Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Simply A Masterpiece

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Absolutely the worst movie.

In the version i've seen, Hotel Chevalier has been merely the prologue of The Darjeeling Limited. Although weird, the short movie (or intro, in my case) has been more potent than the movie.Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman deliver a fine performance. He is an insecure not-so-young lad and she is a manipulative lady in search of something else.As it usually is the case, such a relationship ends in one of the people involved getting hurt. And it is rarely that the insecure person has the guts to end it, usually the manipulative one moves on to the next prey. But you'll have to see The Darjeeling Limited to see how this love story ends.

I think most of Wes Anderson's films are products you either love or you hate. Many professional reviewers and lovers of art and indie films adore his movies, whereas the average Joe (or Josephine) probably wonders why anyone would pay to see these movies. To say that his films lack conventional plots is an understatement--and the same can be said about "Hotel Chevalier". This short features what seems like an out of context snippet--not enough to tell a story and not one where you know much about the characters. And, when it's over, you STILL are left wondering what it was all about. Some love this ambiguity--some can't stand it. As for me, I have enjoyed some of Anderson's quirky films quite a bit (such as "Moonrise Kingdom" and "The Royal Tannenbaums") and hate thoroughly hated others (such as "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" and the film that this short precedes on the DVD--"The Darjeeling Limited". And, like the full length film, "The Darjeeling Limited", "Hotel Chevalier" lacks context and is tough to love. To me, it was just a snippet of a film involving two one-dimensional characters who meet in a hotel room to screw and not much more.

Designed as a semi-independent prelude to "The Darjeeling Limited", "Hotel Chevalier" proves that ten minutes of Wes Anderson's wizardry are worth more than many another big-budget director's feature-length film. It's a study in the pain and the lust only love can bring, as well as a variation of Anderson's trademark motif, control. Where "The Darjeeling Limited" bubbles over with substance abuse, poisonous snakes, restroom romps, brotherly affection and fatal accidents, "Hotel Chevalier" is a quiet and slightly eerie two-character mini drama set in a lavish Merchant-Ivory style suite. The suite's sole resident is a reclusive control-freak writer in a long-distance relationship (Jason Schwartzman). We watch as he half enjoys, half endures a surprise visit by his control-freak girlfriend (Natalie Portman). Is she a woman of flesh and blood, or is she just an imaginary incarnation of the jet-setting girl from "Where do you go to my lovely", the song Peter keeps playing on his portable stereo? There's no knowing what's real and what isn't in Anderson's paper moon world. But the importance of fact and fiction fades as she reclines on the bed and has Peter take off her spike-heeled boots. It's the most emotionally and sexually loaded scene I have seen in a long time, like a 20-second tango. It seems some of Natalie Portman's best work is done in shorts set in Paris. Remember Tom Tykwer's "True"?

This was a beautiful little film that that plays out like one Truffaut's Antoine Donielle films. Not only is it the perfect prequel to (the wonderful) "The Darjeeling Limited", but it is a self-contained simple and moving story.This whole "New Wave" feeling is a departure from Wes Anderson's usually theatrical and highly-stylized film making. It suits him well. Don't get me wrong, Rushmore is one of my favorite films and the Royal Tannenbaums is fantastic, but I am really digging this new naturalistic style Anderson is applying to his new films and cannot wait to see what he does next.Shwartzman is a wonderful actor who never ceases to entertain. and Natalie Portman gives honest and touching performance.