I avoided this film, because of the bad criticism it got in the newspapers. But then I decided to see it at a low price cinema. And I thought, it wasn't all that bad as the critics said. I admit that one has to be in the right mood for this film, and I might alter my judgment, if I saw it a second time. But this time, I enjoyed the way it showed me how colorful life can be, even if it is a difficult and not generally admired one. Each well played character has a different story to tell, and one has to think a little about them. In the end, I took a lot of positive thoughts home. But you have to let yourself go, otherwise you will be disappointed.
189 Reviews
Fine Piece
Tweetienator3 April 2019
This for sure one of those movies where you will "get it" or you won't. I liked The Million Dollar Hotel right from the first time I watched it and I did rewatch it a few times.
A rating of 5.9 (at the moment of writing my review) is of course a sad fact - if I compare that rating with all those top-ratings of 8+ for all those shallow, boring, at most mediocre and artless blockbusters Hollywood and companies like Marvel/DC mass publish in our days.
There is a chance you will enjoy The Million Dollar Hotel a lot - if you like sometimes an unusual dish served with some humor and melancholy - if not, well, I take any bet you wasted your time on far worse movies.
A rating of 5.9 (at the moment of writing my review) is of course a sad fact - if I compare that rating with all those top-ratings of 8+ for all those shallow, boring, at most mediocre and artless blockbusters Hollywood and companies like Marvel/DC mass publish in our days.
There is a chance you will enjoy The Million Dollar Hotel a lot - if you like sometimes an unusual dish served with some humor and melancholy - if not, well, I take any bet you wasted your time on far worse movies.
Dont get the point
Ozu*Wenders5 November 2000
Saw the movie with much expectations since I am a Wenders lover. I left the movies' with a strange feeling. Not a bad movie, not a good movie. What stroke me most was the soundtrack: I felt it had not much to do with the movie and with Wenders. I loved photography. Think the cast was good, except for Mel Gibson... Still quite slow. Felt the story itself was not important. I am happy I have seen it and probably I will it see a second time, but the million dollar hotel will not be THE movie, but remain a movie. Sorry for Bono, good attempt but not enough. Still the soundtrack by itself is really good.
One incredibly strange movie....
mystic802 May 2001
The Million Dollar Hotel is quite literally, one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen that features a two time oscar winner such as Mel Gibson. Gibson plays a beyond straight arrow of an FBI agent named Skinner, sent to investigate the mysterious suicide of a millionaire's son (an unbilled Tim Roth) in a seedy hotel that is host to a group of the poor mentally ill. Tom Tom (Jeremy Davies, eschewing Private Upham completely from "Saving Private Ryan), is a half wit delivery boy for the hotel with odd hair who's got a thing for a screw up (Milla Jovovich). Skinner performs a drastic investigation on the hotel who's inhabitants include the Fifth Beatle (a convincing Peter Stormare playing a good guy), an Indian (LA Law's Jimmy Smits!), an old lady (Gloria Stuart, far from her Titanic role), Harold, oops! I mean Bud Cort as a recurring alcoholic, a weirdo (Amanda Plummer, in another fine character role), and others. Definitely an eccentric film that is far from Hollywood. Gibson is quite, to describe it lightly, strange as an FBI agent not to be trifled with. His face alone is that of something that's out of a Stephen King novel. Jeremy Davies seems as if he's had way too many No Doz pills to fulfill the lead role, one that requires him to barely speak. Filled with small roles from recognizable character actors, this is a film that's for an acquired taste, because this is very out there for a movie.
This film is a very personal insight into a love story of a different kind - one which touches viewers who pay attention long enough to understand what it means.
sophiend17 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
At first I thought this film was pretty poor - owing to the ponderous pace, almost random dialog and hard to understand narration - until I understood that Tom Tom actually is 'special' and not just annoyingly peculiar. I think that the opening scene where he leaps off the building ties the story together well - it added a sense of tragedy to the plot and I was intrigued as to who he was waving to, which kept me going.
The mix of characters also maintains humor and interest, and the part where he is used by his friends made me quite angry and frustrated. The film's strength is the wonderful soundtrack and the lovable Tom, who makes up for a string of poorly written characters. His death was so moving because he was used by such a cruel world and though he was a witness to this he retained such a sense of purity and childlike wonder I was at the same time touched and enraged.
I was drawn to this film through being a fan of U2, and was disappointed up until the third act, when everything was explained and given so much more weight. It is a very unusual and unconventional film; probably because it was created largely by musicians (but altogether rewarding for those of a sentimental disposition). I think it's flaws almost make it more complete, in a strange way, because the characters are so flawed themselves and their environment so damaging. It personified mental illness in such a way that I almost felt like signing in to the Million Dollar Hotel myself.
The mix of characters also maintains humor and interest, and the part where he is used by his friends made me quite angry and frustrated. The film's strength is the wonderful soundtrack and the lovable Tom, who makes up for a string of poorly written characters. His death was so moving because he was used by such a cruel world and though he was a witness to this he retained such a sense of purity and childlike wonder I was at the same time touched and enraged.
I was drawn to this film through being a fan of U2, and was disappointed up until the third act, when everything was explained and given so much more weight. It is a very unusual and unconventional film; probably because it was created largely by musicians (but altogether rewarding for those of a sentimental disposition). I think it's flaws almost make it more complete, in a strange way, because the characters are so flawed themselves and their environment so damaging. It personified mental illness in such a way that I almost felt like signing in to the Million Dollar Hotel myself.
The Million Dollar Flop...
MovieAddict201622 May 2003
Now here is an odd movie. It is boring from beginning to end, and its biggest star wears a neck brace throughout. Under normal circumstances I would praise Mel Gibson for taking on a small role in a film, but given the film, I have to wipe everything away from memory. But I fear I will never be able to.
I should have thought twice when my video store clerk told me this was the most refunded film of the year.
"The Million Dollar Hotel" is about a hotel--pretty obvious. One day, a man jumps off the top, and cop Mel Gibson is sent into the creepy hotel to investigate. The hotel is inhabitated by a group of pure oddballs; they make the Mansons look like the Beavers. One is a strange man who wanders about thinking he is the fifth member of The Beatles, while a strange woman prowls the streets at night. And the narrator is the worst; he mumbles through the narrative and you can't even tell what the heck he's saying more than half the time. He'll start off and slowly his voice becomes so low-pitched and mumbling, you feel like just putting on the subtitles.
