The Motel

Love the foreign comedy/satire element in this excellent indie, a breath of fresh air. I like to be entertained and as such, there are no major flaws that come to mind with "The Motel" (2005).

One of the reviews here rips the American-Asian content for not being sensitive enough to Chinese/Korean cultures. Well, gee whiz! I suggest all indie directors ignore such cultural political nitpicking because we are not in Asia, we are in the melting pot of the USA. There are 100+ nations-cultures-variants now living in the U. S., it is impossible to appease all of their root sensitivities within cinema- no one has the time, the $$, or the inclination to do so, in mainstream theatre.

This feature was surprisingly the best of the 9 films I saw at Sundance. This is an endearing story of a young boy going through the struggles of life - it is a remarkably funny and heartfelt story that really moved me and the entire audience on opening night. This is, in my honest opinion, the sleeper hit of Sundance and the best movie in the festival. DEFINITELY worth checking out, I think it was overlooked due to the hoopla and buzz of other movies with bigger name celebrities. Filmmaker Mike Kang has taken a very endearing story and made it into an excellent film, about a lonely young boy working at a family-owned motel, who befriends a mysterious stranger (Sung Kang, from Better Luck Tomorrow) that teaches him the ropes of growing up (irresponsibly). It is a hilarious movie, yet it is filled with strong emotion and drama - many, especially the mothers in the audience, were brought to tears by the end. Highly recommended, just watch it for yourself and enjoy!

I saw this film at Sundance 2005. I am not an industry person and this was one of the only films we were able to get tickets for. Of the nine (I think) films I saw, this was probably my favorite. The fact that there weren't really any Hollywood recognizable faces made it easier to get into, but that is really what the festival should be about, right?

I thought that the acting was very sincere and the story was definitely interesting enough to keep my attention through the whole film. This was centered around a Asian-American cast, which made it somewhat interesting to me, not being Asian, but that did not really make or break the story. It was more about the relationships of these people and what they wanted out of life.

I'm not sure that this will get released to mainstream theaters but if you have a chance to see it or rent it, definitely do so.

Fun, this movie is hilarious. WATCH IT! This is a complicated story done very simply. The main kid in this coming of age story is a superb "first-time" actor. It's like "Napoleon Dynamite" meets a Wes Anderson film. This is a film lover's film, no doubt. I only accidentally purchased "Motel" at Amoeba Music because of its inexpensive price and its "Ghost World" style cover, being more like a Graphic Novel.

I absolutely enjoyed it's everyday-life humor about family and growing up, tossed in with a not so usual setting of a pay by the hour Motel used for drunks and prostitutes. Combined with its indie soundtrack, any Todd Solondz lover would admire this movie's dark spirit and its uplifting metaphors. I suggest to WATCH IT and pass on the word. If you're a collector like me, just buy it and put it next to your Gregg Araki/David Lynch collection that you keep separated from the other crap you accidentally bought on your DVD mantel!!!

Not kidding, if you ever loved somebody growing up that didn't love you back, had a parent that was your worst critic, or thought you were adopted because you're just so different then the rest of you family... well, you and everybody else that likes a good movie should watch this gem. Not kidding.

I thought the movie was excellent, except for the conclusion. Like most independent films, the third act is lacking. Kang really told a great story, but it kind of fell flat at the end. I guess his mother reading the story is supposed to be the conclusion, but maybe having some sort of dialogue with the son would have made the third act more fulfilling.

Otherwise, can't say enough good things about this movie. I liked that there were no stars. I always find a movie more believable when I don't know anyone in the cast. Hey look, it's Denzel. Wasn't he killed in Training Day? The opening scenes with strangers coming in to have sex and the family having to clean up their mess was done very well. Brought the audience into a world it never sees.

I knew very little about Asian relationships from movies. The only other Asian film (besides Crouching Tiger and the like) that I have seen that has dealt with relationships is the Joy Luck Club. It was nice to see this dynamic from the viewpoint of a young male. Joy Luck Club was solely from the female perspective.

Can't wait to see more from Kang.