Hotel Room (1993) (Made for HBO )

A landmark move for David Lynch into the realm of a television anthology series. After the faltering "Twin Peaks" left television, Lynch returned to the mythical town one time (so far) in feature film then moved back to television, only this time he chose the more advantages Cable outlet which allows him  more freedom and less censorship.

"Hotel Room" works because it is an anthology, 3 stories set in the same hotel room. With only a short amount of time to tell a story, Lynch isn't allowed to meander, he has to get right to the point. Therefore, "Hotel Room" doesn't falter and wander like the aforementioned "Peaks." It retains all of the style and quirkiness of Lynch's previous work and yet moves beyond where Lynch has gone before.

Although there are 3 stories in this first installment (hopefully, there will be more!) only 2 are directed by Lynch. The middle story, directed by James Signorelli, has moments of "Lynchian" style but never succeeds as well as Lynch's two stories do. To continue this analysis, I will look at each individual story:

The first story, "Tricks," stars Glenne Headly, Freddie Jones, and Harry Dean Stanton. Barry Gifford's script is immediately intriguing and never lets up. Although we are never exactly sure what is going on, the characters make us want to know more. Stanton is excellent, playing the loser/loner with his usual unshaven finesse. What makes "Tricks" work, other than the excellent cast and direction, is the fine script. Tricks" is an ambiguous, unsettling, ball of emotion and fear. Lynch does here what he does best, he makes something look and seem so unreal that it literally becomes real. These characters are frightening because they seem so other-wordly while living seemingly within our realm. Lynch draws them out and shows them to us unflinchingly. This is the autuer working his usual extraordinary magic.

The second story, "Getting Rid of Robert," stars Griffin Dunne and 3 women (Deborah Unger, Mariska Hargitay and Chelsea Field). The story is written by Jay McInerney and directed by Signorelli. Although this is a good story, it lacks that other-worldliness of Lynch. It has a humorous yet realistic ending. The acting is only fair, except for Dunne, who redeems himself here. In this episode, Dunne says more by just running his fingers through his hair, than he's said since he appeared in Martin Scorsese's wonderful "After Hours." Like "Twin Peaks," "Hotel Room" works best when Lynch is directly involved. Still, this story is better than your average Cable TV fair, much better.

The final story, "Blackout," also written by Gifford, stars Crispin Glover and Alicia Witt. It is a landmark moment for Lynch and Glover, who fashion a story that is perfectly normal. It is the first time Glover has  ever played a completely normal character and he succeeds with flying colors. It is enough to make you want to see him do it more often. I really didn't think Glover was capable of work this excellent without playing his usual neurotic character. Alicia Witt is marvelous too and establishes herself as the next  Lynchian ingenue. The timing that she and Glover master is right-on-the-money, the chemistry between them is moving. This is a remarkable segment of film. Lynch proves that he can do a story minus quirks and still retain his style and charisma. This is Lynch's most realistically normal story since "The Elephant Man" and Lynch breaks new ground by accomplishing it. 

"Hotel Room" has other interesting qualities as well. The stories all take place at different times (1969, 1992, 1936) and that allows the scenery and furnishings of the hotel room to change. (The hotel is the Railroad Hotel and the room number is 603, by the way.) One of the most interesting things about the series is that the same guy (Clark Heathcliffe Brolly) plays the bellboy in each segment, never aging from 1936 to 1992. But what is so Lynchian about this is that the guy could easily be Kyle MacLachlin's brother. It is an amusing, kooky, Lynchian quirk that makes the series seem seamless.

With "Hotel Room," Lynch sets himself up to be the Rod Serling of the 1990's. He succeeds on every level. Hopefully, there will be many more episodes of "Hotel Room" to delight and entertain us in the future.

Report Card

Script: A

Acting: A

Cinematography\Lighting: A+

Special Effects\Make Up: A

Music: A+

Final Grade: A