When Gibson starts to investigate, we realize that he is just as odd as the people in the hotel. Which leaves one to wonder what the filmmakers were thinking. Truly, the characters are so disconnected and odd, they are not even original (which I suppose was the filmmakers' goal). They are a bunch of annoying, mumbling druggies that inhabit a creepy hotel. Given the right director and actors this film could have been pulled off, but the director, who uses a bunch of annoying camera techniques, seems to try and make everything dark and broody--nothing wrong with that, but it gets over-the-top after a while, and you actually start to get dizzy. Why? Well, first you have to strain to hear the narrative, then you have to focus not to get dizzy from the narrator jumping around like a monkey on screen. (He admits to Mel Gibson he is dumb. Dumb is an understatement.) THEN you have to strain to see the surroundings, and the camera techniques make you sick the entire time.
The film's idea came from U2 man Bono, and I can imagine how mad he is right now. This film is pure, unadulterated trash from beginning to end, posing as cinematic art. It steals from "Blade Runner" and any other dark film you can think of. There are no redeeming values whatsoever, and I, the man who will sit through any movie and never say that 90 minutes of my life were stolen, actually started to feel like 90 minutes of my life were being stolen. That's a first.
Usually I can watch any film with Mel Gibson, mainly because I think he has a strong yet subtle screen presence, but this film actually made me sick. But I suppose there's some irony, because Mel Gibson himself said at a press conference, "I thought it was a boring as a dog's [bottom]."
If you like trash, dirt, grime, annoying characters, ripped-off camera techniques, ridiculous scripts and horrible voice-over narratives in your films, then I highly recommend "The Million Dollar Hotel." But if you are like the majority of moviegoers who...hmm...actually appreciate GOOD movies, then I recommend you go pick up something else.
Not even the Gibson fans should see this one. As Peter Travers from Rolling Stone said in his review, "I suppose I should tell you that Mel Gibson's character had a third arm. It's not important. It's just one of those movies."
1/5 stars -
John Ulmer
I should have thought twice when my video store clerk told me this was the most refunded film of the year.
"The Million Dollar Hotel" is about a hotel--pretty obvious. One day, a man jumps off the top, and cop Mel Gibson is sent into the creepy hotel to investigate. The hotel is inhabitated by a group of pure oddballs; they make the Mansons look like the Beavers. One is a strange man who wanders about thinking he is the fifth member of The Beatles, while a strange woman prowls the streets at night. And the narrator is the worst; he mumbles through the narrative and you can't even tell what the heck he's saying more than half the time. He'll start off and slowly his voice becomes so low-pitched and mumbling, you feel like just putting on the subtitles.
When Gibson starts to investigate, we realize that he is just as odd as the people in the hotel. Which leaves one to wonder what the filmmakers were thinking. Truly, the characters are so disconnected and odd, they are not even original (which I suppose was the filmmakers' goal). They are a bunch of annoying, mumbling druggies that inhabit a creepy hotel. Given the right director and actors this film could have been pulled off, but the director, who uses a bunch of annoying camera techniques, seems to try and make everything dark and broody--nothing wrong with that, but it gets over-the-top after a while, and you actually start to get dizzy. Why? Well, first you have to strain to hear the narrative, then you have to focus not to get dizzy from the narrator jumping around like a monkey on screen. (He admits to Mel Gibson he is dumb. Dumb is an understatement.) THEN you have to strain to see the surroundings, and the camera techniques make you sick the entire time.
The film's idea came from U2 man Bono, and I can imagine how mad he is right now. This film is pure, unadulterated trash from beginning to end, posing as cinematic art. It steals from "Blade Runner" and any other dark film you can think of. There are no redeeming values whatsoever, and I, the man who will sit through any movie and never say that 90 minutes of my life were stolen, actually started to feel like 90 minutes of my life were being stolen. That's a first.
Usually I can watch any film with Mel Gibson, mainly because I think he has a strong yet subtle screen presence, but this film actually made me sick. But I suppose there's some irony, because Mel Gibson himself said at a press conference, "I thought it was a boring as a dog's [bottom]."
If you like trash, dirt, grime, annoying characters, ripped-off camera techniques, ridiculous scripts and horrible voice-over narratives in your films, then I highly recommend "The Million Dollar Hotel." But if you are like the majority of moviegoers who...hmm...actually appreciate GOOD movies, then I recommend you go pick up something else.
Not even the Gibson fans should see this one. As Peter Travers from Rolling Stone said in his review, "I suppose I should tell you that Mel Gibson's character had a third arm. It's not important. It's just one of those movies."
1/5 stars -
John Ulmer
What is normal?
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews1 December 2010
In a dirty, cheap urban hotel, a man dies. Well, outside of it, to be more precise. He goes over the side of the roof. An FBI agent is sent in to investigate, and discover if it was a murder or suicide. We will find out before it ends, but it really isn't the focus(and don't expect a thriller, it isn't and never tries to be). This is not for everyone, and I won't claim I understood everything about it; I will explain what I did get. It holds a look at the "losers" in this environment, the "freaks". Sociology and the current state of relationships are important aspects of this. This is the only thing by Wenders that I've watched, and I don't know if this is a typical example of his work or not. Some have pointed out that there is no subtlety to the portrayal of the mentally ill(who all stay in this one dump as they cannot afford medical insurance), and one could call the characters irritating. They are "strange", and this doesn't shy away from that or downplay it. There are those that will hate it just for that. We have one who thinks he's in The Beatles(without it being acknowledged officially), and I suppose you either love or hate Tom. He's the happiest person in this, very naive, and he gets a huge crush on Eloise(something I can certainly sympathize with, as I got this purely for Milla, and she is cute in this in a role with not much dialog), and their romance is pretty impossible to resist, for its realism and how incredibly heartfelt it is(this film *really* gets to you). And the first thing we see is him leaping from the hotel, and the rest of this is narrated by him, "in retrospect". Gibson's performance is deadpan or tongue in cheek. He's one of the "names" in this. They tend to give great acting performances. The style very effectively builds an atmosphere; not everyone will enjoy it. This was thought up by Bono, and U2 do songs for it. There is a little sexuality, disturbing content and strong language in this. The DVD comes with two sets of good interviews, about the cast(with a running time of 27 and a half minutes) and the movie itself(14 minutes long), and a trailer. I recommend this to those open to a slightly different kind of picture, and a sad and genuine lovestory. 7/10
Not for me
katesgram30 July 2006
While this movie had some humorous moments, for the most part I found it boring. Another problem I had with it was that there were times I couldn't hear or make out the dialogue. Either the actor was talking way to softly or they had their hand over their mouth muffling the sound. There were some interesting characters but the whole thing was just too slow and hard to understand. I stayed with it through the end just wanting to know what really happened to Israel but I would definitely not recommend it to anyone. I purchased this one as a previously viewed at the video store and had never heard of it before. So glad I only paid $1.50 for it! And now I am trying to get this thing to submit but it keeps telling me it isn't long enough -o.k.now it will go thru.
