Heavy Tarantino influence felt in ‘Bad Times’
“Bad Times at the El Royale” feels like a Quentin Tarantino film, even though it’s not.
It boasts a lot of the director’s signature touches: There are jarring bursts of graphic violence, a retro soundtrack and title cards throughout. Plus, like a lot of Tarantino films, it runs about 30 minutes too long.
But hey, if you’re going to pay homage, there are worse ways to go.
In “Bad Times,” which is set in 1969, a group of strangers converge at the El Royale, a hotel that straddles the borders of California and Nevada.
There’s a priest, a lounge singer, a salesman and a hippie. They’re attended to by the hotel’s only apparent employee, Miles, a meek young man.
Once we get the players on the stage, writer-director Drew Goddard essentially goes room by room, as we do deep dives into the inhabitants’ backgrounds via flashbacks. Big surprise: Everyone has secrets, and no one is quite who they seem to be.
The same goes for the hotel, which essentially serves as another character (kudos to production designer Martin Whist). It’s a once-grand resort that is quickly heading out of style. It’s a bistate hotel, Miles announces: There are slot machines on the Nevada side; higher prices on the California end.
But the glam and gimmicks are fading. The sandwiches in the automat look disturbingly old, and there is dust on the counters. There are also two-way mirrors in the rooms and a hidden “observation corridor” that runs behind them. It seems that the hotel has its secrets, too.
To go deeper into the action would kill the surprises, and Goddard (“The Cabin in the Woods”) has provided plenty. Do they work? Well, to a point. The film grows increasingly surreal as it progresses — a Manson-style cult leader eventually shows — and the twists become predictable and exhausting.
There is a staginess to the action that creates a certain distance between the film and viewers (an opening sequence almost feels like like you’re watching a play). That’s another Tarantino-style touch. However, you never feel too disconnected, thanks to the good work from the cast.
Despite the presence of people like Jeff Bridges and Jon Hamm, it’s the lesser names who make the strongest impressions. Broadway star Cynthia Erivo registers as Darlene Sweet, who is clearly modeled after singer Darlene Love; she even sings “He’s a Rebel” at one point. And Lewis Pullman is quietly remarkable as Miles. Pullman, who clearly resembles his dad, Bill, makes Miles the most layered and interesting person on screen, and the one in whose fate we wind up most invested.
‘Bad Times at the El Royale’
Great Fair Drew Goddard. Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo, Lewis Pullman.
R for strong violence, language, drug content and brief nudity. Bad
Good Bomb