Baz Luhrmann, acclaimed director of The Great Gatsby (2013), Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet takes a different approach to John Carpenter's 1979 TV movie of same name.
Austin Butler - Elvis Presley
Tom Hanks - Colonel Tom Parker
Olivia DeJonge - Priscilla Presley
Helen Thomson - Gladys Presley
Richard Roxburgh - Vernon Presley
Summary
The rise and fall of the undisputed King of Rock and Roll is seen through the tumultuous lens of his enigmatic manager Colonel Tom Parker.
All shook up
Glitzy extravaganza is not without issues, but at no point did I want to leave the building.
From humble beginnings in Tupelo, to RCA, Hollywood, 1968 Comeback Special and meeting Priscilla, no stone is left unturned.
Luhrmann's direction ensures musical sequences are superb.
Creative liberties include Elvis and Parker meeting at a fairground and Elvis firing him during a live concert after discovering his dirty dealings.
But no biopic is perfect, right?
Complete with fat suit, face prosthetics and bizarre Kentucky Fried accent, Hanks surprisingly disappoints.
Rather appropriately, it's Butler who steals the show and exuberance alone deserves an Oscar.
Before end credits roll, text recalls history.
Elvis died aged 42 at his home in Memphis, apparently of a heart attack.
Parker's financial abuse was finally exposed in a series of lawsuits a few years after Elvis's death.
Parker tried to claim immunity as a citizen of no country, and eventually settled out of court, ending his ties to the Presley estate.
He spent his final years in poor health, pouring his fortune into Vegas slot machines.
Elvis Presley remains the best selling recording artist of all time, and his influence on music and culture lives on.
Elvis Aaron Presley
January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977
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