Beautiful film-- but definitely not for everyone
alafolle3 June 2001
Here's a brief guide to help you determine if you should see "The Million Dollar Hotel"
If you...
a) Enjoy Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay collaborations b) Thirst insatiably for explosions, car chases and sex scenes featuring silicone-enhanced blondes c) Are considering this film only because you're a Mel Gibson fan...
THEN DON'T RENT "THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL"! YOU WILL LIKELY HATE IT!
Otherwise, you might want to give this one a shot. MDH is far, far off the beaten Hollywood path. It's a quiet, understated film that finds beauty and grace in very unlikely places. Bono and Wim Wenders have put together a love story so unconventional that it nearly defies description... it is certainly NOT a "tragi-comic, romantic whodunnit", despite the IMDb plot summary. It's a tale of quiet desperation and pervasive sadness that dares to violate pretty much every unwritten rule in the movie business... further off the wall than "Being John Malkovich" but infinitely more subtle and ultimately smarter.
On the surface it's a tale narrated by an idiot (a dead one at that) which signifies very little. Set in a run-down hotel in which mentally-ill derelicts and freaks are squatting, the film primarily follows Tom-Tom (Jeremy Daviess), a deceptively simple fool who is madly in love with a schizophrenic girl (Milla Jovovich)--who is a heartachingly beautiful hybrid of the Virgin Mary and the Whore of Babylon. The plot is fairly intriguing-- Hardass cop Mel Gibson is investigating the mysterious death of a tycoon's prodigal junkie son. The crazies at the hotel devise an elaborate con job to profit from this tragedy... provided they can bluff a snooty art critic and keep the cops distracted.
Some humorous moments ensue. But the plot is almost irrelevant here. The film works because of the engaging oddball characters (especially Peter Stormare as an obsessive Beatles fan and Jimmy Smits as a bizarre Native American "artist"), because of the brilliantly surreal, postapocalyptic cinematography, and because the sheer naked unhappiness of the film crawls inside of you and doesn't go away for several days. Bono's script, like the best of his music, is deeply cynical about society, but retains a faith in the salvation of individuals. It is neither a comedy, a drama, or a romance... it really just plays out like a bittersweet existential ballad. The only romantic scene features an idiot and a schizoid whore who never actually have sex... but it's one of the most touching love scenes ever captured on film. If that sounds like your cup of tea, check out "The Million Dollar Hotel". I don't think you'll be disappointed.
If you...
a) Enjoy Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay collaborations b) Thirst insatiably for explosions, car chases and sex scenes featuring silicone-enhanced blondes c) Are considering this film only because you're a Mel Gibson fan...
THEN DON'T RENT "THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL"! YOU WILL LIKELY HATE IT!
Otherwise, you might want to give this one a shot. MDH is far, far off the beaten Hollywood path. It's a quiet, understated film that finds beauty and grace in very unlikely places. Bono and Wim Wenders have put together a love story so unconventional that it nearly defies description... it is certainly NOT a "tragi-comic, romantic whodunnit", despite the IMDb plot summary. It's a tale of quiet desperation and pervasive sadness that dares to violate pretty much every unwritten rule in the movie business... further off the wall than "Being John Malkovich" but infinitely more subtle and ultimately smarter.
On the surface it's a tale narrated by an idiot (a dead one at that) which signifies very little. Set in a run-down hotel in which mentally-ill derelicts and freaks are squatting, the film primarily follows Tom-Tom (Jeremy Daviess), a deceptively simple fool who is madly in love with a schizophrenic girl (Milla Jovovich)--who is a heartachingly beautiful hybrid of the Virgin Mary and the Whore of Babylon. The plot is fairly intriguing-- Hardass cop Mel Gibson is investigating the mysterious death of a tycoon's prodigal junkie son. The crazies at the hotel devise an elaborate con job to profit from this tragedy... provided they can bluff a snooty art critic and keep the cops distracted.
Some humorous moments ensue. But the plot is almost irrelevant here. The film works because of the engaging oddball characters (especially Peter Stormare as an obsessive Beatles fan and Jimmy Smits as a bizarre Native American "artist"), because of the brilliantly surreal, postapocalyptic cinematography, and because the sheer naked unhappiness of the film crawls inside of you and doesn't go away for several days. Bono's script, like the best of his music, is deeply cynical about society, but retains a faith in the salvation of individuals. It is neither a comedy, a drama, or a romance... it really just plays out like a bittersweet existential ballad. The only romantic scene features an idiot and a schizoid whore who never actually have sex... but it's one of the most touching love scenes ever captured on film. If that sounds like your cup of tea, check out "The Million Dollar Hotel". I don't think you'll be disappointed.
This movie just plane looked cool.
bilhood23 January 2003
This movie wasn't brilliant but it looked cool and was a nice change from the typical movies bollocks. Its also nice to see Mel Gibson doing a movie that isn't his usual big budget spectacles. I kind of wonder what people who saw the movie just for the Mel factor thought about it.
Not bad, terrible.
pml131 May 2001
S l o w, l o n g, d u l l. . .
Oh my god, dull.
Characters so annoying - you'll cringe every time you see Jimy Smits, or the guy that played tomtom from now on. They must have never rehearsed or reviewed the film in progress. Mel Gibson was absolutely wooden.
This may not be the worst movie ever made, but that it went almost straight to video says it is darn close.
Oh my god, dull.
Characters so annoying - you'll cringe every time you see Jimy Smits, or the guy that played tomtom from now on. They must have never rehearsed or reviewed the film in progress. Mel Gibson was absolutely wooden.
This may not be the worst movie ever made, but that it went almost straight to video says it is darn close.
Fresh, brilliantly acted, under-promoted film
me431 December 2001
I bought this film "pre-viewed" on DVD because of Mel Gibson's face on the front cover and the promise of bonus features on the back. After watching it, I wondered if it was released on the heels of 9-11, as nothing else could quite explain why I had never even heard a one-liner about this fresh film with it's very believable, and wonderfully eccentric characters. The cast is first rate; Mel Gibson in his most complex role to date; Jimmy Smits, an absolute natural; Gloria Stewart (Titanic), Amanda Plummer, (The Fisher King; Freejack) Peter Stormare, (Chocolat; Armageddon) Julian Sands (Boxing Helena) and even Bud Cort (Harold and Maude; Pollock) support the two leads, Jeremy Davies, (Saving Pvt. Ryan) and Milla Jovovich. (The Messenger; Zoolander)
The DVD is a treat with U2's haunting song "The ground beneath her feet" the perfect accompaniment to the opening menu, as it sets the tone for the film beautifully. (Ok, I'm conveniently ignoring the opening song, "The First Time," as well as the actual opening shot, but after that ordinary opening, the movie gets deep and interesting quickly.)
