Elvis: Film Review
Baz Luhrmann‘s new Elvis Presley biopic Elvis seems to have divided critics so I obviously had to go and figure out what camp I’d be in – and I liked it!
As you will have probably guessed, this film tells the story of rock and roll icon Elvis Presley (Austin Butler). It focuses on his rise to fame thanks to manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), his vulgar (for the time) “Elvis the pelvis” onstage antics, his 1968 comeback TV special and his pill-popping years in Las Vegas.
A lot has been said about this film being loud, brash and dialled up to 100 – just as Luhrmann likes it – so I went in expecting a wild, obnoxious and off-putting movie. But it’s really not that bad! Plus, it only really affects the biopic in the first half. Luhrmann employs his signature maximalist style and takes a scattershot approach to Elvis’ early life and career beginnings. As the film is narrated by Parker and seen through his eyes, Elvis is kept at a distance from us and his story stays at the surface level. The editing is quick, energetic and whizzes us through some key moments to give us an idea of Elvis rather than a clear, in-depth picture.
The film finally slows down and we get to know our protagonist better once Elvis decides he doesn’t want to follow Parker’s plan for his career – he has his own ideas. Their relationship becomes tense once Elvis changes the direction of his TV special without notice in the late ’60s. From there on out, the film loses Luhrmann’s pizzazz and becomes more like a standard biopic – if you ignore the inclusion of incongruous modern music! He finally lets the story breathe without chopping into it too much and the Las Vegas years take up a large portion of the second half. It feels much slower – almost too slow because the start had been so fast – and I felt aware of the runtime.
Butler was not an obvious choice for the role but he does a terrific job, particularly in the later years. He doesn’t look much like Elvis but both his speaking and singing voice were convincing and he nailed Elvis’ hip-thrusting onstage performances. I didn’t come away from the film feeling like I knew Elvis but that’s not Butler’s fault. He throws his all into his portrayal and is so impressive when Elvis is a sweaty and bloated mess, popping pills to try and replicate the high he gets onstage.
I hate to write this because I love his work so much, but Hanks was the weakest link here. He gives Parker, who was born in the Netherlands and illegally emigrated to America aged 20, the most bizarre accent and I struggled to get on board with it. Between the voice and the fatsuit, I just couldn’t take him seriously, even though he’s being super shady and milking his client for all he’s worth. I think Hanks was miscast and someone else would have been better.
Elvis is not a conventional celebrity biopic but there are so many of those nowadays so being different helps it stand out from the crowd. Sure, Luhrmann takes a lot of risks and they don’t always work but it felt exciting and I enjoyed it.
In cinemas now