My dear reader(s), this weekend I finally had the opportunity to catch up with Baz Luhrmann's Elvis (2022).
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
The very stylized life and times of the King of Rock n' Roll.
So...I didn't set out to compare Elvis to my beloved Rocketman, but almost instantly the comparisons started making themselves. I'm reasonably certain the comparison isn't why I wasn't head over heels for Elvis, but...full and fair disclosure and all.
Elvis plays like a fantasy, even though it seems largely true to life. That probably can be chalked up to Luhrmann's flashy style and the King's bigger-than-life persona, but it immediately gives the film a brassy feel that was a bit jarring sometimes.
Austin Butler aces the dramatic scenes and proves an able Elvis impersonator during musical sequences, even if he's missing the spark that makes the King the King. The always reliable Tom Hanks is rightly unsympathetic as Col. Tom Parker to Butler's Elvis. While the story is told from Parker's point of view, he's never painted its hero. Costumes, hair, and makeup are beautifully done, but the story never quite earns its bloated runtime.
Orson Welles once said, "If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." While Rocketman had the benefit of wrapping up its fantastical tale with Sir Elton enjoying personal and professional success, perhaps it was always going to work against Elvis that we know the story doesn't have a happy ending. Perhaps my expectations for the movie were just too high. Or perhaps no telling could have done this magical human justice. Whatever the reason, this movie definitely fell flatter for me than it seemed to for most.
Elvis clocks in at 159 minutes and is rated PG13 for "substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material, and smoking."
While Elvis the movie never quite matches the glory of Elvis the legend, it's an entertaining enough film featuring some great performances and magnificent costumes.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Elvis gets seven.
Elvis is now streaming on HBO Max.
Until next time...
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