When we first meet "Tom Tom," he is preparing to jump off the roof of the "Million Dollar Hotel." As he runs across the roof and launches himself through the air, our emotions are still not with him, for we only know three things about him, 1.) he looks peculiar, 2.) He is throwing himself off the roof of a hotel in some big city and 3.) he has not connected with us on a human level... As he sails spread-eagled through the air, we hear his voice proclaim: "Wow, after I jumped, it occurred to me... life is perfect." From that narrative voice and beyond, this film sucks you into the lives of the "Beggar's Butler," a retarded man and splendid mimic played to perfection by Davies, and the girl of his modest dreams, Eloise, played by Milla Jovovich. Tom Tom's best friend, Izzy Goldkiss (Tim Roth) died from a fall from the same roof and special agent Skinner (Gibson) is brought in by media mogul and Izzy dad, Stanley Goldkiss to find or frame a killer. The residents band together to stand up to Skinner and perhaps make a few dollars for themselves in the process. The film is well acted and unpredictable and by the time we watch Tom launch himself over the edge at the film's conclusion, we have come to care - to really care - about this human being and the motley crew of characters who people his world, and that brings a genuine welling of emotion and a spilling of tears. Not many films today can claim as much.
The DVD is a treat with U2's haunting song "The ground beneath her feet" the perfect accompaniment to the opening menu, as it sets the tone for the film beautifully. (Ok, I'm conveniently ignoring the opening song, "The First Time," as well as the actual opening shot, but after that ordinary opening, the movie gets deep and interesting quickly.)
When we first meet "Tom Tom," he is preparing to jump off the roof of the "Million Dollar Hotel." As he runs across the roof and launches himself through the air, our emotions are still not with him, for we only know three things about him, 1.) he looks peculiar, 2.) He is throwing himself off the roof of a hotel in some big city and 3.) he has not connected with us on a human level... As he sails spread-eagled through the air, we hear his voice proclaim: "Wow, after I jumped, it occurred to me... life is perfect." From that narrative voice and beyond, this film sucks you into the lives of the "Beggar's Butler," a retarded man and splendid mimic played to perfection by Davies, and the girl of his modest dreams, Eloise, played by Milla Jovovich. Tom Tom's best friend, Izzy Goldkiss (Tim Roth) died from a fall from the same roof and special agent Skinner (Gibson) is brought in by media mogul and Izzy dad, Stanley Goldkiss to find or frame a killer. The residents band together to stand up to Skinner and perhaps make a few dollars for themselves in the process. The film is well acted and unpredictable and by the time we watch Tom launch himself over the edge at the film's conclusion, we have come to care - to really care - about this human being and the motley crew of characters who people his world, and that brings a genuine welling of emotion and a spilling of tears. Not many films today can claim as much.
A good film, but not without its faults
Agent1030 April 2002
After waiting a year fro this movie to come out, I was forced to watch it on video. It was worth the wait to say the least, but this is a film that is quite flawed. Wim Wenders has made a living doing off-beat films such as this, but this one tends to lack for some reason. Sometimes the intersecting stories seem awkward, or Tom Tom is just a little too dysfunctional or Mel Gibson seems too cranky. Donal Logue was excellent, and the scene at the end of the film with Jeremy Davies and Tim Roth is amazing. If the entire movie had managed to capture that essence and power, it would certainly have been a better movie. But instead, it turns into some unusual video for weird electronic music and U2.
Abysmally disappointing
Asa_Nisi_Masa224 March 2005
It's the one film I almost walked out of, and would have if my friends hadn't been in the movie theatre with me. Normally, even if I don't like a film, I think it's still worth sitting through it to the end. That way, you can really claim to have given it every chance to redeem itself. But with The Million Dollar Hotel, it was so dreadful I just badly wanted the experience to end as quickly as possible. I think I probably would not have been so sourly disappointed if this film had been made by a lesser director, one I didn't normally like so much. But coming from Wenders, it was all the more shocking to behold. I know Bono from U2, a good friend of Wenders's, wrote the script to this abysmal film, and I wonder why Wenders let him, as buddy-buddy as the two may have been. "Stick to the day job, Bono", is a sentence that easily springs to mind whilst viewing this mess. Pretentious, disjointed, a mish-mash of every possible contemporary film stereotype, a naive and transparent attempt at coming across as kooky and daring, with the most irritating characters I have ever set eyes upon, especially the leads, Jeremy Davies, Milla Jovovich and Mel Gibson, none of whom I dislike normally. The happiest ending I could have wished for would have been for a nuclear bomb to be dropped on their collective heads so as to get it all over with as soon as possible. On a positive note, the first five minutes of the film are extremely good, with an extremely stirring soundtrack from U2. But the film's opening shots make the rest of the film (which takes a spectacular nose-dive from then on) all the more disappointing as they are a promise of cinematic quality that's just never delivered, not even close.
. . . suicide at the best moment of your life . . .
Martin-2598 February 2002
Million Dollar Hotel is a beautiful movie, and one of Wenders' best recent efforts, considerably better than The End of Violence or Lisbon Story, but with a smaller worldview than Until the End of the World or Wings of Desire. The State of Things is also one of my favorite Wenders.
I can understand how many people might not like this movie. It's a young person's story about suicide and first love at the very moment when you know it's the best moment in your life as it ever will be, before you get jaded and caught up with the familiar chase after sex, money and power, when your sensations become dulled and your body not as agile because now you're older. It is concerned with poetically defective mentalities and has a drug-like sensibility to it, so you may not get it if you're a normal social conformist with a happy childhood. But then, I had this kind of youth, too, living in drug-addled international student hostel dives around Greenwich Village in the Eighties, purposefully unemployed because it seemed more open to possibility and potentiality than the unphilosophic nine to five. Suicide can really be a statement of momentary happiness rather than the mundane postmortem understanding of a troubled youth, the movie seems to say.
