Last year director Baz Luhrmann brought his two-and-a-half-hour feature film, Elvis, to movie theaters worldwide. The film explored the relationship between Elvis Presley (Austin Butler; Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks; Forrest Gump). While the film's run time was too long, it did become a star-making role for Butler, who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of "The King". It also gave an inside glimpse of what Elvis' life was like.
This year, it's Priscilla's turn with the new movie by writer/director Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation), aptly titled, Priscilla. Based on the 1985 memoir, Elvis and Me, chronicles the fourteen years Priscilla spent with Elvis. From the day they met in Germany in 1959 to the end of their marriage in 1973, the film portrays what life was like with Elvis through the eyes of the naive, starstruck teen who eventually became his bride. Priscilla opens nationwide on November 3, 2023.
While Luhrmann's film ran forty-five minutes longer than Coppola's Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny; Bad Times at the El Royale), the latter seemed to take FOREVER to get to the credits. Coppola's script along with her directing cues move the film along at a snail's pace. From the moment Priscilla meets Elvis (Jacob Elordi; Euphoria) in Germany, the first third of the film shows her fighting with her parents, who stand firm against Priscilla and Elvis being together until they eventually cave...each and every time an argument ensues. Of course, those surrounding Elvis would tell Priscilla, "I'll talk to [your parents]" and magically everything would go her way.
The strength of the movie is the talent that surrounds Coppola. From costume and set designs to cinematography and Spaeny in the lead role, they are the saving graces for this project. Spaeny has done some strong work in the past but has never been the main actor carrying a film before. However, she handles the pressure well. Her interpretation of the vulnerable little girl who can be strong-willed and who grows up much too quickly is excellent and she balances these sides of Priscilla with a delicate touch. Elordi, on the other hand, is merely ok. Most of the time he gets the King's distinctive voice down and many times mimics Elvis' movements well but his overall portrayal is lackluster at best. Perhaps had Austin Butler not knocked his version of Elvis out of the park a year ago, Elordi's take might have fared better on screen.
While I think some of the creepy factor in this version has to do with the extreme height difference between Spaeny and Elordi, there is an innate cringy vibe threaded throughout the real-life story of a a mid-twenty superstar and his teenage bride that translates on screen the same way. It doesn't help any that Elordi towers over Spaeny, making her slight stature even more pronounced creating a distinct visual representation of Elvis' and Priscilla's age difference. It also seems incredibly illogical that Priscilla's parents allowed her to live with Presley from the age of 16, though we know they did. Based on her memoir, Priscilla also claims she and Elvis were somewhat intimate prior to their marriage but did not have actual intercourse until they married, which seems unlikely, especially since the film depicts the excessive amount of drugs they ingested, suggesting impaired judgment on both their parts.
Elvis fans also won't be thrilled with Priscilla's version of their life together, as interpreted by Coppola, as it makes Elvis come across as a controlling, manipulative, selfish, philandering, abusive human being. He would tell her what to wear, when to speak or stay silent, and to turn a blind eye to the "other women" according to her and she went along with it for far too long in my opinion.
Regardless of whether or not this biopic is accurate, it was uncomfortable to watch on several different levels which only adds to the annoyingly slow pace of the story. If it wasn't for the technical team and Spaeny as Priscilla, the film would be a total loss.
Grade: C-
