The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
2.5/4
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Terrence Stamp, Guy Pearce, Bill Hunter
Rated R for Sex-Related Situations and Language
Drag shows are not my thing. When I see one going on, I'll stop in for a few minutes and watch, but it's not something I'll go out of my way to see. I do, however, understand the appeal. It's a cross between a Broadway musical and a comedy club. The music is fun and upbeat, but the costumes and dancing is beyond outrageous. The humor comes from the fact that the whole show is so over-the-top, and everyone is in on the joke. "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" understands that.
The film's stars are Mitzi (Weaving), Felicia (Pearce), two drag queens, and Bernadette (Stamp), a transsexual (a man who is transitioning into a woman, in this case). They're a trio of drag queens who perform in Sydney, Australia. But they have a show to get to in the small town of Alice Springs, and Felicia buys a broken down charter bus (which he dubs Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) to get them there. Needless to say, the trip is not without obstacles.
Road movies, which this movie is, rarely have complex plots. They're all about the journey, rather than the final destination. Stephan Elliot, who wrote and directed this movie, knows this, but for a character study, the three main characters don't have much of a personality until the film's final act. Despite the best attempts of the actors, they remain stick figures for the majority of the running time.
The film stars three of the best actors from Down Under: Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terrence Stamp. Stamp had been a well-respected actor for decades before the film's release (he got an Oscar nomination in 1963), although he faded from view after a 10 year sabbatical; his performance as the dour and lovelorn Bernadette put him back in the limelight. Stamp is wonderful in the role, playing what could easily have been a caricature with depth and feeling. Hugo Weaving is also very good. Known for his intense performances and Alan Rickman-like style of speaking, Weaving has become typecast as villainous (Mr. Smith in "The Matrix" and its sequels) or serious characters ("The Lord of the Rings"). Mitzi is unlike anything you've ever seen him do, which is a testament to his talent and versatility. Mitzi drags Bernadette on this little adventure after the death of her lover, even if it means confronting some skeletons in the closet (this subplot is resolved in a fresh manner, although the beginning doesn't hold up in retrospect). And Guy Pearce, who was a soap star at the time of the film's release, is on hand for comic relief as the politically incorrect Felicia. Pearce rarely plays comic roles these days, but like the best actors, he knows what he's doing.
The problem with the film is that it's not as funny or as moving as it wants to be. The script is on the weak side, and many of the jokes feel feeble. The whole production feels waterlogged. And then there are those cutaways and flashbacks that are meant to build the characters backstories, but feel awkward and jarring.
I got to like the film at the end, but was it enough to give the film a recommendation? It's a close call, but I don't think so. There are some good qualities about this movie, such as the relationships between Bernadette and Bill (Hunter), the lonely mechanic, and Mitzi and wife & son. Those are touching. But there is just as much material the falls flat or isn't as strong as Elliot thinks it is.
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Terrence Stamp, Guy Pearce, Bill Hunter
Rated R for Sex-Related Situations and Language
Drag shows are not my thing. When I see one going on, I'll stop in for a few minutes and watch, but it's not something I'll go out of my way to see. I do, however, understand the appeal. It's a cross between a Broadway musical and a comedy club. The music is fun and upbeat, but the costumes and dancing is beyond outrageous. The humor comes from the fact that the whole show is so over-the-top, and everyone is in on the joke. "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" understands that.
The film's stars are Mitzi (Weaving), Felicia (Pearce), two drag queens, and Bernadette (Stamp), a transsexual (a man who is transitioning into a woman, in this case). They're a trio of drag queens who perform in Sydney, Australia. But they have a show to get to in the small town of Alice Springs, and Felicia buys a broken down charter bus (which he dubs Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) to get them there. Needless to say, the trip is not without obstacles.
Road movies, which this movie is, rarely have complex plots. They're all about the journey, rather than the final destination. Stephan Elliot, who wrote and directed this movie, knows this, but for a character study, the three main characters don't have much of a personality until the film's final act. Despite the best attempts of the actors, they remain stick figures for the majority of the running time.
The film stars three of the best actors from Down Under: Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terrence Stamp. Stamp had been a well-respected actor for decades before the film's release (he got an Oscar nomination in 1963), although he faded from view after a 10 year sabbatical; his performance as the dour and lovelorn Bernadette put him back in the limelight. Stamp is wonderful in the role, playing what could easily have been a caricature with depth and feeling. Hugo Weaving is also very good. Known for his intense performances and Alan Rickman-like style of speaking, Weaving has become typecast as villainous (Mr. Smith in "The Matrix" and its sequels) or serious characters ("The Lord of the Rings"). Mitzi is unlike anything you've ever seen him do, which is a testament to his talent and versatility. Mitzi drags Bernadette on this little adventure after the death of her lover, even if it means confronting some skeletons in the closet (this subplot is resolved in a fresh manner, although the beginning doesn't hold up in retrospect). And Guy Pearce, who was a soap star at the time of the film's release, is on hand for comic relief as the politically incorrect Felicia. Pearce rarely plays comic roles these days, but like the best actors, he knows what he's doing.
The problem with the film is that it's not as funny or as moving as it wants to be. The script is on the weak side, and many of the jokes feel feeble. The whole production feels waterlogged. And then there are those cutaways and flashbacks that are meant to build the characters backstories, but feel awkward and jarring.
I got to like the film at the end, but was it enough to give the film a recommendation? It's a close call, but I don't think so. There are some good qualities about this movie, such as the relationships between Bernadette and Bill (Hunter), the lonely mechanic, and Mitzi and wife & son. Those are touching. But there is just as much material the falls flat or isn't as strong as Elliot thinks it is.
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