This short film "prologue" for The Darjeeling Limited certainly works as an alternative to ordinary previews for giddy fans anticipating the movie that is to follow (heck its like it's own dorkier, elitist version of the whole Grindhouse shenanigans), but other then that gimmick itself, offers little else. For a thirteen minute film detailing one last heated meeting and greeting of the exes, our two leads display an absolutely unconvincing level of chemistry. Besides the occasional impressively framed shot or seldom gracious tracking technique, Hotel Chevalier is a pretentious appetizer for a meal we might not even want to eat. The performances, pacing, and plot all verge on annoyingly artsy in that laughable, self-conscious, almost mocking sort of way, rendering this strange, superficial little piece simply "the movie where you see Natalie Portman's butt".
Review of Hotel Chevalier
