Chelsea Walls is a 2001 independent film directed by Ethan Hawke and released by Lions Gate Entertainment. It is based on the 1990 play Chelsea Walls by Nicole Burdette. It stars Kris Kristofferson, Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, Natasha Richardson, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Robert Sean Leonard among others, with original score by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. The story takes place in the historic Chelsea Hotel in New York City.
Chelsea Walls | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Ethan Hawke |
Written by | Nicole Burdette |
Produced by | Alexis Alexanian Pamela Koffler Christine Vachon Gary Winick |
Starring | Kris Kristofferson Uma Thurman Robert Sean Leonard Tuesday Weld Kevin Corrigan Bianca Hunter Vincent D'Onofrio Natasha Richardson Rosario Dawson |
Cinematography | Tom Richmond |
Edited by | Adriana Pacheco |
Music by | Jeff Tweedy |
Production companies | Killer Films IFC Films |
Distributed by | Lions Gate Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 109 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $100,000[2] |
Box office | $60,902[3] |
The film tells five stories of a number of artists as they spend a single day in New York's famed bohemian home Chelsea Hotel, struggling with their arts and personal lives.
Chelsea Walls received negative reviews, currently holding a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[4] Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, claiming: "Movies like this do not grab you by the throat. You have to be receptive. The first time I saw "Chelsea Walls," in a stuffy room late at night at Cannes 2001, I found it slow and pointless. This time, I saw it earlier in the day, fueled by coffee, and I understood that the movie is not about what the characters do, but about what they are. It may be a waste of time to spend your life drinking, fornicating, posing as a genius and living off your friends, but if you've got the money, honey, take off the time."[5]