HOTELS 

So how many movies are set in hotels? Oh, about 200. But never fear, Mr. Movie is here for you. If you’re yearning for a hotel movie (and, really, who isn’t?), you won’t go wrong with any of these. 

Let’s begin with the grandfather of all hotel movies, Grand Hotel (1932). I know, I know, it’s more than eighty years old. But it really holds up pretty well and it has a dynamite cast. Both Lionel and John Barrymore, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford for starters! This film was once made in 1919 and has been shot at least five times since. But this one is the one and it won the Best Picture Oscar. Among many delights there are jewel thieves and a spirited game of romantic musical chairs. 

If you enjoy being scared witless, there is the terrifying The Shining (1990) with Jack Nicholson as a maniac killer gradually maddened by a sinister presence in the posh but empty hotel he has been hired to look after. Taken from a Stephen King story, the plot is a bit of a reach but it is still watched a lot. Remember the famous line as he breaks through a door? “Here’s Johnny.” Yikes!

Next chronologically is the quirky, fun Hotel New Hampshire (1984). Rob Lowe and Jodie Foster head a cast of wacky characters in a very good screenplay by Tony Richardson from John Irving’s novel. A family owns a hotel and weathers the storms of life to keep it going. The hotel is located, of course, in Austria. The bizarre characters and frenetic pace are ok if you just stick with it. 

Don Cheadle plays Paul Ruseabagina, a hotelier caught up in the middle of tribal warfare in Hotel Rwanda (2004). He is a Hulu but his wife Tatiana is a Tutsi. This doesn’t sit well with either side. Through a hair raising time of civil war, Paul desperately tries to save the refugees from both sides. This film is not for the faint of heart. It was nominated for four Oscars, but was shut out. 

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) is about the most fun you can have at the movies. The hotel manager is Dev Patel, (who turns up everywhere almost as much as Samuel L. Jackson!). The elderly hotel residents are a delightful group of eccentric Brits led by Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and Maggie Smith. They have all moved to this hotel in India on the basis of a very suspicious flyer. Hijinks ensue! There is a sequel which is not bad.

I’m going to throw in a couple of more recent films, both of which are extremely offbeat. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and  Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) I would describe as acquired tastes. 

All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for adults.