Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Written by: Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce
Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge
In a world where musician biopics are becoming annual cinematic events, Elvis stands out amongst the rest. However, it stands out for both good and bad reasons.
Austin Butler plays Elvis Presley and does so very well. If you are curious to see it, there are a few TikToks out there showing how much Austin Butler embodies Elvis. This can be seen even in interviews outside of the film’s press tour. It’s a bit of fun and showcases how much effort went into this performance. For this film, Butler recorded hits such as “Baby Let’s Play House” and “Hound Dog.”
The Elvis biopic expertly weaves Butler’s rerecorded tracks and Elvis’s original vocals throughout the film. This provides an almost indistinguishable flow of the two artists making Elvis musically very strong. In addition, Elvis incorporates current artists such as Doja Cat, Swae Lee, Kacey Musgraves, and Tame Impala to support the film’s soundtrack. Throughout Elvis, you will feel the need to move and groove, or at least tap your feet. However, this is where the enjoyment of the film ends for me.
Austin Butler does a great job portraying Elvis, but this movie is not about the King of Rock and Roll. Despite much screen time, most of Butler’s performance is overshadowed but unnecessary narration from Tom Hank’s character Col. Tom Parker. For whatever reason, Baz Luhrmann decided Elvis should be about how Elvis was puppeteered throughout most of his career by Hank’s Character. It’s an angle that could work if it wasn’t showcased in almost every scene of the near 3-hour film.
While many of the actors did a great job bringing the characters to life there wasn’t quite enough story to make them interesting or noteworthy. Most of Elvis comes across as a sizzle reel of Elvis’s rise to fame. While the scenes are fun, the visuals feel simple and small compared to Baz Luhrmann’s previous films.
For example, the lavish parties of The Great Gatsby or the ambitious departure from the source material in Romeo + Juliet. With this in mind, it seems Luhrmann could not blend his visual style with the real-world events of Elvis’s life.
Elvis’s runtime also becomes its downfall. Elvis begins with his rise to becoming the King of Rock and Roll and ends with his downfall and eventual death. Clocking in at 2 hours and 39 minutes, Elvis begins to slow down towards the end of the film. Even in pivotal moments, the film itself seems too tired to really sell the emotional weight of Elvis’ downfall.
The film chooses to hastily depict Elvis as sweaty and off-balance to show he now has a problem with drinking and drugs. It just didn’t feel enough time was taken to showcase the actual struggle of having these problems. Soon before you know it there’s another sizzle reel of Elvis unable to even stand after performances.
Additionally, there are quick cuts of radio hosts shouting he is a has-been. Elvis’s conclusion is so rushed it almost comes off that Elvis performed one last time and died that same night. Since the film is based on true events this portion could have almost been omitted. It is understandable to not promote and exploit someone’s shortcomings but to hastily showcase them feels equally unimportant. This leads to the most confusing portion of Elvis. The discussion of race and music.
The film showcases Elvis as a poor white boy who grew up in a predominantly Black Community. As Elvis performs for the first time, we the audience, are given quick cuts to Elvis as a child. It’s a great moment that shows where Elvis draws his performance energy from. We see Elvis in a church being delivered. The scene is enhanced as we see Elvis and other townsfolk reacting to Soul/Gospel music that plays through the church and the entire community. This is a powerful scene and honestly the standout scene of the whole film. However, beyond this point, the tone of the film shifts to promoting Elvis as some sort of door opener for POC musicians.
It is a very bizarre take that consumes about 40 minutes of runtime and has almost no payoff. Elvis takes time to show how much he appreciated and respected artists such as BB King and Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. However, as the film progresses, and Presley’s career takes off these same characters come back to thank Elvis. Almost as if they didn’t come before Elvis.
As someone who is not familiar with this era, this depiction could be historically accurate. However, the film confuses the idea of being a supporter versus being beholden to someone’s career. Honestly, the storylines of the POC characters felt very off to me. This bizarre tone is showcased again when the film takes time to show Elvis grieving over the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
However, the film soon after show’s Elvis taking a stand and creates a large storyline around Elvis’ reaction to Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination. With such a long runtime, I feel these pivotal moments could have been better fleshed out and better represented.
The overall issue with this film is that it is not about Elvis. This film’s plot only progresses when Tom Hank’s character Col. Tom Parker allows it to. This contributes to the understated moments of Butler’s Elvis interacting with BB King and other popular figures. Additionally, Elvis’ wife Priscilla also becomes understated as she begins to get in the way of Elvis’ success according to Hank’s character.
The film overall is more of an expose of Col. Tom’s manipulation than it is a biopic on Elvis. It is, for this reason, that Elvis descends into absurdity and takes many pacing dips throughout the film.
Overall, Elvis is a watchable film because many of the actors deliver great performances, and the soundtrack is amazing. However, Elvis mismarkets its storyline and becomes essentially House of Gucci 2 just subbing out Lady Gaga for Tom Hanks. I would recommend those who see Elvis to see it with a fan of Elvis. It may resonate more.
