Elvis 2022
This movie got surprisingly good reviews and even a Best Picture nomination, but also some key negative reviews, so I approached it warily. Despite the title, it is as much about Colonel Tom Parker as it is about Elvis, though it seems to have a hard time making up its mind. We don't really get to know Parker as anyone other than a guy who never does anything but exploit his meal ticket. Elvis is developed much more fully, though the movie has a hard time doing much more than documenting some of the well-known highlights (and lowlights). Austin Butler does a great job capturing the stage presence of young Elvis, but struggles with the older, overweight, drug-addled Elvis. So did Elvis, I guess. It is a heavy anchor in the second half of the movie as Elvis goes on his road to ruin and is never able to really shake the influence of Tom Parker. While it is great watching an ascendant king of rock, it is much less fun watching his all too common ending. Meanwhile, you have Tom Hanks in a fat suit and fat makeup using a funny accent and never revealing much of anything about his character other than how greedy and manipulative he was. And then Baz Luhrmann throws rap music into the soundtrack? Ultimately despite some fun scenes by Austin Butler, this movie just isn't that compelling, doing a poor job of telling a tragic story, therefore becoming just another piece of merchandise using Elvis to make money.
Written: 05 Aug 2023
Owned on: Digital