Jeremy Davies gives a fantastic, inspired performance, reminding me a bit of Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, but much more nuanced as to require second viewings, or Johnny Depp in Benny and Joon. Admittedly, the story is not completely credible, because while the Million Dollar Hotel seems real enough (think Chelsea Hotel if it were in downtown LA), how all these misfitting characters can survive financially and end up living together in this amazing place cannot be scrupulously pondered. At the same time, it's good that Bono helped write the story, because Wenders' plots tend to be otherwise somewhat inchoate. So in the end, it's an atmospheric fantasy. (Why do so many movies of the late Nineties-early Thousands have people jumping off of roofs? : Open Your Eyes) Nor is all the acting uniform, although Davies especially, Jovavich and notably Stormare stand out. Although Gibson is focused big on the center of the video box, it's really not his movie, as he's just along for the chance to ride with Wenders. The dialogue mixed in with the Beatles lyrics is quite clever. The camera effects for those moments where Tom-Tom and Eloise seem to move in slow motion for several parts of a second are neat, as if the two of them are not completely in the same dimension of our reality and are in danger of somehow being shaken loose from this world. I can't believe this movie was never widely released, as I just found it on the shelf in the video store, don't know how I ever missed it, and I agree that it is destined to be a Wenders cult favorite.
I can understand how many people might not like this movie. It's a young person's story about suicide and first love at the very moment when you know it's the best moment in your life as it ever will be, before you get jaded and caught up with the familiar chase after sex, money and power, when your sensations become dulled and your body not as agile because now you're older. It is concerned with poetically defective mentalities and has a drug-like sensibility to it, so you may not get it if you're a normal social conformist with a happy childhood. But then, I had this kind of youth, too, living in drug-addled international student hostel dives around Greenwich Village in the Eighties, purposefully unemployed because it seemed more open to possibility and potentiality than the unphilosophic nine to five. Suicide can really be a statement of momentary happiness rather than the mundane postmortem understanding of a troubled youth, the movie seems to say.
Jeremy Davies gives a fantastic, inspired performance, reminding me a bit of Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, but much more nuanced as to require second viewings, or Johnny Depp in Benny and Joon. Admittedly, the story is not completely credible, because while the Million Dollar Hotel seems real enough (think Chelsea Hotel if it were in downtown LA), how all these misfitting characters can survive financially and end up living together in this amazing place cannot be scrupulously pondered. At the same time, it's good that Bono helped write the story, because Wenders' plots tend to be otherwise somewhat inchoate. So in the end, it's an atmospheric fantasy. (Why do so many movies of the late Nineties-early Thousands have people jumping off of roofs? : Open Your Eyes) Nor is all the acting uniform, although Davies especially, Jovavich and notably Stormare stand out. Although Gibson is focused big on the center of the video box, it's really not his movie, as he's just along for the chance to ride with Wenders. The dialogue mixed in with the Beatles lyrics is quite clever. The camera effects for those moments where Tom-Tom and Eloise seem to move in slow motion for several parts of a second are neat, as if the two of them are not completely in the same dimension of our reality and are in danger of somehow being shaken loose from this world. I can't believe this movie was never widely released, as I just found it on the shelf in the video store, don't know how I ever missed it, and I agree that it is destined to be a Wenders cult favorite.
Future cult status
DukeEman13 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Could this be the next big cult film? It was panned on it's initial release, and now it is slowly gathering a few followers who can see the perfect insanity of it all. Maybe it's the combination of Bono, with Wim Wenders and Mel Gibson thrown into it. Or maybe it's the whole damn mess of it that makes it so weird and fascinating.
I think the whole premise of the story began with Bono's interest with a hotel full of down and outs. These weird and wonderful characters have a lot to offer for a story and Bono decided to tell it, with the help of Wenders. Midway through the movie, I realized that this was a song with images, with surreal verses and a chorus about America and the peculiar characters that inhabit it.
I can forgive it for its clumsy story structure, but that's what gives it a little more interest. The main thrust of the story are the characters. All the elements are there, a hyperactive kid who sees the world differently, a young girl lost in the world of books, a Detective with serious issues and a whole bunch of characters that make up this crazy world we live in. There is also a mystery death, secret lives, stolen art, and masks to hide behind. All is not what it seems in the Million Dollar Hotel, and it will never be.
My favorite bit will have to be when Mel Gibson's character, Detective Skinner, reveals the scars on his back from a major surgery, apparently from a third arm that was growing out of it. But to me those scars represent the angel wings that were clipped from him (yes, I'm thinking of Wender's classic Wings OF Desire). To me Skinner was an angel lost in this world and attempting to help the lost souls in this hotel. There were too many souls to help, but at least one will walk away from it all with something to gain, thanks to Skinner.
To some, this will be a curious piece of where Wim Wenders went wrong. To others, it will be their little cult film.
I think the whole premise of the story began with Bono's interest with a hotel full of down and outs. These weird and wonderful characters have a lot to offer for a story and Bono decided to tell it, with the help of Wenders. Midway through the movie, I realized that this was a song with images, with surreal verses and a chorus about America and the peculiar characters that inhabit it.
I can forgive it for its clumsy story structure, but that's what gives it a little more interest. The main thrust of the story are the characters. All the elements are there, a hyperactive kid who sees the world differently, a young girl lost in the world of books, a Detective with serious issues and a whole bunch of characters that make up this crazy world we live in. There is also a mystery death, secret lives, stolen art, and masks to hide behind. All is not what it seems in the Million Dollar Hotel, and it will never be.
My favorite bit will have to be when Mel Gibson's character, Detective Skinner, reveals the scars on his back from a major surgery, apparently from a third arm that was growing out of it. But to me those scars represent the angel wings that were clipped from him (yes, I'm thinking of Wender's classic Wings OF Desire). To me Skinner was an angel lost in this world and attempting to help the lost souls in this hotel. There were too many souls to help, but at least one will walk away from it all with something to gain, thanks to Skinner.
To some, this will be a curious piece of where Wim Wenders went wrong. To others, it will be their little cult film.
Million Dollar Turkey
AwwDannyBhoy30 August 2001
Pretty pictures with a cool sound track do not constitute a 'movie'. Like all pop promos, MDH's pretentions are are outdone only by its' unjustifiable budget. One dollar spent on this aimless, purposeless dross was one dollar too many. Stick to penning pop songs Bono.
Million Dollar Mystery with excellent wacky performances
TreborG230 October 2002
I've become a big fan of Mel Gibson and try to watch everything he's done. My favorite so far is a tie for him in Hamlet, and him in BraveHeart.
As for this movie, again he doesn't disappoint. From the moment we see him in traction we start to question this character, and we're always kept guessing.
Milla Jovovitch performs just as well, and her ofset "TomTom" played by Jeremy Davies was equal to Mel's and surpassed him at points.
