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Elvis: An Effusive Mini-Review
Allow me to open a vein and bleed praise all over this screen.
Elvis blew me away.
I laughed out loud. I teared up. I had to resist the urge to stand and cheer.
Maybe it was the twenty ounces of Mountain Dew, a treat reserved for hangovers and special occasions.
This was a special occasion.
Where to begin?
I’ll start with my litmus test: Priscilla liked it. The whole thing was pretty accurate.
The young rockabilly Elvis lit the screen with his gyrations. Austin Butler looks more like John Travolta than Elvis, but he’s as handsome as both, and I think he can wiggle even better than Elvis.
Tom Hanks? One person behind me on the way out said his performance as Colonel Tom Parker made Forrest Gump look middling. I’m not sure I agree, but I wouldn’t argue it.
The Memphis Mafia? Great, if assigned a very small collective role.
The soundtrack: It kept the story going 120 mph for over two hours, merely slowing down enough at the end to let us watch Elvis die. Rap, blues, rock. It kept the throttle at max.
Early carnivals in the South to the International Hotel: throttle at max.
