Review of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis
For weeks I have been trying to find the time to see the new Elvis movie directed by Baz Luhrmann, and after much anticipation, I finally did! Because this movie has been creating quite the buzz since its June 24th United States release, I figured I would share my own thoughts and review of this film.
Before I dig in, I want to clarify that I am reviewing this through the lens of a music lover, long time Elvis fan, and as someone without much knowledge of cinematography. With that being said, let’s get into it! If you aren’t interested in my long spiel about the movie and want the quick summary, click here.
This 2022 film differs from many other musician biopics because it follows Elvis’s life and career through the point of view of his long time manager, The Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. The character of Tom Parker also acts as the narrator of the entire film. In the opening, we get a glimpse into how Tom Parker came across Elvis, played by Austin Butler, and how he sought out the chance to manage him. While viewers get some background on how Tom Parker discovered Elvis, we also get a look into Elvis’s childhood and upbringing, specifically his younger years in Tupelo, Mississippi.
I really enjoyed getting to see the portrayal of the younger years of Elvis’s life and I really appreciated how the film paid homage to the African-American musicians that inspired Elvis, including his experiences attending these revivals among the black churches. This part of the film helped viewers understand where Elvis found his rhythm and stage energy. I thought this part of the movie was nicely done because I have heard many people be critical of Elvis claiming that he stole from African-American musicians and accused him of being racist, but this showed that not only was he not racist, but that he truly loved and appreciated the culture and music of the African-American community that he grew up around.
When we get to the part of the film where Colonel Tom Parker finally convinces Elvis to let him be his manager, we are then taken on the journey of Elvis’s rise to fame. During this time, we see how quickly the life of not only Elvis, but his family’s lives changed. One of my favorite parts of the movie was when they showed Elvis performing to an audience and all the women in attendance were completely besides themselves and basically screaming at the sight of him. It was an amazing, albeit hilarious, representation of how much of an affect Elvis had on audiences. This also helped lead into all the controversy that would soon follow regarding his dance movements on stage, AKA “Elvis and his Pelvis”. We got to see how all of that played out and how the media immediately slammed Elvis and declared his movements to be inappropriate, by being both sexual and seeming “too black” for the segregated times to agree with. During this part of the movie, we also got to see a bit of Elvis’s relationship with the legendary B.B. King.
The next part of the movie portrayed how it all went down with Elvis acquiring Graceland and enlisting in the military. This part was particularly interesting to me because I always knew he enlisted and even trained at Fort Hood (near my hometown) but I never knew the full background on how it all came about and how that had affected his mother so much. Speaking of his mother, we did get a glimpse into their very close relationship, which many people have considered to be a bit bizarre. During this time, it is shown how Tom Parker navigates all of this and even uses the death of Elvis’s mother to garner more trust from Elvis. We also get a look into the beginning of Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship and later their wedding.
The next part of the film continues to show the trajectory of Elvis’s career, along with the management by Tom Parker. I also appreciated how the movie included some of the monumental moments of the 1960s, such as the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. We start to see the struggle between Tom Parker’s suggestions and plans for Elvis’s career and what Elvis himself actually wanted to do, as well as Elvis’s choice to receive help from an outside group of music consultants to go against The Colonel. It was also captivating to see how Elvis’s “come back” was orchestrated and the way he chose to do it his way versus just blindly following The Colonel. I will say that at this point in the movie I was thoroughly annoyed at the character of Tom Parker, meaning Tom Hanks did a wonderful job portraying him. It was also interesting to see how Elvis’s Vegas residency was set up, including the conniving way that Tom Parker extended Elvis’s stint in Vegas. As much as this part did upset me, it still helped me understand how Vegas began their obsession with all things Elvis. The film also showed how Elvis started to figure out the truth behind Tom Parker, including his deceitful managing for the Vegas residency and the truth behind his past. Following this discovery, the movie shows a point that many viewers were likely excited to see, the firing of Tom Parker by Elvis, but were inevitably let down once revealed how Elvis was basically left with no choice but to keep Tom Parker as a manager due to financial issues. We soon start to see Elvis’s struggle with substance abuse and the consequences that inevitably followed, including the end of his marriage to Priscilla.
The rest of the film portrays Elvis continuing to tour and work, as well as his ongoing struggle with substance abuse while becoming an unsightly version of himself. The movie ends with a portrayal of Elvis’s last performance of Unchained Melody which then transitions into live footage of Elvis at this exact performance. This scene gave me chills and I even shed a tear, which is a big deal for me since I am not a crier!
Overall, I absolutely adored this film. Weirdly enough, with a length of almost three hours, time passed differently inside that theater, making the viewing of this movie an immersive experience. I appreciated the look into Elvis’s upbringing and the homage paid towards the African-American artists that Elvis adored and was inspired by. The way the film portrayed his stage presence and the consequences of that stage presence was very entertaining and acted as an interesting reflection of the times. I enjoyed the fact that this biopic provided the point of view of Elvis’s manager, giving viewers a different look into the behind the scenes of how all of this went down. I also appreciated that although the point of view was from The Colonel Tom Parker, viewers spend a good bit of the movie trying to decide whether or not Tom Parker was actually a good manager for Elvis. I thought the cast and costume design was phenomenal, and Baz Luhrmann really did a great job casting actors and actresses that truly embodied these characters. Lastly, I thought the sound track to this movie was well put together, by featuring various artists that are loved by many, giving them a chance to honor Elvis themselves, while also having Austin Bulter actually sing on many of the tracks. This film was very well crafted and is definitely one of those you HAVE to see in the movie theater to get the full experience. If this film doesn’t receive any sort of award come award season, I will be extremely shocked! If you haven’t seen the Elvis movie yet, go see it while it is still available in theaters!
