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This movie should have had a wider release and more publicity. It's really enjoyable. It's got the story of a good indie movie like "Sideways" or "Little Miss Sunshine" - it's funny, touching, original and actually quite romantic. It's part dark comedy, part quirky romance. The situations are not unpleasant and the dialog is well written.

The actors are good. Blake Lively is a lovely beauty pageant contestant Anabelle and acts very well - probably one of the best acting jobs she has done out of Gossip Girl. She is a perfect fit for the role. Max Minghella as the embalmer Elvis while not a heartthrob is quite suited to this offbeat hero. They have chemistry a bit like Penn Badgley & Blake do in Gossip Girl. Mary Steenburgen is just right as the anxious pageant mom. Keith Carradine is good as the stepfather. Joe Mantegna is quite moving as Elvis's father.

Very highly recommended. Worth watching.

Being such a low-budget film I wasn't expecting much from Elvis and Anabelle but I'm glad I was proved wrong. Both Blake Lively and Max Minghella's performances were excellent. They portrayed characters who both hid dark secrets but also kept the believability of each character at an all time high. Joe Montegna stole the show for me playing the physically and mentally challenged father of Elvis( Max Minghella). His witty one-liners and the love he showed for Elvis and Anabell will touch your heart in such away that you will think about this movie for a long time after the credits role.

With such a quirky storyline and characters you will surely fall in love with,Elvis and Anabell is a terrific must-see film!

Opens with vincent price, appearing in an old horror film. This was released in 2007, so of course, he had been dead for about fifteen years! But as of today, he's not listed on imdb, even as archival footage. So just after winning the beauty pageant, anabelle (lively) has a heart attack and dies. But it doesn't stick! When elvis (minghella) starts to work on her (sort of..) she comes back to life. And this is the story of what happens after that. It's weird. But cute. Dealing with a whole lot of social worker issues in this one. But there's a love story, way down in there. Somewhere. Forgiveness ? Love. Happiness. Blake lively and mary steenburgen. Written and directed by will geiger. An odd little film. But cute.

Appearing recently at the Mill Valley Film Festival, this jewel of a film combines deft humor, potent romantic chemistry and a subtle touch of the macabre in one of the most compelling love stories to appear on film in a long while. The script is wonderfully fresh, the cinematography stunning but never self-conscious, and the cast could not possibly be improved. Max Minghella is an extraordinary young talent--reminiscent of a young Johnny Depp--and Blake Lively is lovely and authentic as a small-town Texan beauty. Joe Mantegna does a phenomenal turn as an aging and disabled mortician, bringing dignity and wry humor to a challenging role. Kudos to writer-director Will Geiger for this beautiful film.

Just great. This is the fair definition of this special film about miracles, death, relations, a good father and his son , a queen of beauty and a house. I was seduce and impress, in same measure, by the wonderful job of Joe Mantegna. I was surprised by beautiful artistic skills of young Max Minghella. And, sure, by the story. And, yes, I admitt, the references to The White Snow or to Sun flower by Vincent van Goghis are a nice, very nice clues. Short, one of touching and pure admirable films , easy to become cheesy but well directed, seductive for the feel to be almost a personal story. And with few magnificent scenes.

Unconventional love story. I loved how outside the box this film was. The acting of both Blake lively and Max Minghella were great, they took their parts and made them come to life while taking the film with them. It was also nice to see other familiar faces such as Mary Steenbugen and Keith Carradine. The film has a darker and more realistic take on a love story, but it was done tastefully with tender and fun moments thought the movie.

This film is absolutely exquisite in its presentation of a beautiful story. The characters are interesting and thoughtful, yet wonderfully mysterious. Max Minghella and Blake Lively have an incredible magnetic chemistry that keeps the audience engaged throughout the film. Max Minghella will definitely appeal to the younger female audience because his character, Elvis, is dark and mysterious, yet incredibly vulnerable and sensitive. Not to mention he is absolutely heaven to look at! The film also features amazing performances from seasoned actors such as Joe Mantegna and Mary Steenburgen. Finally, this film is unique in that it appeals to a variety of audiences. My teenage daughter fell in love with Max Minghella and his portrayal of Elvis, my mother was captured by the humorous and touching performance of Joe Mantegna, and my husband and I were pleased by the refreshing absence of violence. I would definitely recommend this film, and look forward to its future release. I hope it is soon!

