Bad Times at the El Royale | Rotten Tomatoes

Bad Times at the El Royale

R

Released Oct 12, 2018

2 hr. 21 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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List

75%

259 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The El Royale is run-down hotel that sits on the border between California and Nevada. It soon becomes a seedy battleground when seven strangers -- a cleric, a soul singer, a traveling salesman, two sisters, the manager and the mysterious Billy Lee -- converge on a fateful night for one last shot at redemption before everything goes wrong.

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Premiered Apr 02

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Critics Consensus

Smart, stylish, and packed with solid performances, Bad Times at the El Royale delivers pure popcorn fun with the salty tang of social subtext.

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Ralph C

Pacing was a bit irregular - lagged a third to halfway into it. Strong performances all around. Nostalgic (attention to detail is amazing) yet still felt fresh. Not for everyone - you know who you are.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/21

Full Review

Kyle M

Another deconstruction this time over complex noirs in an engrossing, intellectually stylish non-linear structure that mixes "Pulp Fiction" with a sense of twistedly layered "Identity" amid subtextual depths differently expressed by the talented cast, even if it doesn't satisfy much over its confrontational deliverances. (B)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

Full Review

Lars N

Wasn't expecting much but thoroughly enjoyed this twisty ride

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Ugh here we go again. Newer generation trying to change history with skewed ideas of how they think the 60s were. I had to scoff at the lame Manson-like rip off story line, holloween like wardrobe choices and thank you very much for ruining my memories using songs I remember from then with fondness. Hateful violence turns my stomach is so beyond it is rediculous. Sorry excuse of a movie. I am still bewildered by how this cast wanted to be a part of this mess of a film. Felt more like a mishmash of early 60s and part mid seventies with Dakotas clothing while alluding to CalNeva, JFK/Marilyn/Rat Pack from a kid who fought in Vietnam in1969 (he would still there at that time duh) and would have been much too young to work there at that time in early 60s. Please! LOL laughable how out of sync it all is. Which people like myself who lived it find it not believable.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/15/24

Full Review

Cinephemeride [

A thriller whose effectiveness lies in its technique, its editing, its production and its originality. Really very pleasant

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/06/24

Full Review

Alec B

I've seen worse Tarantino knockoffs but this movie is just too long and smug for its own good.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

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Drew Goddard

Director

Jeff Bridges

Father Daniel Flynn

Cynthia Erivo

Darlene Sweet

Jon Hamm

Laramie Seymour Sullivan

Dakota Johnson

Emily Summerspring

Cailee Spaeny

Rose

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Bad Times at the El Royale: Trailer 2

2:01

Bad Times at the El Royale: Trailer 1

2:03

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Perhaps the most insufferable Tarantino knockoff since the 90s.

Mar 3, 2020

Full Review

Manohla Dargis

New York Times

At some point during this logy 2-hour-and-21-minute exercise you want something more substantial than even Hemsworth's admittedly mesmerizing snaky hips.

Apr 18, 2019

Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

An extremely well-directed film.

Rated: B+

Nov 20, 2018

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

Phenomenal cast, with outstanding performances from everyone. A lost narrative structure is brought back to elevate a brilliant R-rated mystery, filled with memorable scenes and a fantastic score.

Rated: A-

Jul 24, 2023

Full Review

Bill Bria

Vague Visages

Bad Times at the El Royale is a movie best seen cold, without foreknowledge of its major reveals...

Jun 7, 2023

Full Review

Nicolas Soto

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

[Bad Times at the El Royale] delivers from start to finish and will have you wanting more once it ends.

Jan 22, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

The El Royale is run-down hotel that sits on the border between California and Nevada. It soon becomes a seedy battleground when seven strangers -- a cleric, a soul singer, a traveling salesman, two sisters, the manager and the mysterious Billy Lee -- converge on a fateful night for one last shot at redemption before everything goes wrong.

Director: Drew Goddard
Executive Producer: Mary McLaglen
Screenwriter: Drew Goddard
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Goddard Textiles
Rating: R (Language|Brief Nudity|Some Drug Content|Strong Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 12, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 18, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.8M
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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