Paco Reviews: "Elvis"

Remember early on in the pandemic when Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, both caught COVID-19, becoming basically the first celebrities not named Rudy Gobert with the virus? They were in Australia, where he was filming a movie at the time.

Well, fortunately, Tom and Rita both recovered, and that movie, Elvis, is now playing in theaters. Director Baz Luhrmann, whose previous films include Moulin Rouge!, the Leonardo diCaprio Great Gatsby, and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, never does anything that he doesn't put all the whistles and bells into—and that is certainly the case with this movie in all 159 minutes of its length.

In Elvis, we see many moments from the King of Rock 'n' Roll's life. Included are glimpses into his teen years, before he became famous; his rise to fame, both in music and movies, through the aid of his manager (and professional grifter) Col. Tom Parker (Hanks); his being drafted into the military; his marriage to Priscilla and birth of daughter Lisa Marie; his downward spiral with drug abuse; his comeback in the late '60s; how and why he carried a gun with him on stage and the destruction of several TV sets with said weapon; and many other events. A great deal of the story is told through the point-of-view of Col. Parker, who ends up becoming the antagonist of the film.

I knew nothing about Austin Butler, who plays the title role, before seeing this movie. He does a wonderful job playing Elvis. He even sings a few of the King's songs (or at least he is credited as doing so in the end credits). Hanks is almost unrecognizable in the makeup he wears as Col. Parker. He bears an eerie resemblance to Richard G. Scott while he's on screen. (I don't know how else to describe it. But that's what he looked like to me.) David Wenham (Faramir in The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Dacre Montgomery (Billy in "Stranger Things"), and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (as Elvis's friend B. B. King) are good in supporting roles.

Paco's rating: 5 out of 10

The Good: Whether or not you're an Elvis fan, you'll be a fan of Austin Butler's acting. As Elvis rises to fame, you'll be rooting for him, and there are a lot of classic Elvis tunes performed. Hanks, as always, is solid.

The Bad: It's a bit long, at nearly three hours. Your bum may start to get a bit sore at two hours in. Also, this film may be strictly for Elvis and/or Baz Luhrmann fans.

The Ugly: It's a warts-and-all approach to telling the King's story, so we see Elvis doing his at-the-time scandalous "Elvis the Pelvis" dancing, philandering and otherwise messing around behind his wife's back, as well as his spiraling into drinking, drugs, and other vices. There is some swearing and vulgarity, which earns the film its PG-13 rating.