Anthony "Tick" Belrose (Hugo Weaving) is a drag queen. He is invited by his old time friend Marion (Sarah Chadwick) to perform at the hotel she manages, in a small town somewhere in the outback of Australia. With his friends, also transvestites, Bernadette Basinger (Terence Stamp), a transsexual, and Adam Whitely (Guy Pearce), an in-your-face transvestite, the three set out in a tour bus, they call "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert".
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While on the long journey to the outback, they meet an assortment of characters, e.g. a group of Australian Aborigines, for whom they perform, and less accepting people in the countryside of Australia.
When the bus breaks down out on the road, the three meet Bob, a mechanic, who decides to join them. When they arrive at Marion's hotel, she turns out to be Tick's wife. They never got divorced. Adam almost get mutilated by a homophobic mob, saved at the last instant by Bob and Bernadette. Adam is upset and Bernadette consoles him. They come to an understanding. Likewise, the others come to terms with Tick's marriage and end their differences. Together, they fulfill the old dream of Adam's, which is to climb Uluru Rock in drag.
Tick and Marion turn out also have a son, Benjamin, whom Tick has not seen since he was a baby. Tick is nervous about telling him about his profession and his homosexuality, and is pleasantly surprised to find that his son already knows and fully supports his father's sexual orientation and career choice. After their four-week performance at the hotel is over, Tick and Adam go back to Sydney, taking Benjamin with them, so that Tick can get to know his son. Bernadette decides to stay at the hotel with Bob, who has decided to work at the hotel, after the two of them got together.
Best part of story, including ending:
There is a place under the sun for everybody.
Best scene in story:
Where they climb Uluru Rock. The scene breathes freedom and pride.
Opinion about the main character:
His slowly growing resolve and courage.
Drag queens Tick/Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) and Adam/Felicia (Guy Pearce), along with the transsexual Bernadette, travel to the Northern Territories to perform a show. Along the way they encounter many difficulties, getting lost and being treated with hostility by the people in a small town.
The review of this Movie prepared by Nora Levy
This movie is about a drag queen who gets a gig in a hotel in Alice Springs, and takes along his drag queen friend, and his transexual friend who has recently lost her husband. They travel across the desert and face prejudice, and find out more about each other. It is very funny, but has some dramatic parts.
The review of this Movie prepared by Ceri
A man and his drag queen and transexual friends head out into the outback to perform a show. Little do the supporting characters know, but the main character is really being hired by his estranged wife and is about to encounter a shunned responsibility.
The review of this Movie prepared by Lady Hugo
Two drag queens and a transsexual land a cabaret gig in Alice Springs, out in the middle of the Australian desert. This rollicking comedy follows their adventures through what is essentially cowboy country aboard their lavender motor home, dubbed "Priscilla." It turns out that their Alice Springs contract was arranged by the ex-wife of Ralph (the transsexual now known as Bernadette Bassenger and energetically portrayed by Stamp), and that they have a son. Note also the appearance of Guy Pearce as Adam Whitely aka Felicia Jollygoodfellow, destined for very different roles later in "L.A. Confidential" and "Memento." There's some action, a few tense moments, and lots of laughs in this offbeat film from Down Under.
The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus