Synopsis
A pair of working-class brothers flee their Reno Motel after getting involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident.
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Cast
- Emile HirschFrank
- Stephen DorffJerry Lee
- Dakota FanningAnnie James
- Kris KristoffersonEarl Hurley
- Joshua LeonardTommy
- Noah HarpsterAl Casey
- Garrett BackstromYoung Jerry Lee
- Andrew LeeYoung Frank
- Nancy YoungblutMom
- Jenica BergerePolly Flynn
Recommendations
- 83
The Playlist
While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, or revolutionize the genre, it achieves its modest ambitions affectingly well, in no small part due to a clutch of cherishable performances, especially from leads Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff. - 75
Portland Oregonian
Hirsch gives a finely tuned performance, almost absent of technique or self-consciousness, which dovetails nicely with Dorff's more expressive, method approach. - 75
Miami Herald
Unlike most pictures about people living on the fringe, The Motel Life is never drab or depressing. - 75
Rolling Stone
Hirsch opens his heart to the role. And Dorff, matching the depth of feeling he showed in Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere," excels at digging deep into Jerry Lee's pain. - 75
Washington Post
For all its melancholy and grey, snowy landscape, The Motel Life never feels totally hopeless, thanks in large part to colorful ancillary characters (not to mention occasional trips into Frank’s mind). - 60
The Dissolve
What is successful, and suggests a promising future for the Polsky brothers as directors, is the film’s central relationship, which never feels less than genuine. - 60
New York Daily News
While this gritty indie is light on plot, the world of bars, casinos, hospitals and gallows humor is real and heartbreaking. - 50
Wall Street Journal
It's admirable and even memorable, in its moody fashion, thanks to Roman Vasyanov's richly textured cinematography — he's a shooter to keep our eyes on — and three affecting performances.
