Hotel Sorrento

I found it a real task to sit through this film. The sound track was not the best and some of the accents made it difficult to understand what was being said. There was little to move the plot along and often the action simply stopped and there was a prolonged period of conversations which seemed extraneous to the movie. These conversations switched between family groups and the observer was left to try and piece together what the common thread was that tied them together. It is rare that I rate a film this low and do so in this case as the entire viewing experience left me thinking "so what" and "why did I waste my time watching this."

A beautiful and heartfelt film about the end of an era for a family residing by a distant seaside suburb on the edge of Melbourne. The family, with its connection to Britain and the USA also symbolize how Australia moved from being under England's shadow to the growing domination of the US. There is much talk of Australia's cultural poverty - one character insists this is not the case- and, under the surface, a tale of sisterly betrayal that underlies the idea that by the 90s it was capitalist greed as manifested in the American sister that was undoing many Australians. All this said, the film can be enjoyed for it's autumnal colors, elegiac mood and some wonderful scenes wherein the characters grew into people I felt I knew, with top class acting from all. Just towards the end the script makes the characters mouthpieces for certain views about Australia that are creditable yet do sound like prepared speeches. That aside a thoroughly enjoyable and moving film. The final credits scene, with old footage of the house shown to us while the audio tells us it is about to be sold, is heartbreaking and can be related to by just about anyone who filled a home full of memories then years later returned to find it demolished, replaced by new housing or business developments.

Here was a film I really liked. The IMDb user rating here is criminal. It's a surprise this movie is actually directed by Richard Franklin. I'm not gonna go into the performances, cause they're all great. This is one of the things that makes it work, where the characters bounce off each other, sometimes in sudden conflict, the characters here, objective and not hiding behind their feelings. Writer (Goodall from Disclosure) is one of three sisters, the famous one, who's returned from London to her seaside home of Sorrento. She's a novelist who's written a book, non fiction, as I can recall, about the place she grew up in, Sorrento Beach. The very realistic movie, is like one of these drama's, from which I never got bored, where as I said earlier, it's the interaction by the characters. There's comedy, domestics, and sadly tragedy for one of the family. The sisters resent famous Sis novelist too who suddenly pops back into their life with her kind of stuck up, English hubby (Bell, who I really liked), a critique sort, after a long absence. As though never going to Sorrento, the scenic atmosphere was beautiful, where you really felt part of it. HS is solid dramatic viewing, and is worth much more than a 6.6. believe me.

Unlike jjp, I think of this as one of those rare movies that is spectacular without trying to be spectacular. So many Hollywood movies try to slam emotions down our throats, leaving one cold--not this. The entire cast is solid, if not brilliant, especially Joan Plowright.

The storyline may not be the most original around, but it is well thought-out, directed and executed. On the surface it's another "family coming together" flick where one laughs a bit and cries a bit. But it's better done than that. The characters (and dialogue) are real, not filled with contrived eccentricities. They're also enjoyable and enchanting. The setting, a quiet (almost dull) seaside town, works wonderfully (& it's not NYC, LA or Chicago for once.) Without car chases and gun shots, it comes together beautifully.

The 90s seem to have been a real coming of age for the Australian film industry. This film, along with "The Sum of Us", "Muriel's Wedding" and a host of others seem to prove that all Hollywood writers, directors and producers need a working-holiday in Australia.

Hotel Sorrento is the story of three sisters reunited in their family house in a nice resort town on the coast of Australia. One of them, who now lives in England has written a successful novel (or thinly disguised autobiography). This is a very familiar story line, the family or friend reunion where dirty laundry gets sorted out. The novelty is that the movie also serves as a forum to discuss the state of Australian culture.

This kind of movie is supposed to make you cry, to make you laugh and to make you think and, in order to do so, needs a few basic ingredients that Hotel Sorrento is sorely missing: some sense of humor and above all, good acting and subtle direction. The acting is mediocre at best, direction about as light as the Titanic and humor totally absent.