Don't Call Her Ralph! (The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (DVD))

Member Name: sewbizzie

Product:	The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (DVD)
Date:	05/10/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, good story, excellent acting, amazing scenery

Disadvantages: May be too camp for some

After reading a wonderful review about this film I just walked straight into my local Tesco ad bought the DVD, I knew exactly where it was as I had picked it up several times but was undecided over whether to watch it or not.

The story is about 2 drag queens, Tick and Adam and their transsexual friend Bernadette. They get a gig in Alice Springs and so leave the comfort of their home town where they are accepted and liked and start on their journey through the Australia outback to reach this Hotel. The trio are using an old bus to do the journey but as it keeps breaking down they are not getting very far.

Along the way the trio play in various bars and tavern but they are not very welcomed and get into a lot of scrapes. After a complete breakdown of the bus Bernadette sets off alone in the outback to get help and fortunately they are met by some locals who welcome them to their party. In time they meet a mechanic Bob who has a extraordinary wife and after she walks out on him and with the unreliability of the bus he agrees to go with them on the rest of their journey.

There is a shock for Adam and Bernadette when they discover that the gig they are going to is for the Tick's wife. Neither knew that Adam was once married and this does lead to some funny stories and a lot of banter between the three.

Will the performing trio make it to Alice Springs, what will happen to Bob and will Tick have any more surprises for the others along the way?

I was expecting good things from this film after the wonderful review which I read on it and I have to say that it did not disappoint me in any way at all. The cast included, Terence Stamp who played transsexual Bernadette and he was quite a quiet characters and did give a few good laughs along the way, he seemed to be the odd one out of the three and there did not seem to be as much chemistry between him and the others.

Hugo Weaving played the role of Tick and I have to say he was excellent. I did not feel that he was completely involved in his choice of profession and did still have doubts especially when details about his past came out but I found he worked extremely well with Guy Pearce who played the role of Adam. Now he for me was the highlight of the film. I found he was quite young when doing this role but for me he just suited the part completely. I even had to say to hubby how good he looked as a woman. I did enjoy seeing him in the skimp outfits as he had on hot body! He was very flamboyant throughout which may be off putting for some but for me it gave the majority of the humour to the film.

There were a few supporting actors in the film and each gave a great performance and gave a little depth to the story line. I particularly enjoyed the addition of Bob and thought that Bill Hunter did the role well. I liked the friendship which formed between his and Bernadette's characters.

The film was shot entirely on location and for me this gave some amazing shots of the Australian outback. Some of the scenes were completely breathtaking and I think this is what made the film so good, I mean how often do you see she drag artists in full gear out in the desert performing a medley of songs? Despite the laughs which we got from seeing them in such surreal settings the views were amazing and such a pleasure to see. I just one day hope I get to visit and see them for myself.

The music in the film for me was excellent. I enjoyed all of the upbeat tracks which were played and thought they all fitted in extremely well to the places which they were used. A couple of the songs were predictable but still they were good. There were no real special effects in this film as it was all shot on location and I think this did help with making it look so good.

The DVD which I have is the special edition and it does have bonus features which include:-

Audio Commentary by Director Stephan Elliott
'Birth of a Queen' Making of Documentary
'Titbits from the Set'
'The Bus from Blooper Ville' - Gag reel Documentary
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Teaser Trailer

As I am not a fan of bonus features I have not watched these so I am unable to make comment on them.

The running time of this film is 1 hour and 39 minutes and I found this to be a great length as the film moved at a good pace throughout. The certificate is a 15 as it does contain strong language and I do agree with this rating. I managed to get this on DVD for just £2 in Tesco and felt this was a complete bargain.

Overall do recommend this film as it is funny, moving at times and has a great storyline which shows some wonderful scenes over the Australian outback.

I would just like to add what my hubby suggested for a title but I thought it may offend some but it is very witty for him! 'Cock on a Rock in a Frock!'

Summary: Trio of Performing drag queens face the Austraolian outback