Bad Times at the El Royaleis hard to categorize.
Its a comedy, too, tinged with black humor and rapid-fire quips.
The film even flirts with politics, psychological drama, and horror.
Credit: Kimberley French/FOX
But ultimately, the best categorization forBad Timesmight just be as a musical.
Music is almost like the eighth character in the movie, Goddard explains.
It serves the function of a chorus in a Shakespearean play.
It actually is a key part of the emotional fabric of the film.
And I loved that clash [and the idea] that turbulent times can lead to great art.
Another is This Old Heart of Mine, which Erivo sings live in an uninterrupted, five-minute take.
It took us a lot of times just to figure out how to nail it, Goddard says.
I think the take we used was take 27.
Meanwhile, Chris Hemsworths seductive stranger Billy Lee is introduced with the Mamas & the Papas Twelve Thirty.
And that was very much the feeling that I wanted to feel when it came to Billy Lee.
I just love that song.
But it also lines up exactly with whats going on in the movie.
When you really dig into it, the lyrics are exactly what theyre talking about in the scene.
It almost becomes a third person with dialogue.
Bad Times at the El Royaleis in theaters now.
