History Film / TheAdventuresofPriscillaQueenoftheDesert

* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: Felicia always wanted to stand atop [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru Uluru]] in drag to be "a cock in a frock on a rock."

* EmbarrassingFirstName: [[spoiler:Bernadette's given name is Ralph.]]

* ItsOkayIfItsYou: Bob doesn't care if Bernadette is a transsexual - she's a lady in his eyes.

* FlashbackCut: Used at various points for the main trio's histories.

This movie stars Creator/HugoWeaving, Creator/GuyPearce, and Creator/TerenceStamp as a spectacularly camp trio of drag performers who travel across Australia in a converted school bus named "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". Hugo Weaving plays Anthony "Tick" Belrose, a.k.a. Mitzi Del Bra. Guy Pearce plays Adam Whitely, a.k.a. Felicia Jollygoodfellow. Terence Stamp plays Bernadette Bassenger, birth name Ralph.

* CostumePorn: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvSE0KvyqCs The musical]], which won a well-earned Laurence Olivier Award for Best Costume.

* DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: Subverted. [[spoiler:Just the suggestion of Felicia being raped by a homophobic man is horrifying. Luckily, Bernadette saves him with the GroinAttack.]]
** Played with in a flashback, where Adam stops his uncle from molesting him by pulling out the drain. While the build-up isn't played for laughs at all and is appropriately disturbing the funny part is how Adam thwarts his uncle.

* BerserkButton: Do not call Bernadette by her birth name of [[spoiler:[[MyNameIsNotDurwood Ralph]]]]. Just don't.

* MyNameIsNotDurwood: Adam's teasing of Bernadette, calling her Ralph... until she finally snaps and beats him up.
** Incidentally, calling ''any'' {{transsexual}} by their birth name is definitely not advisable. Not only ''will'' you piss them off, you may well be putting them in danger. TheMoreYouKnow.

* BerserkButton: Do not call Bernadette by her birth name of [[MyNameIsNotDurwood Ralph]]. Just don't.

** But played straight in a flashback, where Adam stops his uncle from molesting him by pulling out the drain, PlayedForLaughs.
*** The build-up isn't played for laughs at all -- it's incredibly disturbing. The ''funny'' part is how Adam thwarts his uncle.

* NobodyOver50IsGay: Subverted. Bernadette is obviously not that young, nor really is Mitzi.
** Hugo Weaving was 34 when this movie was made. It's just male pattern baldness.

* AccidentalMarriage: Bob married Cynthia an Asian sex performer when he was drunk and had no memory of having done so when he woke up the next day.

This movie stars [[Film/TheMatrix Hugo Weaving]], [[Film/{{Memento}} Guy Pearce]], and [[{{Film/Superman}} Terence Stamp]] as a spectacularly camp trio of drag performers who travel across Australia in a converted school bus named "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". Hugo Weaving plays Anthony "Tick" Belrose, a.k.a. Mitzi Del Bra. Guy Pearce plays Adam Whitely, a.k.a. Felicia Jollygoodfellow. Terence Stamp plays Bernadette Bassenger, birth name Ralph.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/priscillacap.jpg
[[caption-width:366:Yeah, that about sums it up.]]

-->''"That's just what this country needs: a cock in a frock on a rock."''
-->--Bernadette

Once the group get to Alice Springs, [[spoiler:Adam and Bernadette are shocked to find that Tick also has a young son Benji, around whom Tick tries to act like the upstanding masculine dad. Benji turns out to know exactly what his dad does for a living and the fact that he's bi, and the two end up genuinely connecting. Benji comes back to Sydney with Anthony and Adam, while Bernadette stays behind in Alice Springs with Bob.]]

This movie, with its rather... ''niche'' premise, unexpectedly became an international success upon its release in 1994. It earned $11,220,670 in the United States market alone, where it was the 109th most successful film of its year. The film won an Oscar for Best Costume Design. Terence Stamp won Seattle International Film Festival Award for Best Actor, also being nominated for several other acting awards. It was also a critical hit, and remains highly appreciated. RottenTomatoes rates it 93% fresh. It's still regarded as a comedy classic -- [[PopculturalOsmosis even if you've never seen it, you've heard about it.]] Naturally, it's been adapted into a stage show as well.

* StraightGay: Tick falls somewhere between this and CampGay. Bernadette plays it strait, acting like an old woman (only qualifying for this trope on the grounds she used to live as a man).

* AttractiveBentGender: Guy Pearce.

* Burlesque: Cynthia. (Let's leave it at that.)

* FreudianExcuse: Subverted with Adam.

* [[TheHecateSisters The Hecate Drag Queens]]. Mitzi is the girl, Felicia is the mother, Bernadette is the crone.

!!This film provides examples of:

* IAmNotShazam: Before watching the film, lot of people mistakenly assume that ''Priscilla'' is the name of one of the characters rather than the bus.

* DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: Brutally subverted. [[spoiler:Just the suggestion of Felicia being raped by a homophobic man is horrifying. Luckily, Bernadette saves him with the GroinAttack.]]

* BerserkButton: Don't use the [[MyNameIsNotDurwood R-word]] around Bernadette.

** Incidentally, calling ''any'' {{transsexual}} by their birth name is definitely contraindicated. Not only ''will'' you piss them off, you may well be putting them in danger. TheMoreYouKnow.

* RapeIsFunnyWhenItIsMaleOnMale: Brutally subverted. [[spoiler:Just the suggestion of Felicia being raped by a homophobic man is horrifying. Luckily, Bernadette saves him with the GroinAttack.]]

This movie stars [[TheMatrix Hugo Weaving]], [[{{Memento}} Guy Pearce]], and [[{{Film/Superman}} Terence Stamp]] as a spectacularly camp trio of drag performers who travel across Australia in a converted school bus named "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". Hugo Weaving plays Anthony "Tick" Belrose, a.k.a. Mitzi Del Bra. Guy Pearce plays Adam Whitely, a.k.a. Felicia Jollygoodfellow. Terence Stamp plays Bernadette Bassenger, birth name Ralph.