It’s ironic that in Forest Gump Tom Hanks played a character who inspired Elvis and now he’s playing Elvis’s manager. Elvis is directed by Baz Luhrmann who also did Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby. The best way to describe Baz Luhrmann is that he’s an eye candy director meaning his movies are visually amazing to watch no matter how bad the story is. This movie is extremely colorful and uniquely shot and edited. It was kind of like a drug trip but without the drugs.
The two biggest standouts in terms of the cast were Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks as Elvis’s manage Colonel Tom Parker. I wasn’t sure if Austin Butler was actually singing or if the film just used audio from the real Elvis but he really was singing he did an excellent job recapturing the charm of Elvis. Seeing Elvis deteriorate is really heartbreaking and unlike other musician biographies like Bohemian Rhapsody or Rocketman, this film ends more on a depressing note. The Colonel is such a vile despicable lonesome monster and one of those villains that you love to hate. He felt like an animated villain put in a live action film but Tom Hanks managed to give such a terrific performance.
Honestly the one problem I do have is the long runtime which I kind of felt near the end but’s really a nitpick. I also would’ve liked it if the film ended with Elvis dying the toilet but that’s just the inner “black comedy loving” me speaking. Elvis is probably my favorite musician biography and anyone who loves Elvis and his songs will love it. This is a film that will definitely not leave the building anytime soon.
Verdict:
+Austin Butler as Elvis
+Baz Luhrmann’s directing
+The editing
+Tom Hanks as the Colonel
-Long runtime
Score: A
JacobsonCinema 