The Hotel New Hampshire

Starring:Rob Lowe, Jodie Foster, Paul McCrane, Beau Bridges, Lisa Banes, Jennifer Dundas, Seth Green, Wally Aspell, Nastassja Kinski, Joely Richardson, Wallace Shawn, Jobst Oriwal, Linda Clark, Nicholas Podbrey, Norris Domingue, Matthew Modine, Wilford Brimley, Cali Timmins, Dorsey Wright, Richard Jutras
Director: Tony Richardson
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Tony Richardson's adaptation of The Hotel New Hampshire proves that the unique qualities of John Irving's fiction are accessible in print and elusive on screen. (Not surprisingly, Irving's books were not truly successful as films until Irving himself adapted The Cider House Rules, although some viewers will prefer The World According to Garp.) Here, Richardson distills the essence of Irving but misses the author's dominant themes; the result is a film that follows Irving closely and understands its characters without ever giving them complete and coherent personalities. Without that essential ingredient, this film--about the exploits of a highly eccentric and dysfunctional family--grows thin and repetitious. We're left to enjoy the quirks of a fine ensemble cast, and the resilience of a family that has learned to survive by "passing open windows" (in other words, avoiding suicide no matter how tempting).

Amazon.com

Tony Richardson's adaptation of The Hotel New Hampshire proves that the unique qualities of John Irving's fiction are accessible in print and elusive on screen. (Not surprisingly, Irving's books were not truly successful as films until Irving himself adapted The Cider House Rules, although some viewers will prefer The World According to Garp.) Here, Richardson distills the essence of Irving but misses the author's dominant themes; the result is a film that follows Irving closely and understands its characters without ever giving them complete and coherent personalities. Without that essential ingredient, this film--about the exploits of a highly eccentric and dysfunctional family--grows thin and repetitious. We're left to enjoy the quirks of a fine ensemble cast, and the resilience of a family that has learned to survive by "passing open windows" (in other words, avoiding suicide no matter how tempting).

Description

From Academy AwardÂ(r)-winning* director Tony Richardson (Tom Jones) comes this "bright, amusing and provocative" (The Hollywood Reporter) film based on John Irving's best-selling novel. Featuring "a gifted cast" (LA Herald-Examiner), including OscarÂ(r)** winner Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs), Rob Lowe ("The West Wing") and Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys), The Hotel New Hampshire is "intriguing" (Boxoffice), "impressive" (LA Herald-Examiner) and "fascinating" (Variety)! A motley clan of eight lovable misfits, the Berry family sets out on an adventure to fulfill their father's lifelong aspiration of owning a hotel. Their quest takes them around the world, and they greet every new location with their own brand of outrageous humor, practical jokes and just plain weird eccentricism. But when this tribe of oddballs encounters a healthy dose of heartbreak, they soon must learn that not all in life is fun and games and that sometimes the only thing you have left is the one thing that matters most family. *1963: Best Picture, Director **1991: Actress, The Silenceof the Lambs; 1988: Actress, The Accused

Customer Reviews:

The BEST.......2007-05-08

I agree completely with B. Alden! The haters don't know what they're talking about! This movie has been in my top five all time favorites since I first saw it 15 years ago. It is the best adaptation of an Irving book ever (and yes, I am a huge fan of his). Sharp, funny, memorable writing and a spot on cast make this simply one of the best movies.

I LOVED this movie.......2007-04-22

I notice I am a little alone in this opinion. I too have read the book, and loved it, multiple times, but I also loved the movie. I thought the characters were portayed perfectly. It was wonderful to see them come to life on the screen.
I didn't get to see this movie until I rented it from netflix a couple of months ago, and the reason I'm writing this review is because I came to Amazon to buy the movie, and I happened to see the bad reviews, and decided to put my 2 cents in. So there you have it.

Like a car crash...........2007-04-06

You want to turn away but you just can't stop watching! Like other reviewers suggest, maybe I need to read the book. The film on it's own holds the audience attention by bouncing from one obscure situation to another while remaining emotionally vacant. Some admirable performances by a suprisingly well known and talented cast. Definately one for those who prefer something from the 'art house' movie genre.

Skimming.......2007-03-01

If you have not read the book, then this movie may intrigue you. It is quirky and interesting to say the least. As a storyline it does not lack imagination. From Maine to Vienna to NYC and back to Maine, from the Jew-hating German tourists to the radicals and the [...], from one Hotel New Hampshire to another, the dreams of a father and his colourful family unfold in a series of bizarre and at times disturbing events. And life appears to be a fairy tale that we live as we chase our dreams.

