Always at the Carlyle (2018)
Bekkah:
Y’all this has been a week of white supremacy and fascism and Danya and I just needed some fucking escapism. So, enter a documentary about a hotel with rooms that go for $20,000 a night. This movie was charming and elitist and didn’t have nearly enough Jeff for a movie that includes him as one of the main characters. But he was in it, so it counts! John Hamm, who subscribes to the Jeff Goldblum School of Fashionable Glasses, was in this movie for way longer, despite… not actually having a connection to the hotel? Whatever, I would watch him talk for hours about whatever. What I learned from this movie is that Jack Nicholson is charming af, this hotel keeps employees for decades so it must be a cushy job, and Angelica Huston definitely did some drugs there. There was too much time spent on The Royals and this movie was kind of directionless, but this is was not a week for a movie about shitty dudes, and this fit the bill. Here’s hoping 2021 calms the fuck down after this week.
Danya:
Yeah, so on a week with nazis storming the capitol, we needed some solid escapism, hopefully with very little toxic masculinity and a big dose of luxury porn. With that in mind, this winsome documentary did a “meh” job. It feels like there is some bait and switch. I want opulence! I want scandal! I want to remember what it was like to be somewhere not my tiny apartment! The beginning of the movie is just interview after interview of staff talking about Carlyle “discretion” and how they won’t actually tell us any juicy gossip. #Fine. They also interview Jon Hamm for a long time, but who has never stayed at the hotel, but you know, is beautiful so that’s ok. It was interesting to learn about the history and there are some amazing characters (the concierge with a stutter and a voice like an angel for instance). Jeff is in the movie for a total of two minutes, but still manages to be both more charming and more weird than everyone else.
7/10 Goldenblums
Bekkah bets that we’ll watch 83 movies until the pandemic is over. Danya bets 67 movies. Whoever is closest will buy the other a drink when we GO TO THE BAR AT THE CARLYLE IN 2022.
The iconic Carlyle hotel has been an international destination for a particular jet-set as well as a favorite haunt of the most discernible New Yorkers.
Director: Matthew Miele
Writer: Matthew Miele
Stars: Woody Allen, Herb Alpert, Wes Anderson
