I've taken some time away from writing movie reviews, mainly because I wanted to write about different things here for a while and because spring is usually the worst time of year for film releases. But now I'm back, so let's get to it.
I was excited for Elvis and Nixon because it is an independent film with two great character actors, and the trailer looked truly funny. But while the film tries desperately to engage, as if holding up a neon sign glowing, "Look how interesting this is," it doesn't quite reach an effect worthy of its aims. With a running time of 100 minutes, the film feels like it labors to fill the space. A 70-minute HBO or Netflix release would suit the story better. Though the leads (Michael Shannon as Elvis and Kevin Spacey as President Nixon) are excellent, there simply isn't much for them or other characters to do. While these two men were indeed larger than life, they are not quite large enough to tell this particular story.
In 1970, Elvis Presley wrote a letter to President Nixon requesting a meeting and sauntered to the front gates of the White House to hand-deliver it. He was concerned with the drug culture, the spread of communism, and diminishing American values the 1960s had wrought and wanted to serve as an undercover "federal agent at large." With a real badge, of course. President Nixon was dismissive of Presley, but his aides were able to convince him it would be an effective PR move. So they did meet and what resulted was one of the most iconic photographs in American history. This is all historically true.
However, what actually happened in that meeting remains a mystery (since no recordings or transcripts exist), and the legend of their secret conversation grew over time. The premise of Elvis and Nixon is obviously entertaining. Stodgy and disliked Nixon has to meet the flashiest and most beloved entertainer on the planet. Elvis, who wears capes and gold sunglasses and is recognized the world over, actually believes he can go undercover and bust up drug rings and mob organizations. Everyone involved knows this is a ridiculous idea, but they go ahead with it anyway--and Nixon actually likes Elvis. And what the heck is a "federal agent at large" anyways? This is funny. Unfortunately, because we can only guess at what happened behind that closed Oval Office door, the pure speculation as to what occurs in their meeting only heightens the absurdity, while reducing the reality. This leads to what feels like an extended skit on Saturday Night Live instead of an honest exploration of these two men and their desires for serving America.
Shannon and Spacey are both excellent. Spacey effectively impersonates Nixon, but Shannon's Elvis is much more nuanced, despite the garish accoutrements. There's no curled lip or hip wriggling. He is serious and charming, polite and endlessly confident. Shannon makes us believe that a man with jet black hair and an enormous gold belt could actually be helpful in FBI investigations. And his karate demonstration with Nixon, while hammy, is superbly funny. He gives several brilliant mini-monologues that would be perfect in a better film, but here they feel, unfortunately, out of place. Though no one would say Shannon looks like the King, we don't care at all, as his southern drawl and folksy quirks are plenty to convince us. Shannon is the main reason this film works.
It's interesting that Elvis and Nixon is even considered a story worth telling these days. After all, the mixing of celebrity and politics is nearly so commonplace that not seeing politicians invite stars to the White House would be strange. The film presents a premise that Elvis wanting to meet with the president is inherently humorous, since he clearly knows nothing about the tangled web of bureaucracy or the minutia of public policy initiatives. Yet, that is what happens all the time, and few seem perturbed by it. Why does no one think it's weird that Jay-Z and George Clooney pop into the West Wing now and then? Isn't it just as strange that they have President Obama's ear? Of course, Presley was a once in lifetime personality who even became a caricature of himself in his later years of performing. But the point remains: why pick on Nixon here for his odd interactions with celebrity culture (as was similarly depicted in Frost/Nixon and elsewhere), but we don't do the same with other high-ranking politicians?
Elvis and Nixon is a film that tries hard to be important, but it doesn't quite make it. And perhaps the same could be said for most celebrities and politicians.
Grade: C+
I was excited for Elvis and Nixon because it is an independent film with two great character actors, and the trailer looked truly funny. But while the film tries desperately to engage, as if holding up a neon sign glowing, "Look how interesting this is," it doesn't quite reach an effect worthy of its aims. With a running time of 100 minutes, the film feels like it labors to fill the space. A 70-minute HBO or Netflix release would suit the story better. Though the leads (Michael Shannon as Elvis and Kevin Spacey as President Nixon) are excellent, there simply isn't much for them or other characters to do. While these two men were indeed larger than life, they are not quite large enough to tell this particular story.
In 1970, Elvis Presley wrote a letter to President Nixon requesting a meeting and sauntered to the front gates of the White House to hand-deliver it. He was concerned with the drug culture, the spread of communism, and diminishing American values the 1960s had wrought and wanted to serve as an undercover "federal agent at large." With a real badge, of course. President Nixon was dismissive of Presley, but his aides were able to convince him it would be an effective PR move. So they did meet and what resulted was one of the most iconic photographs in American history. This is all historically true.
However, what actually happened in that meeting remains a mystery (since no recordings or transcripts exist), and the legend of their secret conversation grew over time. The premise of Elvis and Nixon is obviously entertaining. Stodgy and disliked Nixon has to meet the flashiest and most beloved entertainer on the planet. Elvis, who wears capes and gold sunglasses and is recognized the world over, actually believes he can go undercover and bust up drug rings and mob organizations. Everyone involved knows this is a ridiculous idea, but they go ahead with it anyway--and Nixon actually likes Elvis. And what the heck is a "federal agent at large" anyways? This is funny. Unfortunately, because we can only guess at what happened behind that closed Oval Office door, the pure speculation as to what occurs in their meeting only heightens the absurdity, while reducing the reality. This leads to what feels like an extended skit on Saturday Night Live instead of an honest exploration of these two men and their desires for serving America.
Shannon and Spacey are both excellent. Spacey effectively impersonates Nixon, but Shannon's Elvis is much more nuanced, despite the garish accoutrements. There's no curled lip or hip wriggling. He is serious and charming, polite and endlessly confident. Shannon makes us believe that a man with jet black hair and an enormous gold belt could actually be helpful in FBI investigations. And his karate demonstration with Nixon, while hammy, is superbly funny. He gives several brilliant mini-monologues that would be perfect in a better film, but here they feel, unfortunately, out of place. Though no one would say Shannon looks like the King, we don't care at all, as his southern drawl and folksy quirks are plenty to convince us. Shannon is the main reason this film works.
It's interesting that Elvis and Nixon is even considered a story worth telling these days. After all, the mixing of celebrity and politics is nearly so commonplace that not seeing politicians invite stars to the White House would be strange. The film presents a premise that Elvis wanting to meet with the president is inherently humorous, since he clearly knows nothing about the tangled web of bureaucracy or the minutia of public policy initiatives. Yet, that is what happens all the time, and few seem perturbed by it. Why does no one think it's weird that Jay-Z and George Clooney pop into the West Wing now and then? Isn't it just as strange that they have President Obama's ear? Of course, Presley was a once in lifetime personality who even became a caricature of himself in his later years of performing. But the point remains: why pick on Nixon here for his odd interactions with celebrity culture (as was similarly depicted in Frost/Nixon and elsewhere), but we don't do the same with other high-ranking politicians?
Elvis and Nixon is a film that tries hard to be important, but it doesn't quite make it. And perhaps the same could be said for most celebrities and politicians.
Grade: C+