I became a fan of Stephen Dorff after his role in Sophia Coppola's Somewhere and Emile Hirsch in the great Alpha Dog. Even the smaller roles with Kris Kristofferson and Dakota Fanning are remarkable in this movie. But all the good acting still keeps the flick just a notch above average. Its not so much about life in a motel or all that, but the lives and decisions of two brothers and all the drama that goes with it. Dorff plays an immature amputee who is dependent on Hirsch and does a great job. Man, just watching Dorff complain and cry is almost nerve-racking. The dark, cold, snowy, gloomy scenes make you feel the weather, but I wish there was more to the story line than just good acting and the scenery.
35 Reviews
Bad Luck
westsideschl8 June 2014
Plot abstract - brothers grow up with bad luck always looking for them; almost every imaginable thing that can go wrong does. But, they still have each other's back and their storytelling. From an acting, filming and creative storytelling pov it's a four or five but a couple of things moved it down the charts for me. First, no subtitles and for a film which is storytelling dependent that is a no-no. Not only difficult for any hard of hearing, etc. but the enunciations and unique dialogue were difficult to follow anyway. Second, the pacing and over redundancy of the main theme made watching really slooow. Perhaps intended to embellish the cold desolate mood which the director also provided with other filming techniques but it turned out to be too much. Like having the same meal repeatedly, it loses it's taste eventually.
A strained but serious effort at interpersonal drama with a realistic edge
secondtake13 September 2014
The Motel Life (2012)
Brimming with conventional thriller possibilities, including a serious tinge about brothers remaining loyal to the end, "The Motel Life" ends up a near miss in scene after scene. We learn quickly that there is a pact made between the two because of a mother who dies and leaves them little to live on. And we see how one brother has killed someone in his car by mistake (it seems) and so ends up dragging both brothers into the flight from justice.
This all sounds solid, yes. But there are just those endless little things that set it wrong. The acting varies from excellent (Frank, one of the two brothers) to strained (Jerry, who overacts) to awkward (a couple of their friends playing stereotypical parts). The plot has elements of intensity, for sure—too many, you might say—but it also rings too many familiar bells. There is death, gambling, amputation, prostitution, drinking, gay-bashing, attempted suicide, theft (of a dog!), and an extended hospital scene that ends with great and necessary drama.
To say the flaws here are the result of the low budget is to miss what might have been a golden opportunity: making a truly original story out of these young men caught between honor and ordinary crime. That is, there is a raw edge here that could have been exploited with less aggressive writing that tips every angle into sensational excess. Only the steady, thoughtful leading actor, Frank, played by Emile Hirsch, holds it all together and makes it, in the end, at least worth watching. To his credit, a small but key part by Kris Kristofferson is also compelling and gives the movie some weight.
Co-directors Polsky and Polsky are new to movie-making, and it shows. But it's also apparent that something deeper is at work that might grow and be rewarding, especially with a better screenplay. Let's hope this is just a first tentative step forward.
Brimming with conventional thriller possibilities, including a serious tinge about brothers remaining loyal to the end, "The Motel Life" ends up a near miss in scene after scene. We learn quickly that there is a pact made between the two because of a mother who dies and leaves them little to live on. And we see how one brother has killed someone in his car by mistake (it seems) and so ends up dragging both brothers into the flight from justice.
This all sounds solid, yes. But there are just those endless little things that set it wrong. The acting varies from excellent (Frank, one of the two brothers) to strained (Jerry, who overacts) to awkward (a couple of their friends playing stereotypical parts). The plot has elements of intensity, for sure—too many, you might say—but it also rings too many familiar bells. There is death, gambling, amputation, prostitution, drinking, gay-bashing, attempted suicide, theft (of a dog!), and an extended hospital scene that ends with great and necessary drama.
To say the flaws here are the result of the low budget is to miss what might have been a golden opportunity: making a truly original story out of these young men caught between honor and ordinary crime. That is, there is a raw edge here that could have been exploited with less aggressive writing that tips every angle into sensational excess. Only the steady, thoughtful leading actor, Frank, played by Emile Hirsch, holds it all together and makes it, in the end, at least worth watching. To his credit, a small but key part by Kris Kristofferson is also compelling and gives the movie some weight.
Co-directors Polsky and Polsky are new to movie-making, and it shows. But it's also apparent that something deeper is at work that might grow and be rewarding, especially with a better screenplay. Let's hope this is just a first tentative step forward.
Stephen Dorff's and Emile Hirsch's Best
dallasryan6 December 2016
This is a tough film. It's gritty and it feels nostalgic as you watch the scenery in the film because it feels like we have all traveled to places like this before. It's a film about the sadness which harnesses it's energy upon us and sometimes we can never quite shake it. Or perhaps we can shake it.
Raw performances by Stephen Dorff and Emile Hirsch, their best performances to date, in my opinion. If the film could have lobbied its actors maybe even an academy award nomination would have been in the midst for Dorff or Hirsch.
A fine made film about who we are, what we lose and what we try to get back. Sad in all it's humility.
Raw performances by Stephen Dorff and Emile Hirsch, their best performances to date, in my opinion. If the film could have lobbied its actors maybe even an academy award nomination would have been in the midst for Dorff or Hirsch.
A fine made film about who we are, what we lose and what we try to get back. Sad in all it's humility.
