The movie is interesting but I think it's overhyped. I mean I appreciate all the stuff about the influence of black culture but I feel like maybe they pushed too hard to be current with what was politically relevant with today i.e. George Floyd and diversity in cinema. Almost felt exploitive in that they were using stuff like Martin Luther King's death to try and humanize Elvis to be this "great" empathetic man. I don't know how much of it is actually true but I feel like they enhanced and focused on that because it's what the focus is in todays politics, they focused on Bobby King's death too. It just seemed like they were exploiting these great men of black culture to give their film credit in today's world. I almost just decided I wouldn't comment on it but then they actually had him talking with tear filled eyes to Rosetta Thorpe's ghost and that just crossed the line in how purposely this was done to appeal to todays culture shift to swing awards voters and the public because a " privileged straight white man" who abused drugs and philanderer'd with women that weren't his wife just isn't interesting or lovable in todays culture, so I feel like the filmmakers used and exploited black people to sell Elvis in todays market. I'm sure the producers were thinking how do we sell a rich white straight man like Elvis in 2022? In a Hollywood award season). Make him cry and dance with black people throughout half of the movie? Again I wish it was true, but feels like an exploitive attempt to join today's culture club. And I looked online and many articles said the movie embellished these friendships.
Also Butler's performance felt self-indulgent to me. Never felt like I was watching "Elvis" but that I was watching an actor play him. It wasn't bad just not this transformative great spectacle people are calling it. It's even good, but a far shot from what I'd call Oscar worthy. I feel like actors trying to get Oscars play these real people in this generic formulaic attempt for recognition, want an Oscar? Play a real person they say. Felt like a pretty guy posing. More of a !look at me! I'm Elvis, instead of actually being him. I've seen him in things before, felt like I was watching Austin Butler whisper like Elvis. And some of the lines were really clichè and corny like "fly high". Again, not a bad movie, just very overrated in my opinion. And I wonder how much computer work they did on the singing? Also Tom Hanks was totally playing a caricature and he came off as a clown, like a parody.
Also Butler's performance felt self-indulgent to me. Never felt like I was watching "Elvis" but that I was watching an actor play him. It wasn't bad just not this transformative great spectacle people are calling it. It's even good, but a far shot from what I'd call Oscar worthy. I feel like actors trying to get Oscars play these real people in this generic formulaic attempt for recognition, want an Oscar? Play a real person they say. Felt like a pretty guy posing. More of a !look at me! I'm Elvis, instead of actually being him. I've seen him in things before, felt like I was watching Austin Butler whisper like Elvis. And some of the lines were really clichè and corny like "fly high". Again, not a bad movie, just very overrated in my opinion. And I wonder how much computer work they did on the singing? Also Tom Hanks was totally playing a caricature and he came off as a clown, like a parody.