Elvis (2022)- Impressions and Takeaways

The movie premiered on HBO a month ago after it had its run in theaters earlier this year. Its running time is a little over 2 hours so I figured I needed an adequate amount of time to not only watch it, but process it. And this post is to help do that. 

Just for a few quick comments- of the music biopic movies that have come out since "Boheminan Rhaposdy" began the trend in 2018, this is probably the best one. It was REALLY good.
Austin Butler really should get an Oscar for nailing the legendary performer. He did all of his own singing up until a certain point in the movie. I'm not sure exactly where that is, but in that regard, he absolutely nailed it. If he doesn't win (or even get nominated), I'd consider it a travesty. If Tom Hanks gets nominated for playing Colonel Parker, I kinda hope he turns it down cuz that guy was a certified creep. One of my first thoughts after the movie ended-  you know how Dante has his circles of hell- there better be a special place there with the Colonel's name on it. 
All this being said, the fact the movie is 2 hours and 39 minutes long and the whole "Vegas" arc of the story... it's not the kind of movie I want to watch multiple times. I actually managed to get through the whole thing without bawling my eyes out. It was pretty rough. But I'm sure if I see it more than once, I won't be able to help myself. We all kinda know before watching how it was going to end. Seeing how it all played out, I don't think I can stomach multiple viewings of the Colonel's depravity. 
The whole thing was oddly reminscent of "it's a wonderful life." George Bailey kept trying to leave Bedford Falls and so many things (all linking back to Mr. Potter) kept him from doing that. In the end, he never did get to leave, but at least he had friends. Elvis kept wanting to go international for touring, but the Colonel kept making excuses and spinning webs to keep Elvis stuck in Vegas and in the US. OMG... that was SO annoying! 

My brief history with Elvis in general... after seeing Jailhouse Rock, clips of his Ed Sullivan appearances and the ABC special leading up to the premiere of the movie, I can definitely understand the hype. The fact he didn't actually write his own music will always keep me from fully getting behind him. But you can't deny the dude was a one-of-a-kind once-in-a-generation talent. 

The movie did a good job of showing where his influence came from. How much he loved black gospel music. How much of it was actually true- him spending time hanging with B.B. King and escaping to Beale Street to get away from the pressure of his celebrity... I don't know. (Quick note- the dude who played Little Richard was AMAZING...).
A lot of people have talked about how he "stole" from black artists and made a fortune off their music. I can't say for sure how much of that was true. My opinion before and after the movie is the same. I believe he really responded to black music and enjoyed it so much that he wanted to share it with people. I don't think he did it to take anything away from anyone else. 
Another person in recent times that's gotten a little heat from the black community for being a "culture vulture" or misappropriating black music- Justin Timberlake. Again, I'm not knowledgable enough to know whether or not that's true. Some people are still mad at him over the "wardrobe malfunction" with Janet Jackson. According to her, there's no bad blood between the two of them, but many people that are fans of her will always hold him responsible for ruining her career. Especially when he didn't take nearly as much heat as she did for what happened. 
Me, I'm always going to dislike him because "Sexyback" is a horrible song the radio would not stop playing. 

Somewhat related to this... one thing about the movie I wasn't a huge fan of... during the scenes where Elvis was cruising around Beale Street, there was this annoying hip-hop beat playing in the background. First of all, it ruins the whole escapism thing. It takes you out of the movie and the time it takes place. And more importantly, it just sounds horrible. 
There's a lot of good things in black music from blues, gospel, R&B and Motown... but nearly all black music after the 80's that wasn't by Prince or Michael Jackson, I just can't stand it. I could spend a whole post on that topic alone so I'll just leave it here. 

It's a long movie, as I've said... I think the length is warranted because there wasn't necessarily a point where I was looking at the clock and wanting it to end.
Although I did something a bit similiar where the Colonel was concerned. I kept waiting for Elvis to leave him, to finally go international, or whatever... I was holding my breath and also dreading how much of the downward spiral they were going to show. All of it was handled pretty well, but it was admittedly very frustrating to think things will get better and they never did. It was tempting to say more than once "oh come on!" or "you gotta be kidding me!" multiple times. But the last time this came up, I was just resigned. Nothing else could really be said. 

Probably the most interesting thing about the movie... it put the spotlight on politics. The fact a senator wanted Elvis thrown in jail just for being overtly sexual on stage... I believe it, but also can't. The 50's were a different time and I don't have much of a reference to it other than movies like "Grease."
But especially how they incorporated the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy... Elvis and everyone else feeling very impacted by them, but the Colonel not wanting anything to do with it. He kept saying how our job isn't to make speeches or go into politics, it's about entertaining (and him making money). A lot of those same sentiments are going on right now. Except the situation has reversed a bit and the entertainers are going on their soapboxes and some fans (no lie- I've been guilty of this) want them to just worry about the music.

...I think this is all I can really say about the movie. 
It was really well done. A little erratic at times. (If you've seen "Moulin Rouge" or the version of Great Gatsby with Tobey Maguire and Leo, you know Baz Luhrmann has a huge flair for the dramatic... at times a little too much). 
The casting was really well done. Tom Hanks is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood and he played the villain of the movie really well... it made me think how lucky he is that he did this role later in his career. If this was his first movie, there might not have been a second one. He played the part so well, nobody would find him believable as a good guy. 
I also kinda hope Austin Butler isn't one and done after this movie. Some people who've played people in biopics and do them well, sometimes they do too a good job and nobody wants to cast them doing anything else. 

The fact that Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley signed off on how this movie portrayed Elvis- that's all you really need to know about how good it is.