Harlem Hostel brings back memories of the golden age of low budget comedy cinema, when films like Cooley High actually got played in the theaters. This piece of art has a plot and it doesn't have a plot. On the one hand the concept of a group of young adults buying an abandoned building and turning it into an illegal youth hostel is original, but on the other hand nothing formulaic or stereotypical happens here. Nobody gets killed. There isn't any gross sex jokes. The tone is generally mellow and realistic. The unknown actors do an extremely good job keeping this comedy slash drama going. There are a few moments of hilarity, such as Bill Clinton drawn in marker on someone's belly or the line "think bell hop not hip hop," but this movie doesn't resort to Booty Call slapstick or Risky Business glamor. Instead, it remains a silly, kind, gentle story about a group of friends that doesn't portray Harlem as a bad place but just another place. It's a surprisingly quiet, subtle film that I think represents the beginning of some very important careers. Bravo.
Review of Harlem Hostel
