FILMS THAT DESERVED BETTER is an ongoing feature here on The Movie Blog of movies that failed to attract an audience at the theaters and failed to perform well at the boxoffice, yet were exceptional films. We just want to give out a hardy slap on the back and say “We love ya anyway”.
When you’ve just finished watching a movie… and it leaves you sitting there in stunned silence for a couple of minutes… just overwhelmed with the story you just saw… that says something incredibly powerful about that movie. That was my honest reaction to the 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda“.
I already knew Don Cheadle was a good actor… but it was this film that showed me he was far more than just good. He is exceptional and deserves to have his name come up whenever discussion of some of the best actors working today comes up. Nick Nolte also turns in a performance that quite frankly I didn’t think the man was capable of. The anguish, frustration, determination and sorrow of his character brought so much to this movie.
Despite Oscar nominations and an over 90% rating on Rottentomates… this was a film most people decided to pass on. The film was not a “bomb”, but it deserved much more attention from the public audience. Hotel Rwanda took in just barely over $23 million in its theatrical run, and while I’m sure that number was probably what they were expecting for a movie of this type… it doesn’t change the fact that it deserved a much bigger audience.
If you haven’t seen Hotel Rwanda (apparently that’s most of us), please do yourself a favor and run out to rent this. The storytelling, the brilliant cinematography, the performances… all make for a wonderful, powerful and yes often sad emotional experience. I love this film.