Not much plot, but great acting and characters
bgaiv15 July 2020
It will either put you to sleep or make you commit suicide
Logan-2221 December 2013
Argh! The Motel Life looked like it might be a cool indie film thanks to the trailer with all the fun animation. Unfortunately, the cartoon segments are the only parts of this interminable snoozer that were enjoyable at all (and the only source of female nudity). The movie is a titanic bore, unremittingly depressing, with unlikable characters doing--well, not much of anything. They act like losers for the entire run time, bad things happen as a result, and there are no surprises how it ends, except how it took so long to get there. It reminded me of Leaving Las Vegas it was so utterly bleak and dull.
The cast is fine, the direction and production values are fine, but the script, man! Oh, the script! Any comparisons to Midnight Cowboy, Drugstore Cowboy, or any other "once in a generation" movie (with or without "cowboy" in the title) are completely unfounded. The Motel Life will either put you to sleep (as it did me) or depress you enough to want to commit suicide.
The cast is fine, the direction and production values are fine, but the script, man! Oh, the script! Any comparisons to Midnight Cowboy, Drugstore Cowboy, or any other "once in a generation" movie (with or without "cowboy" in the title) are completely unfounded. The Motel Life will either put you to sleep (as it did me) or depress you enough to want to commit suicide.
An interesting slice of dark motel life
detjenmi3 March 2014
Recently, I saw the The Motel Life with Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff and Dakota Fanning and thought it was really interesting, captivating and told a true, dark story of two brothers. Directed by the Polsky Brothers, they took on the adaptation of The Motel Life. I haven't read the book, but I wonder what the book fans thought of the movie.
Emile and Stephen's performances are intense and both characters are challenged as they run from the cops, search for money and try to survive. I really enjoyed Emile's performance. He portrayed Frank very well and could see the struggle to keep his brother well. As well, the sketch animation that is incorporated in the film just added to the story. That was one of my favorite aspects of the films. Sometimes films that try to add in animation with real life does not turn out well, but in this case, it worked!
Emile and Stephen's performances are intense and both characters are challenged as they run from the cops, search for money and try to survive. I really enjoyed Emile's performance. He portrayed Frank very well and could see the struggle to keep his brother well. As well, the sketch animation that is incorporated in the film just added to the story. That was one of my favorite aspects of the films. Sometimes films that try to add in animation with real life does not turn out well, but in this case, it worked!
like an old Dodge Dart
Vincentiu12 November 2013
snow. animation. common acting. dark story. a mixture between Of mice and men , blue song and usual scenes from a gloomy America. it is not great or good or impressive. only decent. each actor does a good work and the presence of Krist Kristoffen remains the profound note of movie. a film like an old Dodge Dart. too common for many, not brilliant for the others. but interesting and almost touching. an adaptation. a testimony. realistic and full of ash taste. a film who can remember few basic things of ordinary life or be boring. but not bad. sure, it is not a revelation, Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff makes theirs character in well known manner but that is one of film virtues.
Acting is very good & its worth seeing for that but don't expect anything amazing & be prepared for a very long hour and a half.
cosmo_tiger20 April 2014
"Don't make decisions thinking your a low life, make decisions thinking your a great man." When Jerry Lee (Dorff) tells his brother Frank (Hirsch) that he has just killed someone and drove away the decide the best thing to do is leave town. Frank tries to juggle finding a job, keeping a girlfriend and keeping his brother hidden and safe. This may be one of the hardest movies I've had to review. This movie isn't terrible and the acting is good, Kris Kristofferson is really great in this, but honestly nothing happens. It's a lot of repetition between the three aspects of Franks life. The best and easiest way to describe this is that the movie really has the feel of Out Of The Furnace. One brother watching out and trying to protect another but very slow moving and really waiting around for something to happen. It seems like I'm being hard on this, the acting is very good and its worth seeing for that but do not expect anything amazing and be prepared for a very long feeling hour and a half. Overall, if you like movies like Out Of The Furnace you will like this. I give this a C+.
Poignant and heartfelt.
lakegrovefc26 September 2020
Okay.
zombiebird9 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Well it seems like an interesting indie movie on the surface, but in reality the story just fails to establish itself. All through out you can just never really find yourself caring for the characters or what has happened to them. That of course isn't helped by the fact that the acting is quite very poor in places and the directing too seems somewhat amateurish at times although is reasonably acceptable as a whole. The movie is also cluttered with songs, at times you just go from 1 song onto another which is not only annoying, but, in my opinion also takes away some credibility from what is going on. Not to mention that it is plainly obvious that the numerous use of songs is just a cover to try and pull you into a story that can't hold its own. The end is anti- climatic and utterly unsatisfying, leaving you wondering what exactly this whole story was about anyway and why it just bounced around for so long and never really went anywhere. The illustrated cartoons within the movie however are really good, well animated, well narrated and properly manage to capture the setting of the movie and the characters. So in short, watch this if you feel like watching a cavalier, semi- romanticized movie about impoverished life in midland USA.
A "Midnight Cowboy" for the 21st Century
steven-leibson20 October 2013
Movies like this only come around every half century or so. The last time, the name of the movie was "Midnight Cowboy." This time, it's "The Motel Life," which is based on a cult debut novel by Willy Vlautin published in 2006. It's the story of two close-knit brothers, bonded together by the untimely death of their mother when they're in their early teens. Since then, these brothers have been inseparable, living rough on society's fringes due to no fault of their own. When the movie opens, the brothers are living in their hometown of Reno, Nevada in the cheap-motel miasma on the "other" side of town. Although one's a gifted artist and the other is an accomplished storyteller, they live at the bottom of the economic pile with nothing but odd jobs for support.
