The Pics
Elvis
- I cannot believe this movie was nominated for best picture. All year assumed all of the Oscar buzz about this movie was just click-bait. Whoops.
- The framing of the movie - recounting Elvis's life from the perspective of his craven manager - didn't work for me. In theory, I think telling the story from the perspective of supporting characters can be interesting. When the movie started, it immediately reminded me of Citizen Kane, a movie that I cherish. For me, the genius of Citizen Kane is the way each new narrator peels away another layer from the mystique of the titular enigma. Unfortunately, this device is misguided for a movie which tells Elvis's story in a very linear manner and mechanical manner. Colonel Parker perspective never made me view Elvis or his story differently, and the movie never succeeds in making him a compelling character in his own right.
- I thought the debut of Elvis's (in)famous hip gyrations was depicted quite well. In particular, I think Baz Luhrmann deserves a lot of credit for directing all the actresses in the scene. None of the teenage girls in the audience came to that concert planning to release budding sexual tension; instead, Elvis (unwittingly) summoned the holy spirit, serving as an outlet for feelings that they never knew they possessed. The shrieking felt truly involuntary.
- To its credit movie acknowledges how much Elvis borrowed and profited from the Black gospel music. But the movie asserts that the Black community viewed this relationship completely uncritically, and if anything was honored to have a white man bring their music to the mainstream. Perhaps this is true, but it feels dubious.
- I appreciate that Austin Butler manages to go beyond doing an impression of Elvis - he really captured the physicality of the legend. Unfortunately, I don't think this script gives him much chance to capture Elvis's interior.
- This is the absolute worst performance of Tom Hanks's career. His speech pattern is way too goofy for a supposedly sinister villain, and his accent changes in every scene.
