Is Bad Times at the El Royal an Oscar-worthy movie? Probably not. However, there were two performances that do stand out and is, in my opinion, worthy of at least an Oscar nod. Cynthia Erivo, as Darlene Sweet, and Lewis Pullman as Miles Miller, stole the show. Considering that Jeff Bridges always gives an Oscar-worthy performance lends validity to the above statement.
As for the movie itself, I was entertained by the plot, even though it was a bit confusing at times. Goddard employed the use of filming an event from different perspectives, and this could be distracting at times.
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The set designer did a great job replicating an old motor lodge from the 1960’s. You could almost smell the mold and mildew of an old motel way past its prime.
Even though there was bloodletting, it wasn’t so ‘in your face’ that you risked upchucking the popcorn you just purchased at a prohibitive cost.
And finally, seeing the naked backside of Chris Hemsworth as he sauntered down to the ocean was worth the price of admission. Yeah, maybe that scene made up for any shortcomings in the rest of the movie.
Grade: A-
About The Peetimes: This is a fairly long movie, so I spaced the Peetimes out so I could throw in an emergency break near the end.
There are no extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of Bad Times at the El Royale. (What we mean by Anything Extra.)
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“Shortcomings?” Really? Way to drop a subtle pun. 🙂