The two brothers, Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan, are played by Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff respectively with about as much emotional depth and raw credibility as you're likely to ever see portrayed on screen. The supporting cast includes Kris Kristofferson—in a truly moving performance—and Dakota Fanning who also gives a terrific accounting of her character. The inspired animation of Mike Smith adds substantially to the movie as well, cleanly delineating the "real" world from Frank's fantasies.
Like "Midnight Cowboy," this film deals with many dark, adult themes. "Midnight Cowboy" was made in 1969. It was highly controversial back then but it's now listed as #36 on the American Film Institute's Top 100 Greatest Movies of all time. If you're squeamish or prudish about what you see on screen, this might not be your film, but if you can stand to look at a portion of society that you likely don't see often or ever, you will be rewarded by the tremendous performances in this film.
You're going to have to work a bit harder than usual to find this movie when it opens on November 8. It will open in only 20 markets. But it will be worth the quest. We saw it early as part of the ongoing efforts of Tim Sika and the San Jose Camera Cinema Club. After the showing, the audience talked with Stephen Dorff via Skype for 45 minutes. Dorff shared a lot of background that greatly enhanced the experience. Thanks Tim.
The two brothers, Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan, are played by Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff respectively with about as much emotional depth and raw credibility as you're likely to ever see portrayed on screen. The supporting cast includes Kris Kristofferson—in a truly moving performance—and Dakota Fanning who also gives a terrific accounting of her character. The inspired animation of Mike Smith adds substantially to the movie as well, cleanly delineating the "real" world from Frank's fantasies.
Like "Midnight Cowboy," this film deals with many dark, adult themes. "Midnight Cowboy" was made in 1969. It was highly controversial back then but it's now listed as #36 on the American Film Institute's Top 100 Greatest Movies of all time. If you're squeamish or prudish about what you see on screen, this might not be your film, but if you can stand to look at a portion of society that you likely don't see often or ever, you will be rewarded by the tremendous performances in this film.
You're going to have to work a bit harder than usual to find this movie when it opens on November 8. It will open in only 20 markets. But it will be worth the quest. We saw it early as part of the ongoing efforts of Tim Sika and the San Jose Camera Cinema Club. After the showing, the audience talked with Stephen Dorff via Skype for 45 minutes. Dorff shared a lot of background that greatly enhanced the experience. Thanks Tim.
An uneven script is no match for these mammoth performances
trublu2155 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The Motel Life tells the story of Frank and Jerry Lee, played by Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff, as they navigate through their hapless life bouncing from motel to motel. When Jerry Lee is involved in a fatal hit and run, the two brothers go on the lamb from authorities. This is a film that really has a great story to it, great characters but never really capitalizes on where we think it is going to go. Instead, The Motel Life trades realism for nihilism as we see Frank telling his handicapped brother Jerry Lee wildly unrealistic stories to get him through the pain of his life all while running away from the inevitable consequences of his fatal hit and run. While the idea of the fanatical alternate universe that these brothers create for themselves represents their wanting for a better life, it never really shows them doing anything to achieve that desire. Unfortunately, the film focuses way too much on the depressive empty hope that Frank fills Jerry Lee's head with. While the stories are told in a unique way, by crude animation shorts over Hirsch's voice over, these stories never really progress into anything more than something different. The Polsky brothers direct the hell out of their actors, but spend little time trying to make any sense of the script. The script is uneven, spending too much time introducing the characters and not enough time developing something close to a coherent plot. Despite the negatives of the screenplay, The Motel Life does feature fantastic performances around the board. These performances make the film worth watching on that fact alone. Joining Hirsch and Dorff are Dakota Fanning and Kris Kristofferson, both of whom turn in wonderful supporting performances. Emile Hirsch is amazing as Frank and carries the film on his scrawny shoulders and brings it to the finish line but the real prize winner here is Stephen Dorff. Dorff's ability to make you genuinely feel heartbreak for him is impeccable. His performance as Jerry Lee shot to the top of my list of most underrated performances of all time. He is so sincere, his delivery is amazing and his scenes of showing true emotional pain and anguish is so believable you want to hug him through the screen and tell him everything will be okay. It is truly a remarkable performance from an actor that never really got his due. Dakota Fanning, while her role is rather pointless and underdeveloped, gives a very good performance here, shedding her child star persona for a gritty and truly heart wrenching portrayal of an abused runaway. Fanning's performance here is excellent but it really makes you want more out of her and the film leaves you wishing that the Polsky brothers gave her character a bit more screen time. Overall, this is a very uneven film in regards to a story but the performances are so amazing, making it worth the watch.
Unremarkable despite a great cast
PimpinAinttEasy9 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Another unremarkable indie flick with a great cast. It did have some good moments scattered here and there. I usually love these working class movies. I like watching movies about small town American life. But this one was too slight. It seemed to be uninspired. The only interesting moment was during the Tyson boxing match.
Anyway, the cartoon bits were very well done. EMILE HIRSCH does a decent job. STEPHEN DORPH does not have much to do. It is a waste of resources actually. KRIS KRISTOFFERSON and DAKOTA FANNING were completely wasted.
