My quick rating - 7,2/10. Another Oscar nominee for best picture. Austin Butler was excellent in his depiction of Elvis. Often times he was holding this movie together since Baz Luhrmann has a tendency to get a bit lost in his own flicks. One thing that stuck out to me in this is the complete lack of addressing the drug problem that Elvis had. I understand trying to keep with the all American image, but if you are going to show the highs and lows of a legends career such as this, you cannot just ignore a major component to how he was after returning from the Army. Putting aside my major gripe, I will say that the performance by Butler is very deserving of the praise and awards he has received. As far as the story goes, it is nice that it focused a lot on Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) and how he completely took advantage of Elvis from the very beginning. Another great performance is turned in by Hanks who, as you are watching, you may forget who the story is actually about. If Parker isn't on the screen he almost asuredly is narrating. He gets that much presence in the flick. I enjoyed getting a biopic on someone who was so iconic and absolutely changed the music industry such as Elvis did. Sometimes it is very difficult to realize that one person made such an impact on American and even the world the way he did. Getting a glimpse into what his rise to fame and his influences were helps bring a better understanding to him. I just wish it was a bit more encompassing but I suppose the darker stuff can stay for the books, let the entertainment from this film at least enlighten the viewer to the rest of his story.
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