Grade: A+… Everyone knows the popular story of Elvis, so Baz Luhrmann decided to tell the story of Elvis and The Colonel that very few fans may be familiar with.
Growing up as a kid, my parents used to listen to K-RTH 101. Back then in the 80’s and 90’s, “oldies” consisted of music from the 50’s and 60’s. The radio introduced me to bands such as The Beatles, Little Richard, and Elvis, among other artists. Now, K-RTH mainly plays the music that was released when I was growing up as a kid, but that is a different story.
Like The Beatles, Elvis’ music has always stuck with me and I still listen to it to this day. That “big sound” he had with that incredible band (I fortunately was able experience live), will always make me smile. My neighbor’s aunt, Auntie Patty, worked with Elvis and she had stories for days about Elvis. Through talking with her, I learned a great deal about Elvis because his story was so fascinating to me and his music always made me feel good. Aunt Patty was part of the “Memphis Mafia” and she often shared her stories about Elvis.
Auntie Patty never did go into detail of Elvis’ relationship with The Colonel but finally Baz Luhrmann did with this movie simply titled “Elvis.”
Not to give any of the movie away but the movie isn’t really about Elvis. The movie is narrated by The Colonel, played by Tom Hanks, and the movie does primarily focus on his relationship with Elvis. To put it simply without getting into detail, The Colonel was a fraud and he selfishly held Elvis stateside (instead of touring internationally) for reasons I will leave up to the movie to disclose.
Normally, I am not a Baz Luhrmann fan because his movies are always a bit too “extra” for me and gaudy. Luckily for Baz, Elvis’ style is “extra” and gaudy so this movie fit right in. Everything in the movie was so well done. The sound was incredible! I got to see the movie in a Dolby theater and the volume was cranked! It really helped to put you into the movie.
As far as the acting in the movie, come Oscar time, the Best Actor category is already over. Austin Butler studied his butt off and nailed Elvis. His mannerisms and even his voice were perfect. He is a lock. I can also see Tom Hanks winning supporting actor but he isn’t as much of a lock as Austin Butler.
The movie covers all of Elvis’ life from the moment he first fell in love with music as a kid, up until his death. You will learn a lot of facts about Elvis that you were previously unaware of and that is partially what makes this two hour and thirty nine minute movie worth your time at the movies!
If you are a fan, or even someone who knows nothing about Elvis, you will enjoy this movie and I cannot recommend it enough. It was one of my favorite movies of the summer! Thank you very much!