(5/10)
Anyway, the cartoon bits were very well done. EMILE HIRSCH does a decent job. STEPHEN DORPH does not have much to do. It is a waste of resources actually. KRIS KRISTOFFERSON and DAKOTA FANNING were completely wasted.
(5/10)
Better the Bates Motel than this sleeper.
JohnDeSando12 November 2013
Gloomy nomads and gloomy Nevada in the 1990's amount to a gloomy viewing experience in The Motel Life. The title clues us well enough: Living any time in a motel could be disastrous for mental health. The movie itself has that kind of despair.
Frank Lee (Emile Hirsch) helps wit-challenged brother, Jerry (Stephen Dorff), after the latter kills a boy on a bike and leaves the scene. Together they light out for motels with some imaginative cartoons representing stories Frank tells Jerry Lee throughout their lives. Some critics find the animations distracting; I find them imaginative and boredom reducing.
The confusing mash up of past and present (the boys are not much different from what they were) is relieved by Annie (Dakota Fanning), who is serene even in her conflicts. Fanning has grown into an intelligent actress and shows it here. In fact, Frank is fortunate to have such a dear girl improbably waiting for him. Another relief from motel boredom is cops looking for the driver of the lethal car. Add an enjoyable cameo by Kris Kristofferson as Earl Hurley, a car dealer, and the film is momentarily relieved from oblivion. Otherwise, the boys are on the lam and reminiscing while going deeper in debt and guilt.
One high point is their winning several thousand dollars betting on Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson. You can guess how wisely they use it. But the money allows them to go to another motel, by now a motif of squalor and loneliness, no surprise to those with limited income and without Marriott points. Changing motels and buying carry out food reinforce the rootless melancholy of these not-too-bright boys. It's tough to care about such nitwits.
On a more positive note, cinematographer Roman Vas'yanov captures the bleak winter landscape using film, not digits. It's possible to see how much more imposing the winter can be with old-fashioned celluloid. Just consider what Hitchcock achieves with that old Bates Motel. Now that's not dull.
Frank Lee (Emile Hirsch) helps wit-challenged brother, Jerry (Stephen Dorff), after the latter kills a boy on a bike and leaves the scene. Together they light out for motels with some imaginative cartoons representing stories Frank tells Jerry Lee throughout their lives. Some critics find the animations distracting; I find them imaginative and boredom reducing.
The confusing mash up of past and present (the boys are not much different from what they were) is relieved by Annie (Dakota Fanning), who is serene even in her conflicts. Fanning has grown into an intelligent actress and shows it here. In fact, Frank is fortunate to have such a dear girl improbably waiting for him. Another relief from motel boredom is cops looking for the driver of the lethal car. Add an enjoyable cameo by Kris Kristofferson as Earl Hurley, a car dealer, and the film is momentarily relieved from oblivion. Otherwise, the boys are on the lam and reminiscing while going deeper in debt and guilt.
One high point is their winning several thousand dollars betting on Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson. You can guess how wisely they use it. But the money allows them to go to another motel, by now a motif of squalor and loneliness, no surprise to those with limited income and without Marriott points. Changing motels and buying carry out food reinforce the rootless melancholy of these not-too-bright boys. It's tough to care about such nitwits.
On a more positive note, cinematographer Roman Vas'yanov captures the bleak winter landscape using film, not digits. It's possible to see how much more imposing the winter can be with old-fashioned celluloid. Just consider what Hitchcock achieves with that old Bates Motel. Now that's not dull.
Bummer
LeonLouisRicci6 July 2014
Dire, Depressing, and a Bit Boring, this Indie Slice-of-Life Definitely has Talented Filmmakers at Work, but this is so Downbeat that it Never Raises True Concern or Empathy from the Viewer. Mostly Because it just Tries Too Hard.
Virtually Humorless, Except in the Violent, Sketchy Animation that has its Charm. But that is about the Only Thing Charming in this Desperate Tale of Brotherhood. Emile Hirsch is Stoic and Noble in His Devotion to the Handicapped Stephen Dorff Playing Against Type as a Half-Wit Artist that is Hobbled by More than just One Leg.
It is a Good Try, but the Film is Lifeless in its Showing of a Life with Less than Nothing to Live for. It Needs Some Upbeat Tweak to Contrast and Balance the Bleak and the Bummer that this so Strongly Embraces.
Virtually Humorless, Except in the Violent, Sketchy Animation that has its Charm. But that is about the Only Thing Charming in this Desperate Tale of Brotherhood. Emile Hirsch is Stoic and Noble in His Devotion to the Handicapped Stephen Dorff Playing Against Type as a Half-Wit Artist that is Hobbled by More than just One Leg.
It is a Good Try, but the Film is Lifeless in its Showing of a Life with Less than Nothing to Live for. It Needs Some Upbeat Tweak to Contrast and Balance the Bleak and the Bummer that this so Strongly Embraces.
