The Royal Hotel (2023) – Review and Summary

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.

General Information

Director(s)	Kitty Green
Screenplay By	Kitty Green, Oscar Redding
Date Released (In Theaters)	October 4, 2023
Genre(s)	Thriller, Young Adult
Film Length	1 Hour 31 Minutes
Content Rating	Rated R
Noted Characters and Cast
Hanna	Julia Garner
Liv	Jessica Henwick
Carol	Ursula Yovich
Billy	Hugo Weaving
Matty	Toby Wallace
Dolly	Daniel Henshall
Teeth	James Frecheville

Content Rating Explanation

“The Royal Hotel” contains:

• Dialog: cursing throughout
• Violence: blood and some violence
• Sexual Content: implied nudity, sexual situations, and moments that definitely could have become rape
• Miscellaneous: drinking and smoking

Film Summary

This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text in this post may contain affiliate links. If a purchase is made from those sites, we may earn money or products from the company.

Hanna and Liv are best friends and are on an extended vacation. It isn’t clear if it is just a summer break or they are running from something, but their main focus is to travel and make money as they can.

This leads them to a mining town, overwhelmingly men, where they are tasked to work at a bar for a man named Billy. He is a drunk who inherited the bar, and it’s seen better days. But, with loyal patrons like Teeth, Matty and Dolly, and his girlfriend/cook Carol, he does well. However, what he may not have fathomed is how less than a week of having Hanna and Liv work for him would change his life.

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Hanna

The practical one of the duo, Hanna, might be down for an adventure and making out with a stranger, but she is far more cautious when in new and uncomfortable environments.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Ozark,” their role in “The Assistant,” and their role in “Maniac.”

Liv

Wreckless, impetuous, but fun in ways that can be hard to find, Liv truly lives in the moment and tries to see the best in people – maybe to make up for the harm done to her person.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Underwater” and their role in “Love and Monsters.”

Carol

Carol is the cook for The Royal Hotel and Billy’s live-in girlfriend, who appears to be Aboriginal and makes sure Billy pays her people what they are owed.

Billy

Billy is the third generation of his family to own The Royal Hotel, and it seems he might be the last since all he cares about is the money flowing steadily and people not taking things too far.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Mr. Corman,” their role in “Mortal Engines,” and their role in “Expired.”

Matty

A local who seemingly doesn’t work at the mines, Matty is chatty and friendly but is no less a local who doesn’t see too many ladies his age and is competing for their attention like anyone else.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Pistol.”

Dolly

A hot head who Liv just paints to be lonely, Hanna sees something different. She experiences his dark side and feels so uncomfortable that, despite only working at The Royal Hotel for a short time, she wants Dolly banned for her safety.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Around The Block.”

Teeth

A notable member of the local miners, Teeth is soft-spoken, kind, protective, and seemingly overlooked more often than not when it comes to the ladies Billy recruits to serve the boys.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Requiem.”

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Highlights

Torn About How To Feel About The Men

What “The Royal Hotel” shows you are different kinds of men at their worst. The entitled, the protector, the fun one, even the rich one. Society finds ways to make excuses for each of these men and coddle them, yet we’re shown what they can be from all angles.

Matty, young and carefree, seems like a good-time boy. A fling, a dalliance, but we’re reminded how the fun can become dark when they get rejected. Heck, even the one who seems quiet, sweet, and protective is only as kind as he is helpful. Let his anger become redirected due to him thinking he should be rewarded, and the protective pit bull becomes a dangerous animal.

Yet, between Liv and Hanna, we’re reminded it is all about perspective. Are these men just lonely, trying to impress two cute young girls, maybe having a bit of competition amongst themselves? Could they truly be harmless to the ladies and just appear frightening to Hanna because she is a city girl with no concept of rural culture? Maybe even because she recognizes these are men from yesteryear?

It’s hard to say at what point explanations become excuses and eventually becomes enabling. Interacting with anyone means giving them a chance to hurt you, but how does one decide when intuition meets ignorance, paranoia, or stereotypes?

On The Fence

Feeling Like We Get Too Little About Liv And Hanna

What complicates “The Royal Hotel” more than anything is not really getting to know much about Hanna and Liv. We learn what Hanna majored in college, that they know Spanish, English, and a little Portuguese, but beyond that? They are strangers.

What makes Liv so carefree and Hanna paranoid? Why are these two friends, considering Hanna often seems to have to care for Liv, potentially triggering what little we’re told about her mom?

While the two characters are certainly fascinating, I wonder if I might be no better than the men in the movie and solely interested in their story for shallow reasons since it’s not like we get to know much about them as people.

Who Is This For?

Fans of Julia Garner or who like to see women who can come off as vulnerable and meek show how powerful they are if pushed into a corner.

Recommendations

If you like this movie, we recommend:

1. Ozark: As Hanna is pushed to her limits, you’ll see Garner tap into Ruth a bit, and if you haven’t seen her as the character, check out Ozark
2. Joy Ride: If you are looking for more regarding seeing female friends support each other and want it to be a bit more comedic and you get to know the characters? Joy Ride is our recommendation.
3. God’s Country: Like in “The Royal Hotel,” the lead of this film is an outsider, a Black woman in a rural area, and she is dealing with similar issues as Hanna and Liv, including a threat to her life

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