Elvis and Annabelle does a superb job of capturing and dealing with the inner struggles of both characters. The natural chemistry between Max and Blake makes them perfect for the lead roles.

Joe Montegna also delivered in his role and touches your heart. He is genuine and in-character throughout the entire film.

I also liked how the film naturally transitioned from a darker, black & white feel to a brighter and more colorful feel when Annabelle arrived at the house/mortuary.

Most independent movies have been filmed on very tight budgets and therefore have numerous flaws that are evident on the screen. Elvis and Annabelle also was filmed on a tight budget, but the director did an amazing job of bringing the entire film together in a way that truly minimizes the flaws. What an accomplishment.

ELVIS & ANNABELLE – CATCH IT ( B+ ) I love movies that just show the young love and connect with you… simple moments and story beautifully portrayed in Evis&Annabelle… Max Minghella is an Incredible Actor who hasn't got his share of stardom in Hollywood yet… Ever Since I saw em in as younger Hulk in THE HULK, he grew on me... I knew he is talented... then AGORA proved what an incredible actor Max is… Blake Lively looked really pretty As Alwayz & looked the part… Max&Blake's chemistry worth watching... even I loved the little tricky story line of the movie…EveryOne who loves a simple love story should watch it… it came out in 2OO7 & before Blake Lively hit the Stardom with GOSSIP GIRL… production value is low but the movie isn't.

The movie made my wife cry (several times) and I thought about it (the movie) for several days afterward. We enjoyed it very much. So did everyone else at the showing (which was sold out). The film has an engaging story, happy ending, beautiful photography, great title, interesting setting (a mortuary without being gross)) and good actors. But it was also "different". The story in particular was thoughtful and well-written and, on its own, kept everyone engaged as the protagonists went from misguided misery to ignorant bliss to suspenseful drama, to . . . . I particularly liked Anabelle (beautiful and seemingly transparent acting), the mortician's father (deceptively sly in a positive fashion) and some of the "spare" dialog (which is hard to write). The mortician's devotion to his father was also touching. All in all, I strongly recommend the movie.

Based on the storyline, I expected the movie to be a little cheesy, but I was blown away by how good it was. I really enjoyed the plot development (trying not to spoil anything), I never once looked at my watch to estimate how much time was left. I was sucked into the story and forgot I was watching a movie. To me that is what makes a good film. Something that allows you to suspend belief, like a great book. I highly recommend it. It is sweet, but not a chic flick. I plan to add it to my collection. If movies had opposable thumbs, I would give it a high five. I was pleasantly surprised by Blake Lively, as I missed the Traveling Pants show. Max Minghella stole my heart. Joe Mantegna was fantastic as always. I am interested to see what else Will Geiger has done.

I loved this movie. Loved the actors, the story, the setting, the music: all of it. I am European and really appreciated that kind of tone in the movie. I thought about it for a few days afterward. Joe Mantegna is fantastic in his role as Charlie. Max Minghella and Blake Lively are phenomenal as Elvis and Anabelle: the chemistry between them is great. Mary Steenburghen is amazing in anything she does. Keith Corradine is wonderful as well. I love the message of hope that gives to teens. It is refreshing after seeing all these horror/slasher movies out in theaters. I would definitely recommend this movie and in fact I am already doing so: when is it going to come out?

I just saw this film at the Newport Beach Film Festival. I don't often write commentary.. I figure there are plenty of other folks to do it, but I felt this film deserved some recognition. Even if it is just from me! It is beautifully shot in Texas. The characters are whole and interesting. It will have you laughing and tearing up within moments. The actors all seemed to have great chemistry. This is a quirky film and not just a love story by any means. We had four grossly different personalities in our group when we went to see it. Every one of us enjoyed the film for one reason or another.

If I were being overly critical, the one thing that seemed a little "off" was the musical background. I took notice of it several times and, in my opinion, you should be focused on the film and the music is just a back drop. I still enjoyed it very much! See it if you get the chance!

A decent enough watch as the leads are lovely, as is the great Joe Mantegna. Overall the film looks great with really nice directing. However, the story is a cleched, bizarre mess, packed full of unexplained situations.

The plot is silly, the characters are totally underdeveloped, especially Annabelle, who is one of the most poorly written characters of recent times, and they all do things that make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Some problems I had with the film (in no particular order):

Why does Elvis dislike Annabelle? It appears to be because he has a chip on his shoulder about her being a popular cheerleader at school, & he wasn't in the "in crowd" but that just doesn't make sense, & we are given no background as to why he would feel that way.

