Movie Breakdown: Elvis

Pre-Screening Stance:

Baz Luhrmann has always been rather hit or miss for me, so while I have liked what I’ve seen from Elvis so far, I’m doing myself a favor and heading into the movie with zero expectations.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Elvis is a good step away from perfect, but I was pretty entertained by it. Here’s the main thing you should know: while the film may be called Elvis and while Austin Butler’s stellar performance as the titular character may be the main reason to see it, a good chunk of it is dedicated to outing the singer/actor’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, as a conniving asshole. So, don’t expect any measure of a look into the quirks and oddball things that were oft-rumored or true about Elvis, and instead go in ready to essentially see Elvis VS Colonel Tom Parker.

When it comes to the Elvis-focused parts of the movie, I think it’s a total home run. Baz Luhrmann lets Austin Butler chew the hell out of every single scene he’s in, and the writer/director frequently puts Elvis’ music front and center (while also steadily noting that he admired and was very much inspired by black artists, which I thought was great). Honestly, even if you’ve only ever appreciated Elvis, you will walk out of this movie thinking of the guy as one of the best to ever take the stage.

Then, somewhat unfortunately, there’s the Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) elements in Elvis, and this is largely where Luhrmann makes some strange choices. The main one is that he opts to have a decrepit “Ghost of Colonel Tom Parker Past” narrate the film, which pushes Tom Hanks to overact a part that already has him overacting. Furthermore, it doesn’t take long for the Colonel’s non-narration scenes to feel redundant, and I think that a “less is more” approach would have worked better when it came to exposing him as the man who both made and destroyed Elvis. Thankfully, these parts aren’t at all a deal killer when it comes to Elvis, and I think you should check it out when it hits theaters this Friday, June 24.

One Last Thought:

Somewhere along the way I totally skimmed over the fact that Austin Butler played Tex (the Charles Manson lackey who gets ripped apart by Cliff’s dog, Brandy) in Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. What a wild transformation! Can’t wait to see him in the impending Dune sequel.

One More Last Thought:

Elvis’ first performance in this movie legit feels like a parody of Dewey Cox’s high school talent show gig in Walk Hard. I’m still laughing.