User reviews

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.

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.

Don't think that I have a fondness for this film because it features a chubby 13-year-old with glasses and no clue as to what life is about. I assure you that it is not my biography - although it could very well be.

The award winning film at Sundance and the Independent Spirit Awards is a cute and poignant coming-of-age tale about a Chinese-American (Jeffrey Chyau in his first role) who is lost until he meets Sam (Sung Kang - War, Live Free or Die Hard), a Korean-American, who seems to have it all together.

Sam is really a man with problems of his own and not a great role model. Fortunately Ernest does get into a lot of trouble with him.

It is interesting to see Ernest trying to find love and stumbling badly at that. he is floating, with his father not around to provide guidance, and his alcoholic mother no help at all.

Asian-American stereotypical behavior aside, it is a worthwhile film to catch when it plays on the Sundance Channel.

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.

This is one of the best Sundance Selection films I've ever seen. I'm a big fan of these types of films, ones that don't usually make it to the big screen.

This beautiful depiction of a young kid going through puberty in a hotel really show us still growing up that our childhood wasn't as desolate as we believe. You can connect so well with these characters and their story. The language really feels authentic.

Even little things, just small selections of dialogue make things feel all the more authentic.

Trust me- watch it and relive your childhood, and realize that we aren't alone in our struggle. The awkward difficulties and everything.

It'll make you laugh and cry, definitely worth a good 20$

I've seen it at the VC Film Fest 2006 - Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, which this movie also won the best narrative feature film jury prize.

This movie doesn't have named actors. HOWEVER, if you have ever bought a adult magazine and hid it under the bed when you are 12, or you had to dealt with those boys...., this is the movie that makes you laugh and cry.

The excellent choice of dialog. And Jeffrey Chyau who plays the main character, Ernest, is not a professional actors. According to the director, Michael Kang, he literary found him on the street. According to Kang, a quiet unconfident boy never come to the audition. His 6 months search of Earnest definitely paid off in the movie. Kang was able to create good chemistry between Chyau and Sung Kang, who plays Sam.

If you like fast pacing movie, this movie may not fit you. However, if you would like to look back your "realistic" childhood, this is the movie to watch, but you have to see it in the theater.

When you leave the movie theater, I assure you will feel like being a grown-up.

I found this movie at the public library. I never heard about it playing in theaters. I loved "You and Me and Everyone We Know" by Miranda July so I thought I'd give this one a try. It helped that it was about a Chinese-American family as I am Chinese American myself. There is a sensitivity in the handling of the characters' emotions that is different from 99% of movies out there, an authenticity and empathy that precise depicts the awkwardness and unspoken despair and silly sadness of everyday life. Some scenes were a little unconvincing and undeveloped or outlandish, but for the few brief moments of genuine emotion this movie captured, it was worth it. Naturally I give this a thumbs-up as I would like to see more movies from the Asian-American perspective. Usually Asian-Americans are the side characters..in this one the non-Asians are.

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.