By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Austin Butler | Helen Thomson | Olivia DeJonge | Richard Roxburgh | Tom Hanks
Country: australia, united_states
Year: 2022
Running time: 157
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3704428/reference/
Cheryl says: “The decision to tell the story from Colonel Tom Parker’s point of view, as especially as played by Tom Hanks, seriously detracts from the joy of seeing Austin Butler bring ‘the king’ back to life on the big screen. From the opening scene, with its music and surreal visuals of Las Vegas, I had high hopes for the film; it reminded me of Luhrmann’s controversial but brilliant adaptation ROMEO + JULIET. But sadly, we are immediately introduced to Hanks as the Colonel, denying any responsibility for Elvis’ untimely death. It’s difficult enough to suspend disbelief with Hanks in the role – a truly misguided casting choice – but the accent he affects is absurd. He’s not only clearly recognizable as the actor Tom Hanks, he’s almost inaudible at some points, and an ugly, despicable character. Why allow him to narrate? Making the villain the protagonist only works with larger-than-life monsters like Jaws, Hannibal Lechter, and Sophocles’ Creon. Parker is a small-time crook and carny swindler; there is nothing deeper to explore in his motivation.
“In spite of this glaring flaw, the film is definitely worth seeing for the excellent transformation of Butler into Presley, which is enhanced by Luhrmann’s trademark use of smash cut editing, dizzying images, and layering different soundtracks, mixing blues, rock, gospel, and hip hop, all to create a sense of the chaos that characterized the icon’s rocket to stardom. Like so many music biopics before, the film is a cautionary tale about power and money and corruption in the music business, but what sets it apart from its predecessors is the director’s flare for musical theater in all its glory: the heightened sensory and emotional experience that we crave as humans. The 1968 TV concert sequence is mesmerizing, and the performances from his Vegas show and tour seem all too familiar; how could it be possibly be forty-five years since he left the building? In a nod to all the ways in which the memory of the great one is kept alive, the Coolidge Corner Theatre opened its Thursday and Friday night screenings with two different local Elvis impersonators. For an-depth look at his devoted fan base, see Annie Berman’s documentary THE FAITHFUL. For longtime devotees and a new generation of moviegoers, in Baz Luhrmann’s spectacle and Austin Butler’s charisma, Elvis lives. 3.5 cool cats“