The movie itself, is about the suspects of a murder, or suicide, that occurs before the movie's timeline started. Mr. Gibson is an FBI agent that has been brought in because the deceased is the son of a famous man, and as such foul play *must* have been the cause.
As Mel gets into the hotel, we learn that its full of loonies. Not just any type.. but I mean hard core, bone to the wind, nut cases, not to mention Mel being one of them! And thus we begin the whodunit with three very interesting center characters and a cast which weaves in and throughout making the movie fun and fascinating.
If you like Mr. Gibson's work, you'll love this movie, if you hate his work, this may have some redemption to offer.
As for this movie, again he doesn't disappoint. From the moment we see him in traction we start to question this character, and we're always kept guessing.
Milla Jovovitch performs just as well, and her ofset "TomTom" played by Jeremy Davies was equal to Mel's and surpassed him at points.
The movie itself, is about the suspects of a murder, or suicide, that occurs before the movie's timeline started. Mr. Gibson is an FBI agent that has been brought in because the deceased is the son of a famous man, and as such foul play *must* have been the cause.
As Mel gets into the hotel, we learn that its full of loonies. Not just any type.. but I mean hard core, bone to the wind, nut cases, not to mention Mel being one of them! And thus we begin the whodunit with three very interesting center characters and a cast which weaves in and throughout making the movie fun and fascinating.
If you like Mr. Gibson's work, you'll love this movie, if you hate his work, this may have some redemption to offer.
Terrible movie
fred-4912 August 2002
I was shocked when I read some of the comments viewing the movie as good or better. In my opinion it was the worst movie I've seen so far this year or any other year for that matter. It goes to show how varied our tastes are. Isn't the fact that it didn't have a theatrical release (or did it) say something about the movie? Oh well back to GWTW.
Love, Brotherhood, and Television: 10/10
anyazontova8 August 2002
The Million Dollar Hotel is not for passive watching where you are led by the hand through the familiar landscape and characters of a mystery movie. Nor are you given musical cues to know how to feel in a particular instance. You have to work off your senses and intellect to perceive it, and to be patient if it takes you in a direction opposite to your wildest guesses.
It can even get irritating - as you are about to blame the movie for having no spine - or in truth, for lacking, entirely, conventional twists and turns. It throws you off as you are figuring out whether to perceive it as a film of crime or suicide, romance or a freak house, comedy, mockery or living poetry. Like life, this film has it all.
Yet in a sense, the movie is transparent in foreshadowing its three major themes and their resolution - coming from its very heartbeat, the lyrics co-written and performed mostly by Bono. In the opening scene, a young man Tom Tom hurls himself from the roof of a dreary flophouse - "The Million Dollar Hotel" in downtown Los Angeles - committing suicide with a strange joyfulness. The mystery of his exuberance in this moment becomes the driving question of the film as we then review the last two weeks of his life. But in the moment itself, Bono's song which accompanies Tom Tom's rush to the brink contains three revealing verses:
`I have a lover... She shows me colors where there's none to see Gives me hope when I can't believe...'
`I have a brother... I spend my whole time running He spends his running after me... But for the first time I feel love.'
`My father is a rich man... He said: I have many mansions And there are many rooms to see. But I left by the back door And I threw away the key.'
Love, brotherhood and father-son relationships so outlined in the song are treated here entirely unconventionally. And the breakdown of formal conventions simply occurs with a `surprising' shift in accents, or values - when love is more important than mystery solving, and a cop treats his suspect as his brother...
In the world of this movie, the love of a slightly odd boy towards a prostitute, awkward at first, ends up transcending death. And so does the brotherhood binding the colorful resident freaks of the Million Dollar Hotel; though verging on parody, it's rooted in that same longing of the heart, `a Sleeping Beauty` which `dreams to be awakened.` And we forget the commentary on the bizarre events and characters are made by a dead `brother' telling us of the best two weeks in his life.
As the movie rolls back in time, we learn of a similar fate, falling from the hotel roof, of Tom Tom's best friend - who had come `from money and power' yet rejected them to live `with bums and Indians.' The son of a Jewish multibillionaire media king whose `people decide truth in 60 countries every morning,' the Father who has many mansions, the God of Television, of the reality game which so charms the hotel residents and Tom Tom... until Tom Tom begins to have a life which is `much better than television.'
And while you are still trying hard to follow the intrigue, all of a sudden your heart is being cut open... but then is mended together. Broken to be healed. To find a new meaning in death that brings the living together, and love that brings one to death, yet brings out even more love. The death after which `things finally hit you,' when you see it all that clearly that `life is perfect... full of magic, beauty and opportunity' but which we `only really feel when it's gone.' It's not the same as television. `For the first time/I feel...'
One character talking, the other doing the action at a different place seem to convey the shared experience of living. One distinct voice, of a poet retelling us the story in his songs, is Bono's. He appears in a flash as a silent cameo mixed with the crowd of the Million Dollar Hotel residents. A powerful voice of Tom Tom's innermost self, the voice of his soul, Bono's singing exceeds anything I've ever heard before, reaching straight into your heart. `I come back above/Where there is only love...' his voice is fading, as if calling from above, sensitizing you to the very tips of your fingers. All the while the uplifting images from under the sky of downtown Los Angeles take you up to another dimension.
Mel Gibson, whose `Icon Productions' co-produced the movie, waived his star fee. His contribution to the film as an unconventional cop, somewhat resonating with his directorial debut, `The Man Without a Face', has a unique flavor you should discover on your own. The brilliant casting, starting with Jeremy Davis' finely tuned performance as the blessed fool Tom Tom, is topped by Wim Wenders' ever masterful charting of unknown territories in filmmaking. The artful cinematography and editing are yet another reason for film adepts and students to see this one.
Nevertheless, The Million Dollar Hotel played in U.S. theaters for only a week. I recommend this movie to anyone who believes film is not just for escapist entertainment but for awaking our senses and stirring our minds. As with a good book, you can embark on a journey through The Million Dollar Hotel-DVD over and over again, as if reading it each time for the first time.
It can even get irritating - as you are about to blame the movie for having no spine - or in truth, for lacking, entirely, conventional twists and turns. It throws you off as you are figuring out whether to perceive it as a film of crime or suicide, romance or a freak house, comedy, mockery or living poetry. Like life, this film has it all.
Yet in a sense, the movie is transparent in foreshadowing its three major themes and their resolution - coming from its very heartbeat, the lyrics co-written and performed mostly by Bono. In the opening scene, a young man Tom Tom hurls himself from the roof of a dreary flophouse - "The Million Dollar Hotel" in downtown Los Angeles - committing suicide with a strange joyfulness. The mystery of his exuberance in this moment becomes the driving question of the film as we then review the last two weeks of his life. But in the moment itself, Bono's song which accompanies Tom Tom's rush to the brink contains three revealing verses:
`I have a lover... She shows me colors where there's none to see Gives me hope when I can't believe...'
