Bad Times at the El Royale
Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm and Chris Hemsworth feature in this ensemble thriller set at a rundown Lake Tahoe hotel. Oscar nominee Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) writes and directs.
Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at a rundown Lake Tahoe hotel with a dark past. Over the course of the night, everyone will have one last shot at redemption - before everything goes to hell.
- Director:
- Drew Goddard ('The Cabin in the Woods')
- Writer:
- Drew Goddard
- Cast:
- Jeff BridgesChris HemsworthDakota JohnsonCynthia ErivoJon HammCailee SpaenyLewis PullmanNick Offerman
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Katie Parker
flicksSet in the disenchanted late 1960s, Bad Times at the El Royale splits its narrative between the four shady characters who each converge at the motel of the same name one rainy night: down on her luck lounge singer Darlene (Cynthia Erivo); unsavoury salesman Seymour (Jon Hamm); a doddery old priest (Jeff Bridges); and a femme fatale hippie doing her best to remain anonymous (Dakota Johnson).
This was so good. Great setting, the whole dynamics of being on a state line was cool. The chapters with the flashbacks kept twisting the story in another direction... nothing is what you think. And Chris Hemsworth without a shirt is something awesome :) Great performances from all the cast... and Cynthia Erivo's voice is just wow! Loved the music all...
Total Film
pressBags of fun. Goddard and his cast have a riot in a thriller that dances to its own beat.
Stuff
pressWith a sharper and cleverer pair of hands in the edit suite, and maybe a critical friend to really interrogate the screenplay, I reckon Bad Times at the El Royale could have joined the classics Goddard is so obviously in thrall of.
Rolling Stone
pressSet in a 1969 Vegas hotel, Drew Goddard's retro whatzit could have been creepier, wittier, sharper and had a payoff that actually paid off, but there are enough twisted delights (yay, Cynthia Erivo!) to make you consider checking in.
New Zealand Herald
pressA strong cast helps this Tarantino-esque thriller patch over its more disappointing qualities.
Los Angeles Times
pressThe standout is Erivo, who will next be seen in Steve McQueen's thriller "Widows" and whose performance here is revelatory in the most rewarding sense.
Hollywood Reporter
pressMore of a slog than it has any right to be, the artifice turned up so high that it overwhelms the story instead of igniting it.
FilmInk
pressThe performances are superb, the direction sublime, and the soundtrack to kill for.
Empire Magazine
pressA beautifully staged film with everything is in its place, this is both an affectionate homage and a timely commentary, falling only slightly short of its own ambition. Classy pulp fiction.
Flicks, Katie Parker
flicksSet in the disenchanted late 1960s, Bad Times at the El Royale splits its narrative between the four shady characters who each converge at the motel of the same name one rainy night: down on her luck lounge singer Darlene (Cynthia Erivo); unsavoury salesman Seymour (Jon Hamm); a doddery old priest (Jeff Bridges); and a femme fatale hippie doing her best to remain anonymous (Dakota Johnson).
Total Film
pressBags of fun. Goddard and his cast have a riot in a thriller that dances to its own beat.
Stuff
pressWith a sharper and cleverer pair of hands in the edit suite, and maybe a critical friend to really interrogate the screenplay, I reckon Bad Times at the El Royale could have joined the classics Goddard is so obviously in thrall of.
Rolling Stone
pressSet in a 1969 Vegas hotel, Drew Goddard's retro whatzit could have been creepier, wittier, sharper and had a payoff that actually paid off, but there are enough twisted delights (yay, Cynthia Erivo!) to make you consider checking in.
New Zealand Herald
pressA strong cast helps this Tarantino-esque thriller patch over its more disappointing qualities.
Los Angeles Times
pressThe standout is Erivo, who will next be seen in Steve McQueen's thriller "Widows" and whose performance here is revelatory in the most rewarding sense.
Hollywood Reporter
pressMore of a slog than it has any right to be, the artifice turned up so high that it overwhelms the story instead of igniting it.
FilmInk
pressThe performances are superb, the direction sublime, and the soundtrack to kill for.
Empire Magazine
pressA beautifully staged film with everything is in its place, this is both an affectionate homage and a timely commentary, falling only slightly short of its own ambition. Classy pulp fiction.
This was so good. Great setting, the whole dynamics of being on a state line was cool. The chapters with the flashbacks kept twisting the story in another direction... nothing is what you think. And Chris Hemsworth without a shirt is something awesome :) Great performances from all the cast... and Cynthia Erivo's voice is just wow! Loved the music all...
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