Chelsea Walls (2001)

26% of critics liked it
(47 reviews)
41% of users liked it
(1,500 ratings)

Actor Ethan Hawke takes the director's chair for a test drive with this independent feature, based on a play by Nicole Burdette, in which a number of creative types living in New York's famed bohemian enclave the Chelsea Hotel struggle with their muses as well as their personal concerns. Middle-aged… More Actor Ethan Hawke takes the director's chair for a test drive with this independent feature, based on a play by Nicole Burdette, in which a number of creative types living in New York's famed bohemian enclave the Chelsea Hotel struggle with their muses as well as their personal concerns. Middle-aged novelist Bud (Kris Kristofferson) is having problems with his latest project, as well as his appetite for alcohol, while he juggles two relationships -- with his wife Greta (Tuesday Weld) and his lover Mary (Natasha Richardson). Audrey (Rosario Dawson) is a poet who is attracted to Val (Mark Webber), but Val has a hard time staying away from drugs, and his pal Crutches (Kevin Corrigan) is doing nothing to help. Grace (Uma Thurman) is trying to make a name for herself as a poet, but in the meantime she supports herself waiting tables; she's developed a crush on her neighbor Frank (Vincent D'Onofrio), but she can't figure out how to get him to pay attention to her. And Ross (Steve Zahn) and Terry (Robert Sean Leonard) are a pair of would-be rock stars who have just arrived in New York from the Midwest, wondering how to get noticed as they try to pick up women. Jeff Tweedy from the acclaimed rock band Wilco composed the film's musical score, while legendary jazz vocalist Jimmy Scott appears in a nightclub scene. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 49 min.
Directed By: Ethan Hawke
Written By: Nicole Burdette
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Sep 21, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Aug 6, 2002
Studio: Lions Gate Films

Critic Reviews

, Chicago Tribune
It is dead on the inside, never quite achieving the movements and emotional solidity the material demands.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Hawke's actors are a talented troupe, and even when things get self-indulgent and fuzzy-headed (and boy, do they!), interesting stuff is going on.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Movies like this do not grab you by the throat. You have to be receptive.
Erin Meister, Boston Globe
Were Dylan Thomas alive to witness first-time director Ethan Hawke's strained Chelsea Walls, he might have been tempted to change his landmark poem to, 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Theatre.'
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Hampered -- no, paralyzed -- by a self-indulgent script ... that aims for poetry and ends up sounding like satire.
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News
The cinematic equivalent of patronizing a bar favored by pretentious, untalented artistes who enjoy moaning about their cruel fate.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
Linklater fans, or pretentious types who want to appear avant-garde will suck up to this
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a disastrously ill-conceived drama...
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Pretentious navel-gazing hoo-hah.
Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card
As you may know, this film is directed by Ethan Hawke. Nicely shot, well acted, fine direction, well-organized (for what it is), but short on both impact and message.
Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
The film apparently takes place in a fantasy world where people in hotel hallways recite poetry in voice-over instead of speaking to each other.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
This is a very ambitious project for a fairly inexperienced filmmaker, but good actors, good poetry and good music help sustain it.
Kevin N. Laforest, Apollo Guide
A free-for-all of half-baked thoughts, clumsily used visual tricks and self-indulgent actor moments.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's a beautifully accomplished lyrical meditation on a bunch of despondent and vulnerable characters living in the renown Chelsea Hotel ...
Paul Matwychuk, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
This thing is virtually unwatchable.
Mark Olsen, L.A. Weekly
Pretension, in its own way, is a form of bravery. For this reason and this reason only -- the power of its own steadfast, hoity-toity convictions -- Chelsea Walls deserves a medal.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Not for the faint of heart, Chelsea Walls arrives just in time for anyone hankering for a really hot Beatnik summer.
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com
A complete waste of time.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Mike T

Ethan Hawke's passionate directorial debut paints a mosaic of love, dreams, regrets and plenty of other things that we all experience as people. Hawke's unorthodox approach not only to storytelling, but also to film as a narrative medium, is refreshing and suitably out of… More
Ethan Hawke's passionate directorial debut paints a mosaic of love, dreams, regrets and plenty of other things that we all experience as people. Hawke's unorthodox approach not only to storytelling, but also to film as a narrative medium, is refreshing and suitably out of the box. Aiding the effectiveness of this unique picture's beauty is a highly talented and convincing cast of actors. This is not a film that everyone will enjoy, but it's something I loved watching and it definitely appealed to me on a personal level.
Daniel P

I want to contradict myself by accident, and for you to know what I mean... This film, which really isn't a movie as such, more a feeling of mood with snatches of conversation, is definitely going to be something of an acquired taste. Directed by Ethan… More
I want to contradict myself by accident, and for you to know what I mean... This film, which really isn't a movie as such, more a feeling of mood with snatches of conversation, is definitely going to be something of an acquired taste. Directed by Ethan Hawke, the film shifts focus between the various occupants of the Chelsea Hotel in New York (which in the past has been inhabited by various famous poets, authors and artists, from Tennessee Williams to Bob Dylan). There's very little in the way of narrative or story, we just catch glimpses of peoples feelings, thoughts, hopes and doubts. There isn't a sudden understanding at the end of the film, and the various peoples lives don't suddenly connect or clash. The way it's filmed stops everything from feeling pretentious, or too much like a vanity project (which it undoubtedly is). In fact the way it's filmed (on digital video) - the dreamy, 'hypnoticness' of it - was what sucked me in and made me feel a part of it. The photography from Tom Richmond is beautiful in places. Ethan Hawke has managed to assemble a sprawling cast, some of whom are very talented indeed, presumably all working for scale. Among them are Vincent D'Onofrio, Rosario Dawson, Steve Zahn and Uma Thurman, but the two best performances come from Robert Sean Leonard and Kris Kristofferson. I watched this late at night when I was slightly sleepy, which is probably the best way to see this film. Cautiously recommended.