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The Motel
User Score
6.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17

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  1. [Anonymous]
    Aug 1, 2006
    4
    starts out decent and evenntually falls out flat with a bad plot and a dull screen presence.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. JoeK.
    Oct 14, 2006
    10
    Great first feature! Not for the type of audience that needs everything spelled out. Lots of stuff going on in there. I've seen it a couple times now and I keep finding new layers. Definitely worth seeing at least once.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. RobinHood
    Aug 1, 2006
    6
    Kinda Dull and Boring but a good enough plot to be watchable.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. sistertycoon
    Aug 1, 2006
    8
    Excellent acting and directon by robert wooosie. Go see it. I loved it. Could have been better but its really fun.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. KenG.
    Sep 2, 2006
    4
    Flat, kind of drab movie, and there are problems with 2 of the main characters. The kid is simply too nerdy and wimpy to be likable, and the male guest who takes him under his wing is seriously underwritten. Plus, it is never clear why this guest becomes so interested in the kid.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. ChadS.
    Mar 20, 2007
    7
    What "The Motel" has in common with a seemingly disparate film like Justin Lin's "Better Luck Tomorrow" is that the universality of people begets a common ground that preordains genre as largely being colorblind. This little gem is more of a coming-of-age film than it's an Asian-American one, but make no mistake, "The Motel" is a quietly important indie that knowingly acknowledges, then eschews the stereotypes which hinder Asian-American characters from being real people. "The Motel" opens at a Chinese restaurant, but interestingly, we never go inside it. This occupational staple of the "Oriental" is where the protagonist's dream girl(Christine, as played by Samantha Futerman) works. We follow Ernest(Jeffrey Chyau) to his family business, and it's not a Chinese laundry service. Like the characters in "Better Luck Tomorrow", there's more to Ernest and Christine than being mere bookworms. The boy is interested in porn. The girl likes to drink and smoke. It's brilliant how these polluting influences prevent "The Motel" from being too sweet, too easy to love. This film smartly shows how pornography retards the relationships between men and women. Even though the rocky relations between mother and son ends in mutual atonement, predictably mawkish, replete with tears; and too much time is devoted to Ernest's mentorship with a Korean motel-guest(Sung Kang), "The Motel" is most definitely worth checking out. Or is that checking in?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Andrea Gronvall
    60
    There's little originality in the joy rides, first kisses, and clashes with bullies, yet this 2005 debut feature by writer-director Michael Kang captures the small triumphs of a boy becoming a man.
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  2. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Eric Campos
    70
    The backdrop of this seedy motel is just the perfect place to illustrate the awkward times of early teen life.
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  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Joe Leydon
    70
    The Motel offers a fresh take on characters and conventions, and compels interest with shrewd, sympathy-inspiring storytelling.
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