The Unfettered Critic – August 2022

We thought it would be easy. We’d drive to the theater, watch Elvis, and write a review. We already knew so much about the legendary singer, we figured we could write a worthy column even without seeing the movie. The title, after all, is “Elvis,” so it’s about Elvis—right?

Well, as it turns out. . . kinda sorta.

Yes, the story follows the expected path: this kid from Tupelo, Mississippi rises from poverty to become the most famous entertainer in the world. Along the way we see what we anticipated, the glitz, glamour, and glory, and, yes, the inevitable drugs, dysfunction, and death. Did he shake his pelvis on stage? Yup. Did he love his Mama? Of course. Did he shoot out TV screens? Yeah, that too. But is the movie about him? That’s a tougher question.

Because there was another character influencing this kid’s life: Colonel Tom Parker, a self-serving huckster and carnival barker until he “discovered” Elvis. It was Parker who negotiated the young singer’s move from tiny Memphis company Sun Records to international powerhouse RCA. As the “Colonel” (portrayed by actor Tom Hanks), says in the opening scene, “Many of you think of me as the villain.” Well, yeah! And by the end of the film that thought has only deepened and solidified. The Colonel and Elvis share an equal amount of screen time, but script-wise, we wonder why the movie wasn’t simply titled “Tom.”

Hanks, wearing a fat-suit and a whole lot of prosthetic facial make-up, looks plenty like the real-life Parker, although the “Southern” accent with which he delivers his dialogue is a bit “iffy.” The problem is that Hank’s distinctive tenor is so recognizable that no matter how hard he tries, we’re always aware that it’s Hanks talking. When we’re listening to Elvis sing, or watching Elvis vibrate, or sharing Elvis’s sadness, the Colonel’s intrusive voiceovers pull us right out of the movie into visions of Forrest Gump, or Woody the heroic toy cowboy. Hanks is great in Elvis. Except that he’s supposed to be great as Colonel Parker in Elvis.

On a brighter note, the actor who plays Elvis, Austin Butler, is shockingly good. You’ve likely never heard of him, nor seen him, not even if you’ve seen something he’s apparently appeared in. No matter, because he’s perfectly cast as Elvis Presley. Sure, he pouts a bit too much, but that may be because the director asked for it. He sings. He shimmies. He curls his lip. And we adore him—or perhaps it’s Elvis we adore. When he sings “Evil,” he is exactly that. “When he sings “Blue Suede Shoes,” we vow not to step on them. Look for this newcomer to win your heart in future productions.

Another reason we wanted to see this movie was to watch the work of co-writer/director, Baz Lurhmann, who’s infamous for putting glitz and glitter on screen (think Moulin Rouge). Early promotional hype suggested that he’d planned to add on-screen glitter as it was added to the singer’s life, then reduce the glitz as divorce and pills and disappointment dragged him down. But somewhere along the way, that inspired vision faltered, perhaps because of budget, or time frame, or boredom. Whatever, Lurhmann’s vision eventually centered on the Colonel.

Do we recommend Elvis? Yes—it’s highly entertaining. But we’re reminded of when critic Roger Ebert gave a half-hearted “Thumbs Up” to the animated feature Land Before Time. “Kids love dinosaurs,” Ebert said, “But these filmmakers made a strategic error—they made the dinosaurs into children, destroying the distinction.”

So… we have a request. The next time someone in Hollywood considers making a movie about Elvis, make sure that it’s about Elvis.

Please.