Uneventful Yet Still A Pretty Decent Movie That Will Hold The Viewers Until It Ends
fredfinklemeyer1 March 2019
03/01/2019 Viewer immersion into this movies storyline will most likely happen, not knowing where it's going and waiting for something eventful/exciting to happen but It never happens. Just a mundane tale of two closely knit brothers dealing with the everyday life in their small world. Fantasy is their only positive means of escape. Still, it was a good one time watch movie. Bon Appetit
Could have been better! 3/10
leonblackwood29 June 2014
Review: I wasn't that impressed with this movie. I found it pretty boring and the storyline wasn't that interesting. Watching the two brothers going from hotel to hotel, escaping the law because of a simple accident, became a bit tedious after a while, and because of the pace of the movie, i lost faith of anything interesting to happen. The acting wasn't bad from Dorff and Hirsch but the script really let the movie down. Its a shame because the concept wasn't that bad and with the helpings of Kris Kristofferson and Dakota Fanning, the director really did have some descent actors to work with. Anyway, at the end of the day, the director really did make a disappointing attempt of a road movie which is no ones fault but his own.
Round-Up: I was quite a big fan of Stephen Dorff back in the original Blade, but he really hasn't been able to top that performance. I don't think that it's his acting style that has let him down. I honestly think that it just has been the bad choices that he has made throughout his career. Emile Hirsch hasn't had a bad career. After starring in movies like Lone Survivor, Killer Joe & Savages, I doubt that this movie will hurt his progress in cinema. I did have high hopes for this film, which is why I'm so disappointed with the outcome.
I recommend this movie to people who are into there drama/thriller movies about 2 brothers who are on the run after a simple car accident. 3/10
Round-Up: I was quite a big fan of Stephen Dorff back in the original Blade, but he really hasn't been able to top that performance. I don't think that it's his acting style that has let him down. I honestly think that it just has been the bad choices that he has made throughout his career. Emile Hirsch hasn't had a bad career. After starring in movies like Lone Survivor, Killer Joe & Savages, I doubt that this movie will hurt his progress in cinema. I did have high hopes for this film, which is why I'm so disappointed with the outcome.
I recommend this movie to people who are into there drama/thriller movies about 2 brothers who are on the run after a simple car accident. 3/10
A melancholic but deeply engaging and moving journey of two brothers, like a stuttered road movie in search of a impossible final destination and cathartic resolution
fernandoschiavi15 November 2023
Joan Didion once wrote, "We tell stories for a living." And that's what brothers Frank (Emile Hirsch) and Jerry Lee (Stephen Dorff) Flannigan do to each other in "The Motel Life," directed by brothers Gabe and Alan Polsky, who are also producers. Frank tells the stories, and Jerry Lee makes accompanying drawings in a sketchbook. They paste the drawings all over the cement block walls of the various run-down motels they call home. Frank and Jerry Lee are grown but damaged men on the run, living in America's permanent social class, and their stories are the lifeline they have created for each other, the context in which they operate as brothers. Jerry Lee pleads with Frank, "Tell a story, Frank?" Based on musician Willy Vlautin's debut novel, "Motel Life" could have become a sentimental mess in less sensitive hands. It could have turned what is essentially moving and sincere into something kitsch and quirky. But the directors and cast, through a miracle of tone, atmosphere and emotion, have created a film that rings true, that is sweet and sharp and unbearable. Every painting seems right, every choice seems thought out, considered. It all adds up to a moving whole.
The stories Frank tells are escape adventures starring the two brothers facing pirates and Nazis and triumphing over unimaginable obstacles. When they were children, their father abandoned them, their mother died (but not before demanding a promise that the brothers would stay together), and, after an accident with a moving train, Jerry Lee had to have his leg amputated. Since then, life has been one long string of bad luck. In the stories Frank tells, Jerry Lee has two legs, of course. In the stories Frank tells, both brothers are tall, handsome, strong, and capable. We see these stories unfold before us in vibrant pencil animations interwoven throughout the film, clever and captivating, a depiction of Jerry Lee's illustrations come to life.
We meet the brothers in fragments and glimpses. We see them as children, we see them as men. Their bond is unmistakable and perhaps unhealthy, but the film lives in the dome of the brothers' reality, where they have no one else in the world but each other. Frank has friends (people he can ask for money from, that is), but Jerry Lee's only contact with the outside world is through his brother. The motel rooms they live in are so unwelcoming that you can feel how cold the tiles are, how weak the water jet in the shower is, how dirty the covers are. Frank is responsible, and that's not saying much. He strives for every dollar in his pocket. He is haunted by Annie (Dakota Fanning), a girl he abandoned. She was sweet and loyal, and had similar escapist tendencies (she also liked Frank's stories), but she was forced into prostitution by her horrible mother, and Frank can't forgive her, but at the same time, he can't forget her. Jerry Lee seems challenged in a way that goes beyond his physical disability. Whatever is wrong with him is not explicitly explained, and Stephen Dorff's performance is practically a masterpiece, bringing "Motel Life" into "Of Mice and Men" territory, clearly one of the story's original influences. . When Frank steals a dog (he would freeze from the cold being tied up in that yard anyway) and tells Jerry Lee, Dorff's face lights up with a childlike smile that is almost unbearable to witness in his uninhibited joy, saying, "Always We wanted a dog!" The "we" is eloquent
In the plot, when Jerry Lee runs over and kills a boy on a bicycle on a snowy night in Reno. His feelings of guilt don't stop him from fleeing the scene, and most of the film unfolds with the tension of them running away from the law, which is always one step behind. To hide the evidence, Jerry Lee, thinking confused, burns the car and shoots himself in the thigh, leaving him immobilized in the hospital while Frank tries to get money so they can escape. The film deftly illustrates their touching loyalty until death, as well as the innate propensity for self-sabotage that follows them like a dark cloud. Their lives are so intertwined that it's shocking to discover that Frank was once in love with a girl named Annie James (Dakota Fanning), a girl who dreams of escaping the wrong side of town with him, before a devastating incident tear them apart.
