Elvis (2022)

T

he newest flavor of the month musician biopic comes in the form of Baz Luhrmann’s newest feature Elvis. Starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, the film is a musical biopic about Elvis Presley’s life, which follows the legendary ‘King of Rock’ from his early pelvic thrusting career beginning, up through the end of his life. The idea of a biopic about a popular musician seems to be a current trend in Hollywood, with other films like Nina (2016), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Rocket Man (2019), The Dirt (2019), and Respect (2021) to just name a few. This year alone we have three big films in this genre, with the other two being: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and I Wanna Dance with Somebody, though the former was more of a parody of the genre itself. With so many musician biopics hitting the market, I had to ask myself, “How will this one compare to the others that have come before it in the last five years?” and “What will this movie do differently?”

     The story follows Elvis (Butler) through the majority of his life and is narrated by Elvis’ manager, the controversial Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). The first detail I noticed as the movie began was its rushed pacing. It felt like the first third of the movie was trying to get to a certain point as quickly as possible, while finally finding its stride around the fifty-minute to the one-hour mark. There is one part of the film I found to be particularly hindering. There is a scene where we follow Elvis to a predominantly black neighborhood so he can listen in on some of the music being performed in local shops and bars. When this scene is established, Luhrmann chose to play a modern-day hip-hop song to audibly inform us of where Elvis was. I don’t think this was the right choice personally. This was a choice I think would have been more effective if a 1950s jazz song had been used. It wasn’t until later, after reading an interview with the director, that I learned the choice was to express how Elvis’ music has influenced modern-day hip-hop. Even after learning that the director was trying to express how modern music was influenced by Elvis’, I can’t help but wonder how successfully that message will translate when future generations watch the film twenty-plus years from now. In my opinion, it’s a creative choice that dates your movie and ruins any chance of it being timeless. 

     As the story progresses it hits on all the cliche story beats of other films within this genre that we have seen before it in the last four years. We have enemies within the protagonist’s friend circle, the disapproving parent(s), the hubris of the protagonist once they taste success and the inevitable substance abuse that leads to their downfall. Fortunately for this film, it came out before the Weird Al movie, which poked fun at all of these story beats. One has to wonder if the Whitney Houston movie I Wanna Dance with Somebody, coming out in roughly a month, will follow this same trend. However, I will say, there’s an excellent message of unity through what brings you happiness in this movie. It goes on to further express how one’s artistic voice can reach the hearts of many people, but there will always be those who will try to use you/it for personal gain.

     Austin Butler is a stand-out role in this movie. He brings a vulnerability to Elvis and does an amazing job conveying his movements and mannerisms while on screen. While I have no doubt he will be nominated for the best actor award for this movie, Tom Hanks’s portrayal of Colonel Tom Parker is particularly brilliant. Hanks’ character is a devil with a deal. We see him eavesdropping as he lurks in the shadows, and whispers self-serving advice in Elvis’ ear. He’s selfish, greedy, and manipulative. It’s a role we don’t usually see Hanks in, but we see him execute it masterfully. Having the story narrated by arguably the one who’s primarily responsible for Elvis’ downfall was a genius choice. The entire film, while he narrates, we hear the Colonel as he tries to explain himself and get you on his side. We hear him attempt to emotionally manipulate us the same way he does with Elvis and those around him. It’s through this narration that I think this movie breaks away from its genre predecessors and can stand on its own as a great story about a great performer.

     In conclusion, Elvis is a biopic that hits a lot of the same plot beats as others in the genre but tells its story in such a smart way that it’s about to stand on its own. It’s a story with great music, great performances, and a wholesome, yet important, message. It’s a movie I was reluctant to watch, but am glad that I did. Regardless of my opinions of it, it is undoubtedly a film that Elvis Presley fans are sure to have a great time watching and will also find themselves singing along with all his songs that are heard throughout it. Still, with all these musician biopics coming out, I have to wonder if audiences will hit a phase of fatigue for future films of this ilk.