We glimpse inside the lives of two damaged brothers in the solid little drama The Motel Life. The younger brother (Stephen Dorff) lost his lower leg in a childhood accident, and is often child-like in his decision-making. The older brother (Emile Hirsch) tries to look after him, but has his own problems, including drinking so much that there’s blood in his vomit. The two are at best underemployed and living a marginal existence in seedy Reno motels. The younger brother blunders into a life-changing jam, and the older one tries to get him out-of-town. This may be Hirsch’s best performance since Into the Wild, but, in the showier role, Dorff was a little too grimace-y for my taste.
Dakota Fanning is very good as a love interest, and Kris Kristofferson has a brief role, too. There’s some creativity at work here, as in some animation that represents the younger brother’s illustration of the older brother’s storytelling. There’s a funny scene when they bet a bank wad constituting all hope for their economic survival on the Buster Douglas-Mike Tyson fight. And I liked the Reno and Elko exteriors. The Motel Life is worthwhile, but not a Must See.
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