Frank helps Jerry Lee escape from the hospital (his prosthetic leg was lost in his travels), and they hide out in a motel, evading the police, trying to figure out what to do. Well, Frank makes the reasoning because Jerry Lee is panicked and in an emotional spiral. The intimacy between these two actors is a miracle to behold. There is a scene where Frank helps Jerry Lee into the shower to clean him up. Dorff is completely naked, and Hirsch is clothed, and at one point they start laughing about the nudity and the cramped space ("You have a big ass, Jerry Lee," Frank comments with a mixture of embarrassment and admiration), and it was a beautiful moment of levity in a story of restless desolation, but also a perfect encapsulation of the strange intimacy between brothers. Movies often get their portrayal of siblings wrong. Actors often fail to convince us that they have a long history together since childhood and emerged from the same family. With Dorff and Hirsch, you never doubt that for a second.
Jerry Lee has an imaginary girlfriend named Marge, and he covers the motel walls with drawings of her, a voluptuous pinup with a 1940s hairdo. Jerry Lee is amazed that his brother was actually ever in love and, more importantly, that a girl would love him. Loved back. He, Jerry Lee, never had that. His eyes fill with tears as he talks to Frank about this, the wreckage of his face showing a swirl of loneliness. Dorff's performance is magnificent and is entirely absent of grand histrionic gestures, cathartic meltdowns or tantrums. His eyes look pained and gentle as he tries to understand what the hell this life has given him. And Hirsch, like Frank, is a beautiful listener, an ingenious and also irreparably damaged support system. The supporting cast is great, especially Kris Kristofferson as a used car salesman and surrogate father figure for Frank. He gives advice that is actually sensible (unlike most of the other people in the film), telling Frank, "Don't make decisions thinking you're a scoundrel. Make decisions thinking you're a great man. Or at least a good man". The fact that Frank doesn't realize that he is already a good man is one of the film's tragedies.
Vlautin's story is non-linear and frequently flashes back to the brothers' childhoods, providing a fluid commentary on how their adult lives are essentially unchanged from their youth. The Polsky brothers replicate this tactic on screen with flashbacks and artful transitions, but the film moves at a confusing pace due to the frequent shifts in time and space. The action is further undermined by a series of animated sequences that bring to life the various stories Frank tells the naïve Jerry Lee to comfort him in times of distress. In Vlautin's book, these stories are simply woven into the prose, beautiful in their simplicity and vital to portraying the characters as rogue romantics. But the Polskys struggle to integrate that animation into their film. Instead of coming together to form a unified whole, the flashbacks, animation, and central story simply compete for screen time, leaving the film feeling like it's full of empty affection.
Just as Hirsch and Dorff bring an intense self-awareness to their roles that belies the straightforward nature of their characters, the film's polished formality doesn't fit well with the Bukowski-like setting of dingy motel rooms, dark bars, and seedy casinos. The only actor who seems in the right place is Kris Kristofferson, who plays a canny car salesman in a glorified cameo role, but even his role is limited to revealing the story's predictable thematic epiphanies. Filmmaker Roman Vasyanov's outdoor photography, however, is often stunning. Shooting on real film and taking full advantage of it, Vasyanov captures the cold grandeur of Nevada winters, the frigid temperatures evident in vaporous breaths and frozen trees. There's tremendous thematic potential in these images, but the Polskys, seemingly unsure of how to approach their own film, simply ignore them, leaving them behind in favor of another flashback or an animated distraction.
Set in the least glamorous part of Nevada during winter, the least attractive season of the year, the script seems dedicated to the idea of brotherly love and devotion, but remains strangely enigmatic about all the other plot details that would be needed to give the story more substance. Frank and Jerry Lee may be born losers, but they are truly attached and devoted to each other, probably too honest and decent for their own good, fleeing not only a possible prison sentence, but life itself into the realms of the imagination. The Polsky brothers' latest work benefits greatly from their own personal experiences with the unwavering support network forged between siblings. This clearly resonates throughout their work and is strengthened by the fantastic performances from the leads. Hirsch is as solid as ever, but it's the immensely likable Dorff who seriously impresses here. Easily managing to overcome the real-life age difference of more than a decade between himself and his on-screen brother, the actor cuts a deeply damaged and haunted figure, his gaze permanently pained aware of the fate that awaits him. "The Motel Life" is a melancholic affair, but it remains a deeply engaging and moving journey, with the protagonists' plight unfolding like a stuttered road movie in search of a (seemingly) impossible final destination and cathartic resolution.
The stories Frank tells are escape adventures starring the two brothers facing pirates and Nazis and triumphing over unimaginable obstacles. When they were children, their father abandoned them, their mother died (but not before demanding a promise that the brothers would stay together), and, after an accident with a moving train, Jerry Lee had to have his leg amputated. Since then, life has been one long string of bad luck. In the stories Frank tells, Jerry Lee has two legs, of course. In the stories Frank tells, both brothers are tall, handsome, strong, and capable. We see these stories unfold before us in vibrant pencil animations interwoven throughout the film, clever and captivating, a depiction of Jerry Lee's illustrations come to life.
