of lowlifes living out of motels and cars who go on the run after killing a kid in a hit-and-run. The film has strong themes of living in regret and brotherly love, but the characters are unsympathetic degenerates. Starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, and Dakota Fanning, the cast is pretty decent; however their performances are bland and uninspired. The directing is also an issue and is rather static; aside from randomly inserted animated sequences whenever Frank tells his brother a story. The Model Life is a largely forgettable film that doesn't really have anything to say.
Super Reviewer
Wow... what an unusual mystery thriller drama this was! I am not sure if I am going to remember it because of the acting of Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning, and Kris Kristofferson or the debutant director brothers Alan and Gabriel Polsky, and their unorthodox approach to a story which was doomed and gloomed from the first second of the movie, but kept going and taking us along to an amazing experience which could turn sour for some viewers with less patience! The screenplay was masterfully adapted by Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue from Willy Vlautin's novel of the same name. The film was shot in Reno and Virginia City and also features excellently animated sequences drawn by Mike Smith. The odd heroes of this movie, Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan work odd jobs, drink hard, and drift from motel to motel... As orphans they found an escape in Frank's fantastic stories and Jerry Lee's rich illustrations, which kept them going the next step forward... and forward... and forward. But, everything changes when Jerry Lee is involved in a hit-and-run accident! The brothers decide to run from the law, across the state to the home of Frank's old flame, Annie James. Sadly, while the two seem safe from the law, Jerry Lee's insatiability and all-consuming guilt render their future increasingly uncertain. Real-life brothers Gabe & Alan Polsky show us their narrative ability and directorial skills to find beauty and hope in a world of casinos, gun shops, dive bars, and in the simple people who inhabit them, people on the margin of the society - so often ignored as invisible and insignificant! And all that was shot by the cinematographer Roman Vasyanov - this was his first American feature film... using 35mm film, he was lauded by critics for his "gorgeous snow-flecked cinematography." Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal stated, "It's admirable and even memorable, in its moody fashion, thanks to Roman Vasyanov's richly textured cinematography-he's a shooter to keep our eyes on." Indeed! A team which needs recognition - go and check it out yourself what I am talking about! It's well worth it.
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