Movie Review: Elvis

credit: Elvis

The thing about biopics is that while they’re bound to get several things right, there’s always the possibility, perhaps even the certainty, that several things are going to be wrong when it comes to the truthful retelling of an individual’s life. How anyone could get Elvis Presley’s life wrong is a question that no one should take seriously since, apart from the documented facts, there are many myths, eyewitness accounts, and other stories about this star that have been spread around misconstrued for decades now. Some people refuse to believe that he’s dead, no matter the documented proof. But the fact is that Elvis did become a huge star whose name is known around the world to this day, and the story of his career is still talked about, though many wouldn’t know of Colonel Tom Parker if not for movies such as this. Let’s face it; if you’re not the top star or someone closely associated with them, then it’s likely that your name will be forgotten after a while. That’s why Parker is such a quandary since many learned of Elvis after his death that knew little to nothing about Parker until recently. 

credit: Elvis

It’s a little too easy to see Tom Parker as the villain in this movie. 

Some folks would go as far as to say that Colonel Tom Parker is the bad guy without question since this is the way he comes off. He’s a guy with massive debt, a slick way about him, and not much else apart from the ability to con those who don’t see what he’s all about. From a physical standpoint, he doesn’t look like a nice guy, but if anyone was hoping that he would get better during the course of the movie, then they’ll likely be surprised to see that Parker only gets worse and worse as time goes on. In real life, it’s fair to think that Parker might have had the best interests of Elvis in mind. Still, considering what happened after Elvis died, it’s not much wonder that he was vilified in this manner and that his legacy was tarnished well before his passing in the late 90s. It could also be that Parker’s duplicity could have continued the trend when it comes to many thinking that celebrity managers are little more than money-grubbing con artists out to line their pockets. 

In all fairness, Elvis wasn’t innocent. 

He was definitely depicted as a young man who loved his mother and wanted to do the best for his family. But he was also shown as someone who ended up being so taken in by the glitz and glamour that he lost himself after a while and forgot where he’d come from. Many would no doubt argue that point since Elvis’ career went up and down from when he was discovered to when he passed away. But the unfortunate fact is that the bigger he became, the less he could connect with the simple country boy he’d been to start with. The movie might have gone outside the lines a few times, but it does feel as though it depicted Elvis in a manner that was as close to accurate as possible quite often. 

credit: Elvis

Fans of Elvis have already had plenty to say, but it was expected. 

It’s easier to count those who aren’t fans of Elvis than those who are since this individual created such a massive amount of buzz during his career that people are still willing to hype him up. But thanks to this movie, there’s another reason to talk and expose opinions and inner thoughts concerning the man who became a legend. One can only imagine that quite a few people might have laughed or scoffed at specific parts of this movie as they can likely remember or refute some of the events that happened, such as Elvis firing Parker on stage, which is said to have not happened. However, some moments did occur, such as Elvis kicking someone off the stage when they rushed him. 

This is probably one of the better Elvis movies that have been rolled out. 

Austin Butler and Tom Hanks did a great job with this movie, there’s no doubt about that, and their supporting cast was just as good since they helped to keep things rolling in a manner that made the movie watchable. While there might be a few moments here and there that could be exaggerated and even falsified for entertainment value, the majority of the movie is delightful and worth watching simply because the acting and the dialogue helped build up the legend over again. 

One can’t deny that Elvis is a legend, but every legend has a beginning and is not always perfect.