Never thought I’d rave about a relative unknown actor while questioning Tom Hanks’ performance. But that’s the undeniable conclusion after seeing Elvis; Baz Luhrmann’s (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge) glitzy, amped-up rock biopic. Butler is a tour de force as Elvis, particularly in his gyrating heyday. There’s a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on and the young ladies are beside themselves. Hanks plays Colonel Tom Parker, a modern-day P.T. Barnum in the guise of Elvis’ manager and controller. Parker narrates the movie as a look back from his deathbed. Elvis is an extravagant and dazzling story, just like the man himself. The film chooses shallow over deep, style over substance. Oh, but what style.
It was the family move from Tupelo to Memphis in 1948 that started it all. Teenage Elvis loved the African-American sounds coming out of the clubs on Beale Street. The Colonel (an honorary rank bestowed by the Governor of Louisiana) noticed his crossover potential right away, a white artist who sounded black. The success of his first groundbreaking single, “That’s All Right Mama” confirmed it. Elvis agreed to let Parker run his career and the rest is a history of meteoric rise following by an epic fall. Elvis changed with the times – from a pink-suited country boy to black leather rebel – but could never break the chains enforced by the Colonel. Elvis wanted his music to reflect the sixties, civil rights and Vietnam, but the Colonel insisted on safe corporate-pleasing Christmas shows. Elvis wanted to tour the world. The Colonel negotiated a long-term Vegas residency. We all know how that turned out.
The sights and sounds of Elvis are authentic and also eclectic. Real are the recreations of Tupelo, Beale Street, and Graceland. (All done in Australia…remember Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson quarantining in Sydney as they became the world’s first high profile COVID-19 cases?) The music, on the other hand, is anything but straightforward. The soundtrack is incongruous with many contemporary artists incorporating Elvis’ songs into their modern interpretations, from Chris Isaak to Doja Cat, Kasey Musgraves to Eminem. Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog,” performed in the film by Shonka Dukereh, is a powerful highlight. Butler’s performance of “Trouble” in the South while under the watchful gaze of the town’s moral monitors is pure showmanship. And “Suspicious Minds!” What a great song. “We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out, Because I love you too much, baby.”
Hanks draws an immediate quizzical reaction as Colonel Tom Parker. A fat suit, a fat nose, and a baffling accent with an awkward delivery. He is cartoonishly evil and comical to look at and hear. It’s just all wrong and is the major drawback of the film. A couple quibbles might be that contemporary musicians B.B. King and Little Richard are only briefly acknowledged and Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge) doesn’t get much to work with as yet another abandoned wife-at-home story.
Imagine taking on the role of Elvis Presley. He’s beyond an icon…still. He’s so well known that everyone thinks they can do him. (It’s all but guaranteed that at this very moment there is an Elvis impersonator in front of the Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.) How to portray such an indelible pop culture star? The first image of Elvis that comes to mind for many of us now is his resting place, Graceland, or the heavy, sweaty Vegas Elvis in his declining years. Gratefully, the movie focuses on the music and performances in the glow of his youthful energy. It might expose a whole new generation to the “king.” Even baby boomers like myself were too young to appreciate Elvis in his prime. The list of artists influenced by Elvis has no end: Bruce, Elton, Lennon, Kid Rock, Buddy Holly, Michael Buble, Justin Timberlake, Kasey Musgraves, Carrie Underwood, The Clash, Post Malone, and many more. His blend of blues, gospel, pop, and country is unrivaled. Add his panache to the mix and he’s simply one of a kind. Elvis reminds us all of that.
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia: Elvis had his big commercial breakthrough with this 1956 song on RCA Victor Records. It was #1 on the Billboard 100 for an unprecedented seven weeks and topped the Country & Western, Pop, and Rhythm & Blues charts simultaneously.
Answer: “Heartbreak Hotel”