Why would Elvis have been unpopular anyway? He is an attractive, smart young guy whose father has a successful business? (embalming sure, but still)

Why on earth are the police even looking for Annabelle, when they know she has just gone away for a while of her own accord, she is NOT a missing person?

Why did they run away together when the police realise she's been at his house? Again, they're not in trouble with the police & haven't done anything wrong??

Why doesn't Elvis just get his embalming license already! This is never explained.

Why did Elvis' mother commit suicide? Again, never explained.

How can anyone actually think that Charlie is capable of contining his embalming business, when he is obviously not right physically or mentally?

Why on earth would Annabelle want to go & stay at the embalmers house to get away, who she doesn't know from Adam?? WTF? If she's so popular wouldn't she have other friends she could stay at - or a motel?

Why would either of them decide to kill themselves? There is really no build up to this at all?

Girls with eating disorders don't just die suddenly from heart attacks, espcially when they aren't THAT skinny! And again, why did she suddenly wake up on the table, when she was pronounced dead? Yup, never explained.

Blake Lively herself is lovely, but Annabelle's character has absolutely ZERO substance, and makes no sense! I mean, who is she? What kind of person is she? She is a popular beauty queen who's mother pushes her into it obviously but we actually have no background on her or her mother whatsoever. What is done to show us that she doesn't love that life? Or that she is really a sweet hometown girl who knows how to drive a tractor, paint a house & plant a field! You can't just tell us - you have to SHOW us! (My biggest annoyance of this film, and of most recent films)

So there you go. I've no doubt plenty of shallow folk will love this film - admittedly it does look good. But if you are looking for a film with substance - this is definitely not for you.

It takes a certain type of personality to enjoy this movie as much as I did. Melancholic yet hopeful, with a mystical yet romantic flair, this movie can really touch your heart especially if you're open and in the mood for your heart to be touched.

I recently watched Max Minghella in The Social Network and was slightly turned off by the person he portrays but his role in Elvis & Anabelle gave me a totally different (positive) vibe. Some people might find him dark and unappealing but once knowing the goodness of his intentions and the kindness of his heart it's impossible not to like him.

A whole separate review can be written about Blake Lively who is quite annoying in Gossip Girl but somehow likable at the same time and just one of those actors who you can't take your eyes off of. In fact I found Elvis & Anabelle while I was looking for more titles with Lively in them.

The performance of Joe Mantegna and his relationship to the other main characters in this movie are sweet and endearing. Actually I think a lot of the amazing feeling I got by the end of the movie was due to his role in it.

Overall - watch it if you haven't watched it, have no great expectations, and you might be pleasantly surprised and find yourself thinking about it for days afterwords.

It's one of those movies about the small things in life that give you the most meaning. It's one of those movies that make you want to live the simple life of the main characters and make you believe you will be completely satisfied with it. Worth mentioning is also the great cinematography - many beautiful scenes like fine art photographs taken by a talented photographer.

Other titles that left me with a similar hopeful and warm feeling: Waitress, The Good Girl, The Family Stone, Little Miss Sunshine.

I just saw the movie at the Newport Beach Film Festival and was surprisingly pleased. I had no idea that a romance based in a mortuary could be so enjoyable. In a day of remakes and dull story lines, it was a pleasure to see a fresh and intriguing plot line. Strong performances by Max Minghella, Blake Lively and especially Joe Mantegna kept the audience captivated until the end. Mantegna's performance as a physically and mentally challenged father is magnificent. The cinematography is outstanding and immerses you in each scene. The soundtrack is as obscure as the story line but is also a breath of fresh air when compared to the usual Top 40 used in most movies. This is a must see movie. You won't be disappointed.

I'm an avid film buff and Elvis and Anabelle ranks right up there at the top of the list of must see movies. At the end, I felt as if I was in an altered state due to the riveting nature of the movie from beginning to end. It was cast perfectly and written with heart wrenching realism. The music and cinematography, combined with the superlative acting, made this movie unforgettable. I fervently hope that Elvis and Anabelle gets picked up and widely distributed. Everyone deserves a chance to experience the genius of Will Geiger. Will Geiger has a bright future ahead as a filmmaker. I eagerly anticipate his next movie.