“The Royal Hotel” (2023) starring Julia Garner and Jessica Henswick / Z-View
The Royal Hotel (2023)
Director: Kitty Green
Screenplay: Kitty Green, Oscar Redding based on Hotel Coolgardie by Pete Gleeson
Stars: Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Toby Wallace, James Frecheville and Hugo Weaving.
Tagline: A fun adventure is all they wanted
The Plot…
Hannah (Garner) and Liv (Henwick) are backpacking across Australia. When their money runs low, the only job the employment agency offers is bartending at a remote pub in a mining town hours from civilization. They are warned that the place gets wild. The girls are looking for adventure, so they take the job.
The pub is in the middle of nowhere. No wifi. Hot water is a luxury. The pub is full of drunken men. Miners letting off steam party hard. The dirty jokes, sexism and rude behavior disturbs Hanna. She’s ready to leave after the first night. Liv plays it off as boys being boys. Besides there isn’t a bus for several days. So Hannah agrees to tough it out.
Big mistake.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Hotel Royal was inspired by the documentary Hotel Coolgardie (2016).
Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick are, as The Hollywood Reporter says, “superb”. Sadly the film doesn’t live up to their performances.
The Royal Hotel (2023) rates 2 of 5 stars.