It is not an ambitious film, but it doesn’t pretend to be. “The Motel” works because it delivers what it promises: a poignant coming-of-age tale.

 

“The Motel” is an independent film directed by Michael Kang, brought to you by — as its DVD cover proclaims — “the makers of ‘Me and You and Everyone We Know,’ ‘The Good Girl,’ and ‘Chuck & Buck.’”

Like those films, “The Motel” was well received on the festival circuit, winning two awards at Sundance in 2005. It’s easy to see why “The Motel” was such a festival shoo-in; it’s a no-frills, darkly funny film, filled with lingering meditative moments and precocious kids who say things like, “Your dick is hard, that means you love me.” With its Smalltown, USA setting and assortment of damaged characters, “The Motel” trots out plenty of indie tropes. But is it really a good film?

The story focuses on the exploits of a chubby, introspective 13-year-old Chinese kid named Ernest (a very earnest Jeffrey Chyau), who lives and works at a motel run by his cranky immigrant mother (Jade Wu). The roadside stop is the type of rundown place frequented by adulterers, drug dealers, and low-income families. Ernest’s father apparently ditched the family, so Ernest has become the de facto man of the house — or in this case, motel. The film’s early moments establish the minutiae of Ernest’s daily routine; he flirts with an older girl who works at the local Chinese buffet, he pesters his little sister, he avoids the local bully, he cleans rooms, he bickers with his mother. Wash, rinse, repeat. It’s a bleak existence for a pubescent kid, but good fodder for writing. Ernest has documented his life experiences in a school essay, which we learn has won honorable mention in a contest. “That is not winning,” sniffs his mother. “That is worse than losing.” Asian mothers, so hard to please.

A jolt from the everyday routine arrives in the form of freewheeling Sam Kim (the always-reliable Sung Kang), who checks in one lazy afternoon, prostitute in tow. Sam quickly takes a liking to the nerdy kid — his entrance line: “What’s up, baby Buddha?” — and becomes a hyeong-like mentor to Ernest, who is surely in need of male guidance. Sam may not be the best role model for the impressionable lad, but Ernest is drawn to Sam’s carefree, confident demeanor. The scenes of male bonding between young Ernest and young-acting Sam are the film’s strongest, as Sam offers up streams of comically warped advice. “Let me tell you a secret about women,” he says to Ernest. “See, no matter how coy they get, you put them in front of some high-quality amateur porn, and they all get wet. It’s like scientific.” How can one deny such a life lesson?

Of course, Sam’s alpha-male bluster masks his own set of issues, which we see laid bare when he and Ernest break into Sam’s old home and the broken marriage he’s left behind. They are willing partners in angst, Ernest and Sam, and it comes as no surprise when Sam’s life pointers eventually turn Ernest’s life sour. The film reaches its climax when (with Sam’s encouragement) Ernest misplays his “date” with his Chinese buffet crush. He subsequently breaks ties with his failed mentor, and in the end, Ernest returns from whence he came — back to his mother, back to the motel. Home.