The Motel Life 2013

Sara Stewart, New York Post: Hirsch and Dorff give it their all - as does the always-welcome Kris Kristofferson, as a boss and father figure to Frank - but they can't make up for the screenplay's shortcomings. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: It's admirable and even memorable, in its moody fashion, thanks to Roman Vasyanov's richly textured cinematography-he's a shooter to keep our eyes on-and three affecting performances. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: It's occasionally pretentious but ultimately moving, at least for the miniscule audience that will turn out to see such a downer of a movie. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: This independent drama effectively captures the spirit of much contemporary fiction: the tone is at once precious and stark, and the narrative drifts from one episode to another (and from realism to fantasy) as though it were playing out in a dream. Read more

Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: Sensitive lensing and acting render an unusual story of brotherly love touching in a promising first film. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: Alan Polsky and Gabriel Polsky propel the material in a way that can feel over-determined. But they grasp the eccentricities and desperation of fringe dwellers, and at its strongest their atmospheric film has the pull of a sad outlaw song. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Unlike most pictures about people living on the fringe, The Motel Life is never drab or depressing. Read more

Jordan Hoffman, New York Daily News: While this gritty indie is light on plot, the world of bars, casinos, hospitals and gallows humor is real and heartbreaking. Read more

Andy Webster, New York Times: The story may be slight, but the performances and ambience resonate. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: The Polskys are painting a portrait of life on the margins [in The Motel Life], of broken people redeemed at least partially by art. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: As good as "The Motel Life" is for the actors, that's how bad it is for the viewer. Read more

Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times: We have seen many films about losers on the run, but in the directorial debut of former Chicago siblings Alan and Gabe Polsky, we get an intriguing new take on brotherly love not only gone wrong, but clearly hopeless from the beginning. Read more

Zachary Wigon, Village Voice: Recalling characters from a Bukowski novel or Tom Waits song but with less complexity, the brothers are endowed by their creators with little agency, not doing much except lamenting the sorry state of their lives. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: For all its melancholy and grey, snowy landscape, "The Motel Life" never feels totally hopeless ... Read more