Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The Motel Life tells the story of Frank and Jerry Lee, played by Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff, as they navigate through their hapless life bouncing from motel to motel. When Jerry Lee is involved in a fatal hit and run, the two brothers go on the lamb from authorities. This is a film that really has a great story to it, great characters but never really capitalizes on where we think it is going to go. Instead, The Motel Life trades realism for nihilism as we see Frank telling his handicapped brother Jerry Lee wildly unrealistic stories to get him through the pain of his life all while running away from the inevitable consequences of his fatal hit and run. While the idea of the fanatical alternate universe that these brothers create for themselves represents their wanting for a better life, it never really shows them doing anything to achieve that desire. Unfortunately, the film focuses way too much on the depressive empty hope that Frank fills Jerry Lee's head with. While the stories are told in a unique way, by crude animation shorts over Hirsch's voice over, these stories never really progress into anything more than something different. The Polsky brothers direct the hell out of their actors, but spend little time trying to make any sense of the script. The script is uneven, spending too much time introducing the characters and not enough time developing something close to a coherent plot. Despite the negatives of the screenplay, The Motel Life does feature fantastic performances around the board. These performances make the film worth watching on that fact alone. Joining Hirsch and Dorff are Dakota Fanning and Kris Kristofferson, both of whom turn in wonderful supporting performances. Emile Hirsch is amazing as Frank and carries the film on his scrawny shoulders and brings it to the finish line but the real prize winner here is Stephen Dorff. Dorff's ability to make you genuinely feel heartbreak for him is impeccable. His performance as Jerry Lee shot to the top of my list of most underrated performances of all time. He is so sincere, his delivery is amazing and his scenes of showing true emotional pain and anguish is so believable you want to hug him through the screen and tell him everything will be okay. It is truly a remarkable performance from an actor that never really got his due. Dakota Fanning, while her role is rather pointless and underdeveloped, gives a very good performance here, shedding her child star persona for a gritty and truly heart wrenching portrayal of an abused runaway. Fanning's performance here is excellent but it really makes you want more out of her and the film leaves you wishing that the Polsky brothers gave her character a bit more screen time. Overall, this is a very uneven film in regards to a story but the performances are so amazing, making it worth the watch.

I became a fan of Stephen Dorff after his role in Sophia Coppola's Somewhere and Emile Hirsch in the great Alpha Dog. Even the smaller roles with Kris Kristofferson and Dakota Fanning are remarkable in this movie. But all the good acting still keeps the flick just a notch above average. Its not so much about life in a motel or all that, but the lives and decisions of two brothers and all the drama that goes with it. Dorff plays an immature amputee who is dependent on Hirsch and does a great job. Man, just watching Dorff complain and cry is almost nerve-racking. The dark, cold, snowy, gloomy scenes make you feel the weather, but I wish there was more to the story line than just good acting and the scenery.

The Motel LIfe is a great film that follows two down on their luck brothers as they evade the law because of a drunk driving accident. The brothers played by Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorf, have a strong bond that keeps the movie going.The directors use of animated cartoon stories to illustrate Hirsch's and Dorf's bond is very unique and fun to watch. The animated illustrations help show the character's personalities in a different way then most movies. Hirsch's interactions with his gambling friends also help to give him more depth turning him into a great protagonist for the movie. Overall this movie was very enjoyable and I would highly recommend it.

I just watched this movie and i realized that i had been a while since i watched this movie so strong. the last movie i could remember was 'into the wild' or 'motorcycle diaries'. Yes this movie invokes every human sorrow and splashes in the movie canvas. It is emotionally charged and the storytelling in epic by today movie standards. And Emile hirsch and is new Dicaprio. Hope Terrence Malick see this and cast him in next movie. Stephen Dorff should be noted by Oscar people, if justice is to be done for his acting. This movie about the movie and depicting the realistic human emotion. what this movie is not about is how it going to do in the box office. Neither its about Hollywood.