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Poster for The Motel

The Motel

Out of Place in the Middle of Nowhere.

2005 · 1h 15m · Not Rated Comedy, Drama
Directed by Michael Kang

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Overview

Thirteen-year-old Ernest Chin lives and works at a sleazy hourly-rate motel on a strip of desolate suburban bi-way. Misunderstood by his family and blindly careening into puberty, Ernest befriends Sam Kim, a self-destructive yet charismatic Korean man who has checked in. Sam teaches the fatherless boy all the rites of manhood.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
88%
Tomatometer
Fresh

The Motel gives the lie to all those mainstream teen sex comedies starring happy, horny gwailos .

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Fresh

Perhaps The Motel meanders a bit too much -- hard to do in a 76-minute film -- but it is an engaging little movie.

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh

It's a modest triumph of unflattering realism, proving yet again that a camera, a few good actors, the right material and a sensitive director are all you need to illuminate any particular aspect of humanity.

Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
Fresh

There is honesty and integrity in the filmmaking and the performances, which make The Motel among the best character studies of the year.

Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fresh

A well-worn coming-of-age tale enlivened by pungent detail and a sharp visual sense.

Sam Adams, Los Angeles Times

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