We meet the brothers in fragments and glimpses. We see them as children, we see them as men. Their bond is unmistakable and perhaps unhealthy, but the film lives in the dome of the brothers' reality, where they have no one else in the world but each other. Frank has friends (people he can ask for money from, that is), but Jerry Lee's only contact with the outside world is through his brother. The motel rooms they live in are so unwelcoming that you can feel how cold the tiles are, how weak the water jet in the shower is, how dirty the covers are. Frank is responsible, and that's not saying much. He strives for every dollar in his pocket. He is haunted by Annie (Dakota Fanning), a girl he abandoned. She was sweet and loyal, and had similar escapist tendencies (she also liked Frank's stories), but she was forced into prostitution by her horrible mother, and Frank can't forgive her, but at the same time, he can't forget her. Jerry Lee seems challenged in a way that goes beyond his physical disability. Whatever is wrong with him is not explicitly explained, and Stephen Dorff's performance is practically a masterpiece, bringing "Motel Life" into "Of Mice and Men" territory, clearly one of the story's original influences. . When Frank steals a dog (he would freeze from the cold being tied up in that yard anyway) and tells Jerry Lee, Dorff's face lights up with a childlike smile that is almost unbearable to witness in his uninhibited joy, saying, "Always We wanted a dog!" The "we" is eloquent
In the plot, when Jerry Lee runs over and kills a boy on a bicycle on a snowy night in Reno. His feelings of guilt don't stop him from fleeing the scene, and most of the film unfolds with the tension of them running away from the law, which is always one step behind. To hide the evidence, Jerry Lee, thinking confused, burns the car and shoots himself in the thigh, leaving him immobilized in the hospital while Frank tries to get money so they can escape. The film deftly illustrates their touching loyalty until death, as well as the innate propensity for self-sabotage that follows them like a dark cloud. Their lives are so intertwined that it's shocking to discover that Frank was once in love with a girl named Annie James (Dakota Fanning), a girl who dreams of escaping the wrong side of town with him, before a devastating incident tear them apart.
Frank helps Jerry Lee escape from the hospital (his prosthetic leg was lost in his travels), and they hide out in a motel, evading the police, trying to figure out what to do. Well, Frank makes the reasoning because Jerry Lee is panicked and in an emotional spiral. The intimacy between these two actors is a miracle to behold. There is a scene where Frank helps Jerry Lee into the shower to clean him up. Dorff is completely naked, and Hirsch is clothed, and at one point they start laughing about the nudity and the cramped space ("You have a big ass, Jerry Lee," Frank comments with a mixture of embarrassment and admiration), and it was a beautiful moment of levity in a story of restless desolation, but also a perfect encapsulation of the strange intimacy between brothers. Movies often get their portrayal of siblings wrong. Actors often fail to convince us that they have a long history together since childhood and emerged from the same family. With Dorff and Hirsch, you never doubt that for a second.
Jerry Lee has an imaginary girlfriend named Marge, and he covers the motel walls with drawings of her, a voluptuous pinup with a 1940s hairdo. Jerry Lee is amazed that his brother was actually ever in love and, more importantly, that a girl would love him. Loved back. He, Jerry Lee, never had that. His eyes fill with tears as he talks to Frank about this, the wreckage of his face showing a swirl of loneliness. Dorff's performance is magnificent and is entirely absent of grand histrionic gestures, cathartic meltdowns or tantrums. His eyes look pained and gentle as he tries to understand what the hell this life has given him. And Hirsch, like Frank, is a beautiful listener, an ingenious and also irreparably damaged support system. The supporting cast is great, especially Kris Kristofferson as a used car salesman and surrogate father figure for Frank. He gives advice that is actually sensible (unlike most of the other people in the film), telling Frank, "Don't make decisions thinking you're a scoundrel. Make decisions thinking you're a great man. Or at least a good man". The fact that Frank doesn't realize that he is already a good man is one of the film's tragedies.
Vlautin's story is non-linear and frequently flashes back to the brothers' childhoods, providing a fluid commentary on how their adult lives are essentially unchanged from their youth. The Polsky brothers replicate this tactic on screen with flashbacks and artful transitions, but the film moves at a confusing pace due to the frequent shifts in time and space. The action is further undermined by a series of animated sequences that bring to life the various stories Frank tells the naïve Jerry Lee to comfort him in times of distress. In Vlautin's book, these stories are simply woven into the prose, beautiful in their simplicity and vital to portraying the characters as rogue romantics. But the Polskys struggle to integrate that animation into their film. Instead of coming together to form a unified whole, the flashbacks, animation, and central story simply compete for screen time, leaving the film feeling like it's full of empty affection.
Just as Hirsch and Dorff bring an intense self-awareness to their roles that belies the straightforward nature of their characters, the film's polished formality doesn't fit well with the Bukowski-like setting of dingy motel rooms, dark bars, and seedy casinos. The only actor who seems in the right place is Kris Kristofferson, who plays a canny car salesman in a glorified cameo role, but even his role is limited to revealing the story's predictable thematic epiphanies. Filmmaker Roman Vasyanov's outdoor photography, however, is often stunning. Shooting on real film and taking full advantage of it, Vasyanov captures the cold grandeur of Nevada winters, the frigid temperatures evident in vaporous breaths and frozen trees. There's tremendous thematic potential in these images, but the Polskys, seemingly unsure of how to approach their own film, simply ignore them, leaving them behind in favor of another flashback or an animated distraction.
