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Australia · 1994
Rated R · 1h 44m
Director Stephan Elliott
Starring Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Bill Hunter
Genre Drama, Comedy
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Three Sydney drag queens are contacted to do a show in Alice Springs, a resort town deep in the Australian outback. Undeterred by the distance, the three purchase a new ride, a lavender tour bus named Priscilla, and head into the desert. A campy, hilarious, and surprisingly heartwarming film about the discoveries and exploits of these three friends during their travels.
Where drag is concerned, though, the film does anything but drag; Elliott has no compunction about restraint, and Priscilla gushes with bitchy repartee, campy comedy, sappy Seventies pop (Abba! “Billy, Don't Be a Hero”! “Take a Letter, Maria”!), and production numbers so outrageous, they make the Divine Miss M's excess look like the efforts of a Baptist boys' camp.
Those who find men in feathers inherently divine will have a high old time here, and there are enough hilarious cinematic moments for the gob-smacked rest.
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is about the most fun you can have with three guys who like to dress up as women.
The New York Times by Janet Maslin
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert presents a defiant culture clash in generous, warmly entertaining ways.
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
This nicely made 1994 comedy-drama could be described as an Australian "Easy Rider," with Sydney drag queens instead of bikers and no apocalyptic ending.
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
The generosity and gorgeousness with which Aussie writer-director Stephan Elliott (and costume designers Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel) turn this most unlikely road picture into something arresting - if a tad sentimental - in its naive vision of a perfectly tolerant world.
San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle
Director Stephan Elliott too easily buys into the drag queens' conception of themselves as valiant pursuers of illusion, without ever questioning the value of the illusion being pursued.
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
In this roaringly comic and powerfully affecting road movie, Terence Stamp gives one of the year's best performances.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Rick Groen
Good ain't the half of it in this case - it's funny, it's endearing, it's strangely touching. [19 Aug 1994]
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
It is done well, yet one is still surprised to find it done at all.
One day. One concert. One world.
What would you do if you discover that your husband is cheating?