`I have a brother... I spend my whole time running He spends his running after me... But for the first time I feel love.'
`My father is a rich man... He said: I have many mansions And there are many rooms to see. But I left by the back door And I threw away the key.'
Love, brotherhood and father-son relationships so outlined in the song are treated here entirely unconventionally. And the breakdown of formal conventions simply occurs with a `surprising' shift in accents, or values - when love is more important than mystery solving, and a cop treats his suspect as his brother...
In the world of this movie, the love of a slightly odd boy towards a prostitute, awkward at first, ends up transcending death. And so does the brotherhood binding the colorful resident freaks of the Million Dollar Hotel; though verging on parody, it's rooted in that same longing of the heart, `a Sleeping Beauty` which `dreams to be awakened.` And we forget the commentary on the bizarre events and characters are made by a dead `brother' telling us of the best two weeks in his life.
As the movie rolls back in time, we learn of a similar fate, falling from the hotel roof, of Tom Tom's best friend - who had come `from money and power' yet rejected them to live `with bums and Indians.' The son of a Jewish multibillionaire media king whose `people decide truth in 60 countries every morning,' the Father who has many mansions, the God of Television, of the reality game which so charms the hotel residents and Tom Tom... until Tom Tom begins to have a life which is `much better than television.'
And while you are still trying hard to follow the intrigue, all of a sudden your heart is being cut open... but then is mended together. Broken to be healed. To find a new meaning in death that brings the living together, and love that brings one to death, yet brings out even more love. The death after which `things finally hit you,' when you see it all that clearly that `life is perfect... full of magic, beauty and opportunity' but which we `only really feel when it's gone.' It's not the same as television. `For the first time/I feel...'
One character talking, the other doing the action at a different place seem to convey the shared experience of living. One distinct voice, of a poet retelling us the story in his songs, is Bono's. He appears in a flash as a silent cameo mixed with the crowd of the Million Dollar Hotel residents. A powerful voice of Tom Tom's innermost self, the voice of his soul, Bono's singing exceeds anything I've ever heard before, reaching straight into your heart. `I come back above/Where there is only love...' his voice is fading, as if calling from above, sensitizing you to the very tips of your fingers. All the while the uplifting images from under the sky of downtown Los Angeles take you up to another dimension.
Mel Gibson, whose `Icon Productions' co-produced the movie, waived his star fee. His contribution to the film as an unconventional cop, somewhat resonating with his directorial debut, `The Man Without a Face', has a unique flavor you should discover on your own. The brilliant casting, starting with Jeremy Davis' finely tuned performance as the blessed fool Tom Tom, is topped by Wim Wenders' ever masterful charting of unknown territories in filmmaking. The artful cinematography and editing are yet another reason for film adepts and students to see this one.
Nevertheless, The Million Dollar Hotel played in U.S. theaters for only a week. I recommend this movie to anyone who believes film is not just for escapist entertainment but for awaking our senses and stirring our minds. As with a good book, you can embark on a journey through The Million Dollar Hotel-DVD over and over again, as if reading it each time for the first time.
This is a quirky movie with a first rate cast and a muddled story.
hmarcy27 June 2001
This is a quirky movie with a first rate cast and a muddled story. This story like many of Wim Wenders tails is about the character interactions with each other in unusual circumstances. You could not ask for a better selection of odd balls to be in one movie, all of which were acted to perfection. It's the story that holds the characters together that required more development.
The lead character, Tom Tom (Jeremy Davies) was an innocent child-like person with no interactive social skills but being someone who gives away everything he has until there is nothing left. He is in love with Eloise (Milla Jovovich) but it is the love of a small child that is only looking for recognition and has only a slight sexual element. The story takes place in a hotel that is filled with mental outpatients and society misfits who all have some delusion they are living under which takes up most of their lives. A stiffed back FBI man, played to the hilt by Mel Gibson, comes in to investigate the possible murder of one of the tenants and upsets the delicate balance of this on-the-edge environment. Every part of this ensemble cast is played to perfection by a group of artists (Jimmy Smits, Peter Storemare, Amanda Plummer, Gloria Stuart, Bud Cort and Julian Sands) that is the strong point of the movie. Anybody studying acting should make this a highlight picture to go onto a greatest hit list. Every role is a little gem. The problem here is that the total was less than the sum of its parts. The story holding all of these off-the-edge players has major flaws like broadcasting a confession tape over public TV before an arrest or the FBI breaking all the rules in public plus many more. One major point is the fact that all of these completely crazy people can have organized meetings to discuss strategy and arrive at some semblance of a result. I wish some of the corporate meetings I have to attend were so clear-cut. These obvious flaws serve to damage this very complex plot. You are introduced to the characters through the process of an investigation one by one and they are played against each other by the FBI man but taken all together the resulting outcome losses its cohesion. The people were very complex yet the complex plot became fragmented. The story and soundtrack written by Bono of U2 is a much better soundtrack than story.
A good movie for acting students and a look into a story line where this microcosm society is taking advantage of innocent but not a movie I would like to watch again.
The lead character, Tom Tom (Jeremy Davies) was an innocent child-like person with no interactive social skills but being someone who gives away everything he has until there is nothing left. He is in love with Eloise (Milla Jovovich) but it is the love of a small child that is only looking for recognition and has only a slight sexual element. The story takes place in a hotel that is filled with mental outpatients and society misfits who all have some delusion they are living under which takes up most of their lives. A stiffed back FBI man, played to the hilt by Mel Gibson, comes in to investigate the possible murder of one of the tenants and upsets the delicate balance of this on-the-edge environment. Every part of this ensemble cast is played to perfection by a group of artists (Jimmy Smits, Peter Storemare, Amanda Plummer, Gloria Stuart, Bud Cort and Julian Sands) that is the strong point of the movie. Anybody studying acting should make this a highlight picture to go onto a greatest hit list. Every role is a little gem. The problem here is that the total was less than the sum of its parts. The story holding all of these off-the-edge players has major flaws like broadcasting a confession tape over public TV before an arrest or the FBI breaking all the rules in public plus many more. One major point is the fact that all of these completely crazy people can have organized meetings to discuss strategy and arrive at some semblance of a result. I wish some of the corporate meetings I have to attend were so clear-cut. These obvious flaws serve to damage this very complex plot. You are introduced to the characters through the process of an investigation one by one and they are played against each other by the FBI man but taken all together the resulting outcome losses its cohesion. The people were very complex yet the complex plot became fragmented. The story and soundtrack written by Bono of U2 is a much better soundtrack than story.
