Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Circa 1968, several strangers, most with a secret to bury, meet by chance at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one night, everyone will show their true colors - before everything goes to hell.

Director:

Drew Goddard

Writer:

Drew Goddard

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Bridges	...	Father Daniel Flynn / Dock O'Kelly
Cynthia Erivo	...	Darlene Sweet
Dakota Johnson	...	Emily Summerspring
Jon Hamm	...	Laramie Seymour Sullivan / Dwight Broadbeck
Chris Hemsworth	...	Billy Lee
Cailee Spaeny	...	Rose Summerspring
Lewis Pullman	...	Miles Miller
Nick Offerman	...	Felix O'Kelly
Xavier Dolan	...	Buddy Sunday
Shea Whigham	...	Dr. Woodbury Laurence
Mark O'Brien	...	Larsen Rogers
Charles Halford	...	Sammy Wilds
Jim O'Heir	...	Milton Wyrick
Gerry Nairn	...	Reporter Paul Kraemer
Alvina August	...	Vesta Shears

Storyline

In the late 1960s, an aging priest suffering from early onset dementia, a struggling African American female singer, a talkative salesman on vacation and an unfriendly young woman who may or may not be a hippie, arrive by chance on the same day at Lake Tahoe's "El Royale", a once glitzy but now rundown roadside motel lying on the very border between California and Nevada, and operated by a single troubled staff member who holds many dark secrets. Throughout the day, it becomes increasingly clear that almost no one there is exactly who they seem, but things really go from bad to worse in the evening when heavy rain hits and someone much worse than those inside arrives to find "a friend" and bring hell to all those unlucky enough to be there at the time.

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Plot Keywords:

lake tahoe nevada | fbi agent | heavy rain | one way mirror | surveillance | 

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Taglines:

All Roads Lead Here

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language, some drug content and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bad Times at the El Royale

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,132,647, 14 October 2018, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$10,041,801, 18 October 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Drew Goddard's process of selling the script was under heavy secrecy, only sending it to top studio execs. Potential buyers had to read it on a tablet and then return it when finished.

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Goofs

Towards the end of the film, several different fires erupt in the lobby of the El Royale due to a scuffle between Father Daniel Flynn and his captor Billy Lee. Yet, Father Daniel and Darlene Sweet spend an inordinate amount of time inside the burning lobby rather than fleeing. The multiple fires in this lobby scene are extremely slow-burning and amazingly well-contained. Father Daniel and Darlene most likely would have had difficulty breathing due to smoke inhalation after being exposed to the indoor inferno for fewer than 5 minutes, yet they choose to remain in the lobby for 10 to 15 minutes.

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Quotes

Billy Lee: Howdy

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Crazy Credits

Darlene is shown singing in the background over the first half of the closing credits. Aside from this, there are no mid-credits/post-credits scenes.

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

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Soundtracks

Hush
Written by Joe South
Performed by Deep Purple

User Reviews

Must see

If you like Tarantino movies.. This is for you.. Mind blowing screen play, ensemble cast, cinematography, music. I'll not be surprised if it bags few Academy nominations. Keeps the edge of the dear the whole time. I didn't for one bit felt the movie was lengthy. It was needed and well paced.