Now, in relation to the actual book, this movie can be described with just one word: RUSHED. The adaptation is so faithful that it tries to cover almost everything, all characters and all events, thereby failing miserably to project the sentiment behind the eccentric story of this highly unusual family. I could go on and on about how the accurate quotes from the original text fall flat on a screenplay that comes across truncated and patched together clumsily, how the scenes lack emotional depth, how the characters are not given enough time to be adequately developed... but I will instead characterise the whole attempt as noble but short. If the book was a long wave-like function, with a rise to a crest, then a drop followed by a building surge and another rise to another crest, over and over and over again, then the movie was just a cross-section of the top parts of this rollercoaster of a wave-like function, shaving off all the crests and placing them in a two hour blender, where they were shaken and served to please God knows what. Surely not the potential of this fascinatingly bizarre book, nor its undercurrent and extremely subtle magical tone. And it was not for lack of effort. It was for lack of realism on how to put on screen a highly bizzare story in a way that flows smoothly rather than jump spastically between scenes. A mini series would have worked much better for such a faithful adaptation. Either that or a more free-flowing interpretation that could possibly make sense within the 120 minutes that are usually allocated to a motion picture.

Thank God for Jodie Foster's and Beau Bridges's performances, who bring Fanny and Win Berry to life. Keep passing the open windows and read the book for a much richer and meaningful experience. As far as this movie is concerned, just toss it out as far as you can. And if you are to keep it, then do so to remind yourselves of how to NOT adapt a great book onto the screen. This is the only reason why I keep mine.

Unrelenting, spastic sequence of absurd, tasteless,unsavory moments.......2007-02-19

THE HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE (1984) in theory should have been a
fascinating, exciting movie with a lot of crowd-drawing power, from
its all-star cast, made up of Jodie Foster, Nastassja Kinski, Rob
Lowe and more, all in their prime ... aged 20 to 30 years, at the
time.

Unfortunately, this picture was written in 1 of 3 possible ways:
someone who's adapted the painting technique of throwing buckets of
paint at a canvas, calling himself a painter, and the result, a
painting to the movies; or someone with the mental age of 10; or
someone who has not only totally lost their mind, and has lost touch
with reality, in the present, and in their past.

Of course, it's a treat to see Foster, Kinski, Lowe in action, as
they are truly talented, in bringing forth subtle human
undercurrents, and visual expressions to the camera and audience.

But, this work apparently attempts to carry to the silver screen, a
novel in the style of Kurt Vonnegut, for example, or Douglas Adams,
who wrote Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, among others. I haven't
read, (and now, would probably decline to ever read) the original
manuscript or novel, but, most would probably give the benefit of
the doubt to the underlying book author.

In terms of movie, though, there's indubitably no redeeming value to
it, as it's a unrelenting, spastic sequence of absurd, tasteless,
unnecessary, unsavory moments, involving taboo after taboo,
intermixed with a sugar coating, to perhaps confusem, fool and
mesmerize the censors or movie rating authorities.

The sugar coating of the taboos, might perhaps make palatable the
underlying sequences to those with a low IQ, or perhaps to children,
but for all others, including teenagers, or seniors or those with a
wicked sense of humor, there's really no coherent story progressing
over the 90 mins.

As such, and the best remedy is really the fast forward button on
the DVD player, or, if you prefer (as was the case, in the 80's when
this work was released), getting up from your chair, and walking out
of the theatre.

Average customer rating:

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Manufacturer: ABC News
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Average customer rating:

The BEST
I LOVED this movie
Like a car crash....
Skimming
Unrelenting, spastic sequence of absurd, tasteless,unsavory moments

The Hotel New Hampshire [Region 2]
Starring: Rob Lowe , Jodie Foster , Paul McCrane , Beau Bridges , and Lisa Banes
Director: Tony Richardson
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

The World According to Garp
The Hotel New Hampshire
The Cider House Rules (Miramax Collector's Series)
Foxes
Backtrack

ASIN: B00015N5V0

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

The BEST.......2007-05-08

I LOVED this movie.......2007-04-22

Like a car crash...........2007-04-06

Skimming.......2007-03-01

Unrelenting, spastic sequence of absurd, tasteless,unsavory moments.......2007-02-19

Average customer rating:

The BEST
I LOVED this movie
Like a car crash....
Skimming
Unrelenting, spastic sequence of absurd, tasteless,unsavory moments

The Hotel New Hampshire
Starring: Rob Lowe , Jodie Foster , Paul McCrane , Beau Bridges , and Lisa Banes
Director: Tony Richardson
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video