Set in the least glamorous part of Nevada during winter, the least attractive season of the year, the script seems dedicated to the idea of brotherly love and devotion, but remains strangely enigmatic about all the other plot details that would be needed to give the story more substance. Frank and Jerry Lee may be born losers, but they are truly attached and devoted to each other, probably too honest and decent for their own good, fleeing not only a possible prison sentence, but life itself into the realms of the imagination. The Polsky brothers' latest work benefits greatly from their own personal experiences with the unwavering support network forged between siblings. This clearly resonates throughout their work and is strengthened by the fantastic performances from the leads. Hirsch is as solid as ever, but it's the immensely likable Dorff who seriously impresses here. Easily managing to overcome the real-life age difference of more than a decade between himself and his on-screen brother, the actor cuts a deeply damaged and haunted figure, his gaze permanently pained aware of the fate that awaits him. "The Motel Life" is a melancholic affair, but it remains a deeply engaging and moving journey, with the protagonists' plight unfolding like a stuttered road movie in search of a (seemingly) impossible final destination and cathartic resolution.
The story of two orphan and strongly bonded brothers.
Reno-Rangan24 December 2016
I have been set eye on this for some time, but only now I been able to see it. It was not as good as I expected, but an okay film. The story of two brothers who were orphaned at very young age and since then they have never been parted as they promised to their mother. Now grown up to adult, one of them commits an accident and decides to run away with it. When the law makes the progress on the case that leads to them, what's now and how they fight it was focused in the rest.
Very ordinary screenplay. Feels like a bit realistic, but there's nothing much happening at all. Thanks to those additional animations which actually lifted the film a bit. I loved those sequences over the real film. So this for the first directional film for the Polsky brothers and they were okay. I liked the cast of the brothers. apart from them there's no one that impressive. The romance was very weak, though only the ending was high.
I don't know the novel, it was based on, but the film lacked some good scenes or the events. Not just one or two, but in many parts the film should have been better. They should have altered the storyline from the original source. Especially the fate of amputated brother was too intentional as story wanted to end other way around. It was all the sudden and ruined the rhythm. The film is not good for everyone's viewing, so I suggest you be a careful if you want to try it.
5/10
Very ordinary screenplay. Feels like a bit realistic, but there's nothing much happening at all. Thanks to those additional animations which actually lifted the film a bit. I loved those sequences over the real film. So this for the first directional film for the Polsky brothers and they were okay. I liked the cast of the brothers. apart from them there's no one that impressive. The romance was very weak, though only the ending was high.
I don't know the novel, it was based on, but the film lacked some good scenes or the events. Not just one or two, but in many parts the film should have been better. They should have altered the storyline from the original source. Especially the fate of amputated brother was too intentional as story wanted to end other way around. It was all the sudden and ruined the rhythm. The film is not good for everyone's viewing, so I suggest you be a careful if you want to try it.
5/10
TELL ME A STORY
nogodnomasters22 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Set in dreary Indie symbolic winter, "Motel Life" is a story of despair and unconditional love Frank (Emile Hirsch) has for his brother Jerry Lee (Stephen Dorff). After Jerry Lee accidentally kills a kid on a bicycle, Frank abets him in disposing of the evidence and moving on. The brothers and everyone they touch have lives of despair which are brightened by Frank's story telling.
When the film wasn't slow and boring, it was filled with despair. It was certainly well acted and well scripted, for what it was. However on the entertainment scale, it was one I could have missed; a good movie I didn't like.
The film won the audience award at the 2012 Rome Screen Fest as well as best screenplay among 17 films.
Parental Guidance: F-bomb, sex, nudity- much of it was cartoon.
When the film wasn't slow and boring, it was filled with despair. It was certainly well acted and well scripted, for what it was. However on the entertainment scale, it was one I could have missed; a good movie I didn't like.
The film won the audience award at the 2012 Rome Screen Fest as well as best screenplay among 17 films.
Parental Guidance: F-bomb, sex, nudity- much of it was cartoon.
Visually-captivating, heartbreaking, imaginative, dream-like
jadesbowloforanges24 June 2014
This film was such a heartbreaking journey. Following these two brothers who seem to just drift through life together, the strength of brotherhood and the necessity of imagination and distraction in getting by in life through tragedies and struggles are themes both strongly examined throughout the film. And the animations are incredible - really bringing to life this drunken journey in an icy and isolating environment. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the Polsky brothers to see what they create next. Definitely buying it on their site and helping them to get the word of it out there by signing up to become a TML affiliate on their site - themotellifefilm.com!
Good but could've been better
jishubd16 March 2022
Good Acting
pos_itive1 February 2021
The acting is great especially from Stephen Dorff, one of the best work I have seen from him yet.
The story could have been a little better, tehn ending felt very rushed, and at parts left things unexplained, maybe this was done to follow the story from the novel.
Whereas the premise is quite gloomy for the lives of the brothers, a happier ending would give people a glimmer of hope for such a hopeless situation.
The story could have been a little better, tehn ending felt very rushed, and at parts left things unexplained, maybe this was done to follow the story from the novel.
Whereas the premise is quite gloomy for the lives of the brothers, a happier ending would give people a glimmer of hope for such a hopeless situation.
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