The Motel Life

Cast of Characters:

Frank Lee - Emile Hirsch

Jerry Lee - Stephen Dorff

Tommy - Joshua Leonard

Annie James - Dakota Fanning

Earl Hurley - Kris Kristofferson

Director - Alan Polsky & Gabriel Polsky

Screenplay - Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster

Based on the novel The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin

Rated R for sexual content, language, some nudity, brief violent images and drug references

      Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning and Academy Award nominee Kris Kristofferson star in the Polsky brothers' The Motel Life, based on the novel by Willy Vlautin.

      Frank (Emile Hirsch) and Jerry Lee (Stephen Dorff) are down on their luck brothers that have been working odd jobs and living their through motel after motel following the death of their mother. With an amputated leg to boot, Jerry's luck seems to be harder to find than his brother and the only escape he finds comfort in are the stories, mirroring their own life, Frank tells him.

      Jerry's string of bad luck runs deeper the moment he finds himself involved in a hit and run accident, which forces the brother to flee across state to the home of Frank's old girlfriend Annie James (Dakota Fanning).

      The "down on their luck" storyline is one we've seen before, and it can sometimes, depending on the writing and direction, run the risk of forcing or manipulating the viewer into sympathizing for the characters. With The Motel Life, aside from a few moments that seemed underdeveloped, directors Alan and Gabriel Polsky wisely let the characters be who they are without adding needless, overwrought elements to a story that, in this case, works as effectively as it does because of its simplicity. The film's greatest strength is its wonderful cast. Emile Hirsch already turned in a great supporting performance opposite Paul Rudd in Prince Avalanche a few months back, and here he's once again great as Jerry's brother, who's the anchor of the two yet, like his brother Jerry, is still damaged. With Twilight behind her, Dakota Fanning gives a quietly strong performance that surprised me. I was never much a fan of hers (aside from Man on Fire and Coraline), but maybe now I can move on from how I didn't think much of her (when everyone else was) back when she was younger and screaming next to Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise. We also get some standout supporting work from Joshua Leonard and Kris Kristofferson, who only has a few scenes with Hirsch, but there some of the most poignant moments in the film. "Don't make decisions thinking you're a low-life. Make decisions thinking you're a great man. Or at least a good man.", he says to Frank. The standout of all the standouts here, though, is Stephen Dorff. He is a marvel here. He was somewhat big back in the 90's, starring opposite Jack Nicholson and Wesley Snipes in Blood and Wine and Blade respectively, but come the 21st century, he fell deep into straight to DVD hell. It wasn't until I saw Somewhere (which co-starred Dakota's sister Elle) where I truly realized the talent Dorff had. He does the same here, and in one small yet emotionally compelling scene where he explains to Frank that he may have had his share of bad luck too, but at least he had someone else love him, he steals the entire movie. Jerry is damaged and damaged beyond repair at that. His father left him and his brother when they were young and their mother died. His brother Frank certainly has his back, yet he's so desperate to be loved by someone else that he draws an imaginary girlfriend named Marge for himself and posts her drawings along the motel room walls. He's a heartbreaking and lonely character, wonderfully brought to life by Dorff and it makes me wish this man got more opportunities to display his talent instead of just wasting it in crap like Alone in the Dark and Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.

      Certain elements of the story don't work as well as others. There's a subplot involving Fanning's character falling on hard times that seemed unnecessary. Any flaws this film has is redeemed by its outstanding cast and some solid animation work that livens up the stories Frank creates. The story is minimal, but the characters impact the film in a beautiful yet sad way. This is in limited release, but if you can find it near you, I recommend you check it out. I give The Motel Life an A- (★★★½).

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