MPAA Rating: PG-13/ Genre: Biographical Musical Drama/ Stars: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Olivia DeJonge, Christian Kisando, John Mukristayo, Miles Burton, Gad Banza, Charles Allen, Alex Radu, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett, David Wenham, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Samuel, Adam Dunn, Terepai Richmond, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Leon Ford, Kate Mulvany, Josh McConville, Patrick Shearer, Liz Blackett, Yola Quartey, Alyson Joyce, Alton Mason, Gary Clark Jr., Cle Morgan, Shonka Dukureh, Christopher Sommers, Nicholas Bell, Sarah Ogden, Katrina West, Jenna Kenney, Elizabeth Cullen, Anthony LaPaglia, Greg Powell, Asabi Goodman, Andrea Moor, Alex Radu, Christian McCarty, Mike Bingaman, Lachlan Engeler, David Gannon, Tony Nixon, Kevin Lagden, Charles Grounds, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Dacre Montgomery, Hilton Hyppolite Denis, Lamar Brown, Gareth Davies, Princess Mariama Andrews, Sharon Brooks, Senayt Mebrahtu, Aristene Kisando, Alex Knight, Karla Allen, Melina Vidler, Mark Leonard Winter, Chaydon Jay/Runtime: 159 minutes
I think it can safely be said that no matter what there will always be a brief pause before a movie goer such as you or me decides to immerse themselves into viewing a slice of cinema helmed by one Baz Luhrmann where your mind momentarily blanks out on the fact that you are indeed about to sit down and view a Baz Luhrmann film. Of course, this mental pause is only temporary (hopefully) and soon thereafter the film gets underway, but just as quickly we also see something else occur. Namely that a very intriguing type of madness is swiftly set up as well that makes the promise to you, the movie goer that you are about to go on one of the wildest and craziest cinematic adventures you have ever been on. Yet even though this delightful insanity vibe was one that was one that Luhrmann’s last slice of cinema, 2013’s take on The Great Gatsby with Leonard DiCaprio in the titular role, may have floundered at times with I can safely say that most assuredly is not the case with his newest cinematic venture, 2022’s Elvis. A film that utilizes a rather distinct point of view to provide us with insight into who this iconic performer was to say nothing of his long-lasting tumultuous relationship with his sleazy manager. Suffice it to say that Elvis may be a lot both in terms of runtime and in terms of content from phenomenal work behind the camera to say nothing of magnetic work by the talented performers in front of the camera especially by the 2 co-leads of sorts, but honestly given that this is a slice of cinema by Baz Luhrmann I can safely say that this is far from surprising. Be that as it may be, yes this film does have its flaws, including the fact that it does conveniently overlook certain things about its titular character, but there is no denying that at the end of the day Elvis “2022” truly is an passionate and downright vibrant tribute to a man who is not only one of the best singers of all time, but also one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century period.
The plot is as follows: Getting underway in the long gone year of 1997, the film gets its rockin’ and rollin’ story started at a very unusual place. Namely at the tail end of the life of a Las Vegas resident by the name of Col. Tom Parker who has just collapsed and is now being rushed to the hospital. We soon find out that Colonel Parker, among other noteworthy items of interest about him that I will leave for you to find out for yourself, was the manager, to say nothing of a guy whose life was intricately intertwined for a long time with the life, of one Elvis Presley. It is for that reason perhaps that in these seemingly final moments of his own life that we see the ol’ Colonel really thinking back about all the time he spent with the King of Rock ‘n Roll and thus acting as our guide through this story. From there, the story goes all the way back to when both Presley and Parker were (to a degree in the latter’s case) younger men and their paths crossing when Parker, by that time a top tier traveling carnival employee to say nothing of talent procurer for these same carnivals, discovered Elvis when he and his band were brought on as an opening act for some of Parker’s talent. Yet when Parker sees the audience, especially those of the female variety, go absolutely berserk for this newfound wunderkind performer, he doesn’t just see a young man trying to put a new spin on the beloved gospel and R&B music he grew up with. Rather, he sees no more and no less than the possibility of a pay day the likes of which no talent of his had ever had the potential to pull off let alone one that could set him up for the rest of his days. It is with that in mind that we see Parker deploy some rather underhanded if not slightly sinister methods to get Elvis to employ him be his manager. An action that in no time at all soon leads way to the young man becoming an absolutely massive success in every sense of the word to say nothing of a genuine phenomenon even if certain government individuals never do share the fondness that his fans do. Of course as the years go by and Elvis gets older to say nothing of married to a lovely young woman by the name of Priscilla, and problems both personal as well as professional start to slowly but surely build up we see a schism start to form between the duo. One that by the time it has reached its peak will see no more and no less than heartbreaking tragedy come knocking at Elvis’ door and change the lives of both men forever….
