skinnygaillard

To someone fairly clueless about Elvis Presley, I can see The Searcher being informative. I know quite a lot about him, I've listened to his music for years, have been to Graceland, Tupelo, Sun Studio, Studio B - you get the picture - and I didn't come away with anything extra. I like hearing Priscilla talk about Elvis because it's a perspective I want to hear, but she always cleans things up too much. I get that she's a businesswoman, and that she's entitled to privacy, but it's out there that their marriage was troubled and that it ended. I wish she'd just go into that a little.

Overall, while a nice bit of background noise, The Searcher falls victim to the unfortunate curse that blights a lot of Elvis Presley media; it fails to pack a punch; it fails to live up to him. And I don't know what gives Springsteen and Tom Petty the authority to talk about Elvis like they were there with him. It's likely they were used for their fame.

Of the handful of Elvis' movies I've tried to watch, Jailhouse Rock and King Creole have been the only ones I could finish.

King Creole is an obviously manufactured movie; it's there for a studio to make money. That doesn't mean it's too clean or predictable. There is some grittiness, good acting, and gorgeous sets and cinematography. Other characters shone and were there for you to care about. The music was integrated into the plot, and was absolutely fantastic. I just wish the lipsyncing was better.

If you're going to watch an Elvis movie, make it King Creole or Jailhouse Rock. They have a lot more than an over-worked Presley singing lame songs for the sake of profits.