70
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxKang's marvelously assured feature debut is a subtle adaptation of Ed Lin's acclaimed novel "Waylaid."
- 83The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinLike the best independent films, The Motel realizes that life is made up of minor pleasures and tiny epiphanies, not sweeping character arcs or big dramatic moments.
- 80The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenMichael Kang's small, perfectly observed portrait of Ernest Chin (Jeffrey Chyau), a Chinese-American boy who lives and works in a dingy downscale motel operated by his mother, captures the glum desperation of inhabiting the biological limbo of early adolescence.
- 80SalonAndrew O'HehirSalonAndrew O'HehirThere were half a dozen occasions, maybe more, when I roared out loud with laughter. This just may be a filmmaker with great things in him; this one's pretty damn good.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoMichael Kang makes an impressive feature directorial debut with The Motel. But the person to keep an eye on is Jeffrey Chyau, a student at the Bronx High School of Science, who is a delight in the lead role.
- 75New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanUnlike so many indie films, Michael Kang's gently empathetic debut embraces eccentricity without drowning in its own hip irony.
- 70Film ThreatEric CamposFilm ThreatEric CamposThe backdrop of this seedy motel is just the perfect place to illustrate the awkward times of early teen life.
- 70VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonThe Motel offers a fresh take on characters and conventions, and compels interest with shrewd, sympathy-inspiring storytelling.
- 60Chicago ReaderAndrea GronvallChicago ReaderAndrea GronvallThere's little originality in the joy rides, first kisses, and clashes with bullies, yet this 2005 debut feature by writer-director Michael Kang captures the small triumphs of a boy becoming a man.
- 40Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonThe Motel, Michael Kang's modest Sundance applause reaper, doesn't deserve to be shotgunned for the sins of 30 other movies. But the underwhelming syncopation of make-nice clichés is too familiar.