2 hours 39 minutes
Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks
Elvis has left the building! What a film! I’ve read so many great things about the actor, Austin Butler, who plays Elvis, that I finally sat down and watched the movie. He was fantastic!! He “was” Elvis for all intents and purposes. He absolutely stole this film from Tom Hanks.
I did some research on Austin and this is what I found. He spent about 3 years doing nothing but preparing for this role. He didn’t just want to do an impersonation of Elvis, he wanted to embody who he was from the inside out. I also found out that Austin did his own singing. He sang all of the earlier years in the film, then for the older years they mixed in Elvis’ voice with his. He also plays guitar.
On to the review:
Tom Hanks plays Colonel Tom Parker, who was Elvis’ manager. The movie starts off with Col. Parker telling his side of the story of how he made Elvis a big star and without him – he would’ve been a nobody. Much has been written on him and the way he used Elvis for his meal ticket all those years, so you get the feeling he’s the villain of the story.
The film itself has a different feel to it. It goes through Elvis’ life from the beginning of what inspired him to want to sing to how it all slipped away from him at the age of 42. The movie was done in snippets of time periods. It showcased other musicians at that time who influenced Elvis’ life and the twists and turns that Col. Parker put him through to keep using him.
The best part about this whole film is Austin Butler though. When I watched him perform as Elvis – I saw Elvis. I never saw Elvis in person, but I felt like I was in the audience clapping my hands with stars in my eyes!! I wish the film showcased more of the singing and the way Elvis brought people to tears because Austin knew every move that Elvis did and every look. It was Elvis who took that stage and Austin who brought him back to life for one more show. Well done!
Library Link: Elvis (DVD)
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