The
Million Dollar Hotel is not an easy movie. By all means, it
takes time to develop its story and make sense along the way.
For some people, a movie like that can be hard to follow, making
them not like it. Yet for others, it can be just as hard but
they like it. I found myself liking it. Not by a whole lot, but
enough to entertain me for two hours.
Tom
Tom (Jeremy Davies) loves the fragile and sad-looking Eloise (Milla
Jovovich). Not long after, Agent Skinner (Mel Gibson) is
investigating 'The Million Dollar Hotel' he lives in. Skinner starts
so suspect that Tom Tom is related to the death of a
billionaire's son who was either pushed off or fell off the
hotel's roof.
Agent
Skinner turns the lives of the miscreant residents upside down
to find out if it was murder or suicide. All the while this
happens, the main inhabitants of the hotel create a media frenzy
that involves the mystery of Izzy Goldkiss's (an unaccredited Tim
Roth) death and his paintings. Toward the end, Skinner begins to
doubt his initial suspicions about Tom Tom. Charley Best (Donal
Logue), his partner, tells him otherwise. And what turns out to
be the truth is Skinner's misperception.
Despite
a slow pace and a slim plotline, Wim Wenders was able to make
The
Million Dollar Hotel more than it had to offer. Directing
and acting overplayed the problems with the story. The problems
didn't go unnoticed, however. In a whole, the plot was not
substantial enough (I can't stress it enough) to make sense and
present a story worhwhile.
Almost
all of the characters are rather dim-witted and not right in
their frame of mind. For example, Jimmy Smits plays Geronimo,
who takes credit for Izzy's paintings. Peter Stormare is Dixie
and his intelligence is displayed when he says "Let's vote!
There is two letters on each ballot, a Y and a N. A Y means why
and and a N means why not." Gloria Stuart plays a
foul-mouthed old woman and Amanda Plummer plays Vivian, also
somewhat disturbed.
There
are more characters. Most of them are played by relatively well-known
actors, but I don't really remember them. Which brings me to the
point that all the supporting characters are pretty much
forgettable; not that this is anything new. But, the main
characters do have a presence. And not one that is easily dismissible.
Tom Tom is kind of a loner. Davies turned in a good performance,
given the fact that his character wasn't complex anyway. Eloise
is somewhat disturbed. Jovovich didn't necessarily shine, but
did a good job. Skinner is not Gibson's average [and
stereotypical] cop character.
Gibson also turned in a good performance. It actually felt kind
of dark(y). Something weird, maybe metallic, is on his back (as
in spine). I couldn't make out what it was.
The
Million Dollar Hotel
is a sad movie about the feelings of
love, rejection, and acceptance in the trashy world they live in
(a fictional future of 2001); New York as is the case here.
The
Million Dollar Hotel is definitely a different movie and expectations can turn on
you.
