Rating: NR
Genre:
Comedy
Theatrical Release: 06/28/2006(USA
Release Date: 01/30/2007
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD5.1/DD2
Run Time: 76 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Palm Pictures
Writer-director
Michael Kang makes his feature debut with the coming-of-age comedy,
The Motel. Newcomer
Jeffrey Chyau stars as
Ernest Chin, a chubby 13 year-old Chinese-American boy whose mother (
Jade Wu) runs a sleazy motel in upstate New York. The clientele of
The Motel are predominantly prostitutes and their johns, which spurs
Ernest's budding sexual curiosity. When he's not cleaning rooms, eavesdropping on guests, avoiding the local bully, or tormenting his little sister
Katie (
Alexis Chin),
Ernest harbors a crush on
Christine (
Samantha Futerman), who works at a nearby Chinese restaurant.
Ernest has entered a writing contest at school with a story about his unhappy life at
The Motel, and won an honorable mention. His scornful mother thinks his writing is a waste of time, and
Ernest doesn't want her to see the story for fear that it will anger her. He's a social misfit, so he's intrigued when
Sam Kim (
Sung Kang of
Better Luck Tomorrow), a Korean-American guest who frequently brings home prostitutes, befriends him.
Sam takes
Ernest under his wing, teaching him to drive and offering him his wisdom regarding women. Of course,
Sam turns out to have his own serious issues with the opposite sex, and his advice to
Ernest about
Christine may not be exactly what the boy needs.
Kang won the
Asian American International Film Festival screenwriting competition with his script for
The Motel in 2001, and the completed film was shown at the festival in 2005. The script was workshopped at the
Sundance labs, where filmmaker
Miguel Arteta (
The Good Girl) signed on as a producer.
~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
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