A good movie for acting students and a look into a story line where this microcosm society is taking advantage of innocent but not a movie I would like to watch again.
This is absolutely the worst movie I have ever seen!
grattone20 June 2001
I rented this movie on 20 June 2001, and watched it for about 45 minutes. I concluded that watching a blank screen would be delightful by comparison. There was not a single person in the cast for whom I would have shed a tear if hell itself had opened up and swallowed the whole bunch of them.
So, I e-mailed all of my friends and relatives warning them, and I am taking the time to urge everyone who may see this note to avoid this movie like the plague! I have seen some really bad movies in my time, but NEVER one as bad as this.
So, I e-mailed all of my friends and relatives warning them, and I am taking the time to urge everyone who may see this note to avoid this movie like the plague! I have seen some really bad movies in my time, but NEVER one as bad as this.
Poetical cinema. Art lovers recommended
AntonS-16 October 2001
I've been impressed and moved as I haven't been for years. One of the best Wenders' films. Famous for road movies Wenders bewitches with flow movement and sound. The sound struck me most this time. All voices are very characteristic and exquisitely orchestrated. Besides they are imperceptibly interwoven into U2 music. Speaking of U2, their music is I believe of the same nature as Wim Wenders cinematography art - smooth flow and yet very disturbing and full of latent force. So this combination is not accidental.
Certainly this is kind of film once you like it you look forward to watch it again and again. There is drug quality in it. Knowing a plot (not essential) won't decrease the joy of being taken to the world of live feelings. Feelings flitting like a butterfly of the main character. That domed love state of the film is colored by the good humor too, which is a good sign for a real artist.
Certainly this is kind of film once you like it you look forward to watch it again and again. There is drug quality in it. Knowing a plot (not essential) won't decrease the joy of being taken to the world of live feelings. Feelings flitting like a butterfly of the main character. That domed love state of the film is colored by the good humor too, which is a good sign for a real artist.
Stamp of a mature director
JuguAbraham1 October 2005
I watched this Wim Wenders film, 25 years after I last saw a film by this German director. I have only seen two others "Kings of the Road" and "The wrong movement" both made in the mid-Seventies. Wim Wenders impressed me then, he impresses me now. He is a social commentator who loves to deal with alienated individuals.
The opening helicopter shot caressing the sleek LA skyscrapers well clad in glass and steel ends up with the skeleton of the Million Dollar Hotel neon sign. In the background an airplane is taking off. Those who recall "Kings of the road" will remember a similar scene in a lonely landscape.
The film is not a mystery film. It is more a reflective, surrealist, social commentary. The first shot of the Mel Gibson FBI character is from his shoes only gradually revealing the man in the shoes. The man in the shoes is a modern Don Quixote, patched up by medical technology. No one in the film is real--each character is unreal with element of realism. Each statement of the script is loaded with social comment. Example "you have to vote in a democracy with a Y or a N, a Y for why and N for why not.." Everyone is manipulating everyone: the media moghul the media, the FBI the suspects, the denizens of hotel each other, the hotel owner his guests, the music business the musicians..If you are attentive the film is hilarious in its wacky social commentary. It reminded me of the fine Danny Kaye (his last regular movie) film "The Mad Woman Of Chaillot" directed by Bryan Forbes and based on Jean Giradoux' play, where the characters are equally farcical, while the social commentary is sharp as a knife.
Wim Wenders in America is different from Wenders in Europe. He uses American clichés but his cinema remains European. That Gibson contributed his role without pay underlines Gibson's respect for Wenders. Wenders belongs to the era of German cinema (the Seventies) that spewed many talented filmmakers: Syberberg, Fassbinder, von Trotta, Schlondorff, Herzog and Hauff. That this film's true content and value are lost on many Americans is a social comment that must have amused Wenders. Wenders has not withered, he is as effective as he was in his prime, combining strong scripts with fascinating images and marrying both with good music.
The opening helicopter shot caressing the sleek LA skyscrapers well clad in glass and steel ends up with the skeleton of the Million Dollar Hotel neon sign. In the background an airplane is taking off. Those who recall "Kings of the road" will remember a similar scene in a lonely landscape.
The film is not a mystery film. It is more a reflective, surrealist, social commentary. The first shot of the Mel Gibson FBI character is from his shoes only gradually revealing the man in the shoes. The man in the shoes is a modern Don Quixote, patched up by medical technology. No one in the film is real--each character is unreal with element of realism. Each statement of the script is loaded with social comment. Example "you have to vote in a democracy with a Y or a N, a Y for why and N for why not.." Everyone is manipulating everyone: the media moghul the media, the FBI the suspects, the denizens of hotel each other, the hotel owner his guests, the music business the musicians..If you are attentive the film is hilarious in its wacky social commentary. It reminded me of the fine Danny Kaye (his last regular movie) film "The Mad Woman Of Chaillot" directed by Bryan Forbes and based on Jean Giradoux' play, where the characters are equally farcical, while the social commentary is sharp as a knife.
Wim Wenders in America is different from Wenders in Europe. He uses American clichés but his cinema remains European. That Gibson contributed his role without pay underlines Gibson's respect for Wenders. Wenders belongs to the era of German cinema (the Seventies) that spewed many talented filmmakers: Syberberg, Fassbinder, von Trotta, Schlondorff, Herzog and Hauff. That this film's true content and value are lost on many Americans is a social comment that must have amused Wenders. Wenders has not withered, he is as effective as he was in his prime, combining strong scripts with fascinating images and marrying both with good music.
What is this mess?
X_Azathoth_X21 December 2002
Perhaps I'm just a simple person, but I prefer movies that somehow make me care about the people in them. I couldn't care less about anyone in this movie. This was supposed to be a comedy? Maybe the humor was too subtle for me (all the way down to the nano-level). The thing about it is, it missed on so many things. There were characters that could have been funny, but they weren't. There were characters that you could have liked, but you didn't. For instance, the guy who thought the Beatles ripped off his songs. There was so much potential there, but all he did was talk like a Beatle and complain about how they ripped him off. Haha. And the previous poster talked about the 'I am the Walrus' scene like it was special. What? He played 'I am the Walrus' on an old piano and sang out of tune. Is there an inside joke there? It sure stank at face value. This movie has the feel to me of a movie people say they like because it sounds 'intellectual' or 'hip' to say you like it, that you get the whole metaphysical art/garbage message the artist is expressing. If you want to be entertained, stay away.
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