The Motel Life

Dorff is very good, but everyone is really solid.

Not much happening, but Dorff's tales are good. It's sad but captivating.

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.

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.

A dark depressing film with enough character development to keep you engaged. Well acted and believable, this movie is sad and touching. Well worth watching.

"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+.