Now, if the fact that the film is one that deals with the slow-burn quasi-sorta cage match between Parker’s slimy carny ways, I mean this IS a guy who gets Elvis to hire him as his manager whilst riding a Ferris wheel together, and Elvis’ ever-growing desire to be a true game-changing artist was by no means obvious to you then I can safely say that Baz’s film helming style will definitely do the trick. A feat he achieves courtesy of, among other things, some very uncomfortable camera shots, Presley’s ever-changing marquee position on concert posters, and also some very powerful moments where Elvis desires to be seen as a legitimate performer. We also see that Baz’s talent for providing us with some surprising music blends remains as on point as ever courtesy of some novel additions in this slice of cinema being brought by Doja Cat, Shonka Dukureh and Gary Clark Jr. to name but a few. At the same time, however this film does do a wonderful job of not only deploying those as much. Instead, the film wisely just utilizes a lot of Elvis’s immense catalogue of iconic tunes and lets those work their intended magic even though there are moments where even those works are tinkered with in a way that is actually not insulting, but surprisingly innovative. As for everything else from Elvis’ iconic dance moves, certain peculiarities he had, the movies he appeared in back in the early 60s, and even the very flamboyant attire he eventually started wearing, we see that Baz and his creative team do a wonderful job of making sure every single one of those elements is carefully reconstructed in a way that feels extremely authentic to say nothing of respectful to the man and his legacy. The same can also be said for that iconic section of Memphis known as Beale Street as well as the stage of the Vegas International Hotel although I am slightly disappointed to say that Graceland, is not given nearly as much attention as it deserved. Suffice it to say that for a guy that a lot of people have at times felt just is content to merely create movies that were surface level cinematic ventures at best, I definitely feel that Baz and his immensely gifted crew deserve a fairly hefty amount of praise for being as detail-conscious on this film as they were. Yes the items they passionately recreate here may be something that the casual Elvis fan might just be willing to accept at face value, but when you are someone like me who has seen footage of Elvis in either concert, film, or even in Elvis: That’s the Way It Is I promise you that you will be deeply appreciative of to say nothing of touched by the amount of both accuracy as well as on-point adherence displayed by the filmmaker and his team in bringing their distinct cinematic vision to life.
