The Million Dollar Hotel

Subject: Million Dollar Hotel (2000)

A lovely, lyrical, magical film about many ideas, not the least of which is the strength of the weak. The plot revolves around several "loonies" in a hotel for those with no where else to go. Billed as a murder mystery, I suppose it is that, too. Barely. I had no interest in who the killer was. Just wanted these people's lives to unfold before me forever. Mel Gibson does a very interesting and funny parody of his cop persona; the actor who plays Tom Tom is terrific as a presumably dim-witted gopher to the various inhabitants (he calls himself "the beggar's butler"),Milla Jovovich is a leading lady of sorts, a constant smoker and reader who describes herself as fictional; and, Jimmy Smits as Geronimo, a Latino Indian-chief wannabe, an artist in hiding and up-front scam artist. I'm not a film reviewer, and I have always been partial to Wenders' films. That being said, I'm going downstairs now to watch the film again. P.S. Bono! Who knew?