No Vacancy (1999)

Touches You

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

No Vacancy is 83 minutes of bad writing, bad acting, and a fiasco of a film. This 1997 release, which I'm sure was a straight-to-DVD-budget-rack special, stars Christina Ricci (in her heaviest film appearance ever), Timothy Olyphant (of HBO's "Deadwood"), Lolita Davidovich (in a role so overacting you'll want to run from the room screaming at the sight of her herbal-masked face), and Robert Wagner. How the film attracted anyone to sign on to act in it escapes me. It's a true disaster.Set in a motel of misfits, the movie's cross-cut edits and haphazard structure only serves to make it more annoying. I really regret every second of watching this mess.Viewer beware! Watch a good Christina Ricci effort like "Opposite of Sex" and pass on this turkey. I squandered 83 minutes of my life. Save yours!!!

I liked this film - it seemed to be trying to copy the style of 'Short Cuts' although with a much lighter plot (and no where near as intricate, complicated - or good). Not a laugh out-loud, screaming, rip-roaring comedy etc... - but, a snapshot into the lives of some weird (but not totally unbelievable) people. I had no idea what the film was going to be like when I rented it. I saw a small summary, and did not know it was a comedy - this is most probably why I didn't expect to be laughing all the time - and didn't mind that I wasn't laughing all the time. If you are expecting a 'Benny Hill', slap-stick type of film, then steer well clear - you will be mightily disappointed - but, if you are looking for a light hearted look into "the morning after booking into a motel" then give it a go. A good film for an evening in with your dog. OK, I admit it - I had a bum Friday night without a date!

Basically what happens is Christina Ricci and Timothy Olyphant fall in love then there are a buch of people running around and then people fall in the pool which is obviously hilarious. Then Robert Wagner shows up as a pimp which is supposed to be funny just by the fact that it's Robert Wagner.. No Vacany, I believe, is supposed to be a quirky comedy but it falls completely flat and isn't even amusing or entertaining, let alone funny or quirky.. The smooth lounge music soundtrack is maybe supposed to make it hip but this and a zillion other bad elements painfully mark this film as being directed by someone under 30 and written by someone around 20. Bad. really really bad. Avoid.

I saw "No Vacancy" on tape by accident. I haven't laughed this hard since high school. It's one of the most imaginative, non-pretentiously smart, fast-paced, original comedies independent film industry has ever produced! I absolutely loved it! Can't wait to see it in theaters again!