Elvis

I have seen every movie made about Elvis with the exception of a regional drive-in movie that was fictitious called "The Legend" I believe, and not since Kurt Russell's phenomenal impersonation in the 1970s TV Movie have I seen such an amazing job of acting as done by this young kid from Ireland. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was so stunningly accurate even though the combed back hair made his forehead look a little too prominent. Still, I did not work against his extremely effective portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll. Okay, I know I'm being picky here, but having been a portrait artist for 48 years, it's hard not to notice such physical details.

What made this film all the more watchable were the acting of Camryn Manheim as Mama Presley and Randy Quaid as The Colonel. In both cases, the actors added so many shades to their characters and, despite the stories we Elvis die-hard fans know inside out, the script was put together in a way that made it all unfold as though we were there. And after not quite lookalike actors like Don Johnson with a voice that sounded more like one of David Seville's Chipmunks than Elvis, and Dale Midkiff who lacked the charisma with his slight resemblance to the man in the miniseries "Elvis And Me") this time, we had a guy we could believe was the real thing. And then there was the guy from the TV show who also played Elvis Michael St. Gerard who had such an uncanny resemblance to Elvis though with nothing close to the voice (except for the time he briefly played Elvis in "Great Balls Of Fire" and for one scene tells Dennis Quaid's Jerry Lee Lewis "Take it! Take it awwlll!") he was okay in the acting department but only okay. This guy Jonathon Rhys-Meyers has some serious acting chops. I loved his work in this one and will keep an eye out for him in the future. (And isn't it ironic how both Quaids have gotten to be connected somehow to the Elvis legend?)

So to all the Elvis haters and those who tore this film down, you don't have a clue. This was a great movie and for TV was a bloody masterpiece.

I can't wait until this sucker is on DVD or video and I can buy a copy for my personal collection. Thank you CBS for this great present.

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers did as good a job as I've ever seen portraying the King of Rock and Roll. Although Elvis cursed more than he ever has in any version of his life I've seen, and he was often abusive to those he was close to, he was an appealing character overall, especially at the beginning of his career. And he really cared about his fans.

Something I wasn't aware of: Elvis cared about the quality of his movies as much as he cared about good music, but he didn't have as much control over his acting as his singing.

I can't recall Elvis' relationship to his mother being shown in such detail. Camryn Manheim did an outstanding job, and I noticed in the documentary airing later in the week on CBS how much the real Gladys Presley resembled Manheim.

Randy Quaid also impressed as Colonel Parker. He was very convincing as an aging man, and he was shown as quite a schemer, but he was not overdone.

There were many other good acting performances. Tim Guinee as Sam Phillips should be mentioned, and Rose McGowan made a sultry Ann-Margret. And I have to mention the black woman at the Cadillac dealership. A brief performance, but very effective.

Like Parker, I'm more of a Lawrence Welk man, but Elvis is something special. And the musical performances were great.

The first part was the most enjoyable, when Elvis was just a young kid getting his career started, when the talent came through and was not overshadowed by fame.

Overall, it was a worthy effort.

I have read some of the comments regarding the Elvis CBS mini series just aired and as someone who was close to Elvis for over 20 years it is disheartening to see the praise for this mini series, it's story, script and the midget who played Elvis. A midget in many aspects.

What we feared when we heard about the script has come to pass. These reviews point out to those of us who were close to him what we really were afraid of. That the general public would believe that pitiful story that was shown because the general public and many fans really don't know how it was.

Films like this do Elvis an injustice and along with the many discrepancies portrayed it once again portrayed Elvis as a wimpy, weak ass, whiny person when in fact he was a strong human being in many aspects of his life.

I was told by some Elvis fans who also disagree with you all on the brilliance of this movie about these reviews on this website and I was compelled to post here and respectfully inform you that the mini series was far from the reality of Elvis and all those years.

Thank you, Marty Lacker

Since the dawn of time, or at least since 1592 ("Dr. Faustus" by Marlowe), the tale of a person selling their soul to the Devil in exchange for success has intrigued and thrilled audiences. Whether historically accurate in the case of "Elvis", here we have an interesting spin on that old theme.

I'm not an Elvis aficionado, I don't even own any of his albums, but my mom was a big fan. That's what got me interested in this acclaimed miniseries (worthy of its praise), but what hooked me was the subtle Faustian theme which was brilliantly pulled off by Randy Quaid as the mysterious cajun "The Colonel" who is shown to be responsible for Elvis' pyrotechnic rise to stardom as well as, you guessed it, his rude awakening.

What made this a unique telling of the classic myth is that The Colonel is not shown to be a fiendish "devil" out to snare Elvis' soul. Instead, The Colonel is almost emotionless, impartial, a stoic mirror of human ambition without any cartoonish fire & brimstone. Near the beginning of the film he asks Elvis what he wants. And by golly he gives Elvis exactly that, no tricks.

In that sense, there is no villain in this film. Only human nature. It reminds me of the Steinbeck short story "The Pearl" where a poor family finds a valuable pearl, and what you would expect to be a miracle turns out to be far less.

Reading these reviews, I see that fans of Elvis loved it. Jonathan Rhys Meyers did a great job, bore a striking resemblance to The King, and had the lip curl down pat. Elvis is portrayed in a favorable light, despite his flaws, and the music is great. I do think the story could have been a bit grittier, getting more into the drug abuse that eventually killed Elvis. But that was beyond the scope of this family-friendly film which takes up only as far as 1968. There are some strong references to his drug use and accompanying fits of violence. But for the most part, this film centers around his early years and relationship with his family (particularly his kindly mother) and his closest friends. And of course, there's the best part: The Colonel.

This is a great film for any aspiring musicians, or ambitious people of all careers. Especially in this day & age when we are hearing about so many tragic celebrities in the news who got everything they wanted except fulfillment, "Elvis" is timeless. The story of ambition and success applies today just as it did 50 years ago. And I'm reminded of a great line from the Irish movie Kisses, "There is no devil. Just people."

A true Elvis fan will appreciate the solid and outstanding effort by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He was a natural choice for this project. Aside from the strong resemblance, he also found a way to speak and move like him. He doesn't over-do the accent or the moves. The supporting cast deserves a lot of credit as well, especially Camryn's portrayal of Gladys Presley. The story is very well written and flows nicely. Most fans will enjoy learning more details about the events in his life. The music is exciting too. You will hear the original master recordings as Jonathan performs and he stays true to the tone of the song. Without a doubt this mini-series will keep you captivated.