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The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Play trailer Poster for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert R Released Aug 10, 1994 1h 42m Comedy LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 52 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
When drag queen Anthony (Hugo Weaving) agrees to take his act on the road, he invites fellow cross-dresser Adam (Guy Pearce) and transsexual Bernadette (Terence Stamp) to come along. In their colorful bus, named Priscilla, the three performers travel across the Australian desert performing for enthusiastic crowds and homophobic locals. But when the other two performers learn the truth about why Anthony took the job, it threatens their act and their friendship.
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The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

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Critics Consensus

While its premise is ripe for comedy -- and it certainly delivers its fair share of laughs -- Priscilla is also a surprisingly tender and thoughtful road movie with some outstanding performances.

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Critics Reviews

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Victoria Luxford BBC.com A very human drama, well acted, and very good fun! Rated: 4/5 Sep 21, 2023 Full Review Kevin Maher Times (UK) The core of Stephen Elliott’s movie about three drag queens on a no-hope road trip from Sydney to Alice Springs is a warm-hearted tale about yearning for family. Rated: 4/5 Sep 12, 2023 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian It's a tremendous film that was ahead of its time on LGBT issues and, in some ways, is ahead of ours. Rated: 5/5 Jun 7, 2019 Full Review Bob Shelton Birmingham Post The Adventures of Priscilla is a musical, a comedy of gay manners and a daring comment on the price of being different in a hostile world. Dec 19, 2024 Full Review Steve Warren Southern Voice (Atlanta) Priscilla is more gay-positive than the 90-some percent of movies that ignore gays completely or put us down. It returns glamour to the screen as only drag queens can do -- outrageously and preposterously. May 8, 2023 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault The ending is cozy and unrealistic, but one can appreciate Elliot’s wanting to make a jolly piece of gay pop. Rated: B Aug 31, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alex L Wonderful feel good movie with a talented cast and characters we feel and care for Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/14/24 Full Review Audience Member There's not exactly a plot here but that's perfectly fine since it feels incredibly candid. I believed that these were three regular people on the road to do a show. There were a few parts that confused me like the hospital wearing the chandelier, but overall it was just cozy vibes (besides the few confrontations so uhh be aware of that). I also agree with another reviewer that the depiction of Bob's wife was out of place and uncalled for. I also think you can't beat drag performances in real life, but what was included was cool. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/10/24 Full Review Chelsea L What a gorgeous story of three stars shooting across the dessert, taking us on the journey with them! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/24 Full Review Cowni F This movie would be perfect, if it weren't for the over-the-top and kind of offensive portrayal of Bob's wife. It really felt out of place in this otherwise lovely, amazingly acted and visually beautiful movie about tolerance and being true to yourself. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/07/23 Full Review Leaburn O The costumes are sensational. The plot is ok but I just don't find drag queens funny. If you find camp funny then you'll love it, if like me you find it a bit irritating, then probably not the film for you. I got this one on DVD. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/24/23 Full Review PridePosterStudios Three drag queens walk into a corroboree Ouch Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/20/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - Opera Atop a Bus The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - Opera Atop a Bus 2:31 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - Ping-Pong The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - Ping-Pong 2:45 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - Now You're F***ed The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - Now You're F***ed 3:10 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - Finally The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - Finally 4:17 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - The Mountain Top The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - The Mountain Top 2:25 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - The Christening of Priscilla The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - The Christening of Priscilla 2:22 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - People Like You The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - People Like You 3:14 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - I Will Survive The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Official Clip - I Will Survive 2:26 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis When drag queen Anthony (Hugo Weaving) agrees to take his act on the road, he invites fellow cross-dresser Adam (Guy Pearce) and transsexual Bernadette (Terence Stamp) to come along. In their colorful bus, named Priscilla, the three performers travel across the Australian desert performing for enthusiastic crowds and homophobic locals. But when the other two performers learn the truth about why Anthony took the job, it threatens their act and their friendship.
Director
Stephan Elliott
Producer
Al Clark, Michael Hamlyn, Rebel Penford-Russell
Screenwriter
Stephan Elliott
Distributor
Roadshow Home Video [au], Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co
Australian Film Finance Corporation, Specific Films
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 10, 1994, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 3, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.1M
Runtime
1h 42m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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