Product: The Million Dollar Hotel (2000)
Rating: 5.0
The Million Dollar Hotel
This is a wonderful movie, made with love. The score is haunting and and sweet, yet not obtrusive. The colors and the photography are stunningly beautiful. This is not a thriller; rather, it is a love story played against a background of cynicism, delusion, betrayal, fraud and brutality. This film demands the viewer's undivided attention, as much is going on in the background of almost every scene. This film is also an ode to a hotel in Los Angeles, one of two built in the 1920s by two brothers. One would not think such a tribute could be paid to an old hotel, but "The Million Dollar Hotel" is just that, as the varying and lovely shots of the hotel bear witness throughout the film. Mel Gibson delivers his best performance to date as the brutal, threatening FBI agent Skinner, who has a change-of-heart. Jeremy Davies is incredibly winning as Tom-Tom, the border-retarded unofficial "butler," full of wisdom, humor and insight, for the hotel's residents. Milla Jovovich is Eloise, a sadder-but-wiser young woman, worshipped by Tom-Tom. Their love blossoms as events slowly roll beyond their control. Most of the characters in this movie seem devoid of principles, and this film contains several instances of betrayal. But, against the betrayals and the unrolling of events, Tom-Tom is unwavering in his love for and protection of Eloise. This film is worthy of several viewings and provokes discussion with each viewing experience, proof that there is something here worthy of one's time. The question is, what did Tom-Tom mean by his final statement at the end of the picture?