Sensitive lensing and acting render an unusual story of brotherly love touching in a promising first film.
– Deborah Young,
Hollywood Reporter,
15 Nov 2013
fresh:
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.
– Sheri Linden,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Nov 2013
fresh:
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.
– Bill Zwecker,
Chicago Sun-Times,
8 Nov 2013
fresh:
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.
– Ben Sachs,
Chicago Reader,
8 Nov 2013
rotten:
As good as "The Motel Life" is for the actors, that's how bad it is for the viewer.