Yet at the core of this truly vibrant cinematic extravaganza, this slice of cinema also possesses an immense amount of heart to it courtesy of an instantly-iconic to say nothing of very much awards-deserving performance from Austin Butler in the titular role. Indeed Butler does no more and no less than absolutely outstanding at not only capturing Presley’s distinct drawl (right down to actually being phenomenal in the singing department), but also in regards to the man’s distinct mannerisms as well. At the same time though, what I really appreciate about this performance is that it isn’t one that is setting out to be an impersonation by any stretch of the imagination. I say that because there is a twinkle in the actor’s eyes that shows this is one performer who has just as much interest in playing Elvis the man as Elvis the entertainer. Indeed I know it might be close to cliché of me to tell you that a performer really does seem to become the genuine person that they are portraying, but there is no denying that Butler manages to showcase the man’s flamboyant exterior and his tragic yet passionate interior as if it were his own. Suffice it to say that I really do hope that Butler’s turn in this actually gets awards attention because he most assuredly deserves it and then some. With that said though, this slice of cinema does get underway and (to an extent) conclude with the character of Parker and it is this slimy yet enigmatic con-man whose grip on the titular character which proves to be a fairly intriguing topic that this film chooses to analyze quite in-depth. I mean how exactly did this sleazy carnival employee manage to make himself such an integral figure to one of the biggest music stars of all time, but just as crucially why would Elvis after everything choose to have this man stay by his side even though getting rid of him could have taken his career to another level entirely? Suffice it to say that while the film does present us with several possible answers, there is one thing which is never questioned. That being the fact that Tom Hanks manages to prove an excellent villain in this slice of cinema. Yes his accent does seem to get a bit hard on the ears to say nothing of something a villain might use in a Roger Moore-era James Bond film, but Hanks does still triumph at portraying this slimy guy who was only invested in Elvis in order to exploit the singer for every single nickel and dime that wasn’t nailed down to the floor. Yes there are moments where this exploitation is looked at through a comedic lens such as the moment where Parker persuades the Presley family to let I Hate Elvis buttons be among the overwhelming amount of Elvis merchandise being sold, but for the most part it is played with an equal mix of potent despicability and seriousness respectively. Suffice it to say that it may have initially raised many an eyebrow (mine among them I have no shame in admitting), but at the very least I will now concede that the casting of the always good of heart and affable Hanks as this serious sleazy villain was one perverse casting choice that has managed to work out immensely well to the benefit of the film of which it is a key element of. Sadly I feel that it should be said that when you look at the immense support cast backing up Butler and Hanks however, this slice of cinema doesn’t really do them justice and instead reduces a lot of them to mere one-note archetypes we’ve seen before in similar films despite really good work from performers like Richard Roxburgh and (especially Olivia DeJonge) as Elvis’ dad Vernon and Elvis’ wife Priscilla respectively. Flaws in terms of the rest of the cast aside however, there is no denying that both Butler and Hanks are meant to be the main attraction for this slice of cinema and together the duo has fantastic chemistry with each other thus affording the director some wonderful opportunities to slow things down a bit so we can truly start comprehend just what made the bond between Elvis and Parker go as sour as it did.
All in all and at the end of the day dear reader, it may have its flaws, but there is no denying that Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic Elvis is a slice of cinema that proves to be a truly exhilarating to say nothing of incredibly heartfelt and even respectful cinematic saga about one of the most famous musicians of all time. Helping matters significantly is the fact that, in the titular role, Austin Butler is downright phenomenal through every stage of the icon’s life whilst also truly putting no less than 110% into every single moment of screen time that he is given especially in the moments where he is performing the King’s vast collection of music. Indeed take note Academy for THIS is the kind of performance that deserves to be nominated for an Oscar and a failure to do so would be an absolute travesty. Thus much in the same way as Joaquin Phoenix became Johnny Cash, Taron Egerton became Elton John, and Rami Malek became Freddie Mercury respectively, Butler becomes Elvis and in so doing manages to give us a portrayal of the man that, even more so than the one given by Kurt Russell in the late 70s, will be seen as the gold standard for years to come. Yet it isn’t just Butler who manages to fly here as we see that acting legend Tom Hanks does a wonderfully insidious job here as the sleazy and quite exploitative Colonel Parker all whilst giving the legendary huckster a kind of perverse charm that only an actor of Hanks’ caliber could bring to the role. Sure the vast majority of this slice of cinema’s simply immense support cast are not fleshed out nearly as much as they could have been, but there is no denying that Luhrmann regales us with the tale of Presley’s life in a way that is meant to be seen on the biggest screen possible whilst also giving us a magnificently grand yet equally as close to the jewel-studded vest hurricane of pathos, musical moments, wonderfully appropriate costumes and design, and just plain spectacle. Yet even though the breakneck pace this slice of cinema operates with may be an issue for some, it is still extremely obvious that this film was made with a love and respect for its titular character to say nothing of his contributions to music and just pop culture in general. As it is, it is that immense passion for showing us the man behind the extravagant costumes by this film’s immensely talented cast and crew that manages to negate a lot of the flaws this film has in order to conjure up for us a genuine cinematic spectacle that is very much befitting of the music icon that it all revolves around. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Elvis “2022” a solid 4 out of 5.
