The Motel Life is a 2012 American drama film starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning, and Kris Kristofferson.

Directed and produced by brothers Alan and Gabriel Polsky, the screenplay was adapted by Noah Harpster and Micah Fitzerman-Blue from Willy Vlautin's novel of the same name.

The film was shot in Gardnerville, Minden, Reno, and Virginia City, Nevada, and also features animated sequences drawn by Mike Smith.

In 1990, Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan, brothers who drift aimlessly between odd jobs, attempt to escape their seemingly hopeless lives through their creativity, and excessive drinking.

Subsequent flashbacks reveal that the boys' mother died when they were young, and, with their father missing, the two set off on their own; Jerry Lee's leg is injured when they attempt to stow away on a train.

Flush with cash after Buster Douglas' upset victory, Frank donates some of his winnings to the dead boy's family, and purchases a car from childhood father figure Earl Hurley, who advises him not to think of himself as a loser.

"[2] Portland, Oregon-based artist Mike Smith performed the film's animated sequences, which director Werner Herzog praised.

"[8] Jessica Kiang of Indiewire wrote, "But while it doesn't reinvent the wheel, or revolutionize the genre, it achieves its modest ambitions affectingly well, in no small part due to a clutch of cherishable performances, especially from leads Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff".

[12] Boyd van Hoeij of Variety described it as "a film so full of explanatory flashbacks and animated sequences visualizing its characters' invented yarns that their real dramas are almost obscured.

"[13] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, "Alan and Gabe Polsky's film about two hobo brothers on the run labours with heroes who are neither sympathetic or interesting".

[citation needed] Werner Herzog hosted a special screening of the film at The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and expressed his admiration for the Polskys' directorial debut, stating, "It's really an accomplishment of two young filmmakers...You see a portion of America you have never seen in movies.