'Priscilla' review: Elvis Presley's ex-wife gets a stylish yet superficial movie treatment
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Those heartfelt Elvis Presley love songs will probably sound a bit sour after watching the new biopic "Priscilla."
Based on Priscilla Presleyâs 1985 memoir âElvis and Me,â the stylized drama (â â ½ out of four; rated R; in select theaters Friday, nationwide Nov. 3) chronicles the early relationship and tumultuous marriage between Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) and Elvis (Jacob Elordi). But donât go in expecting a retread of last yearâs âElvis.â With âPriscilla,â co-writer/director Sofia Coppola (âLost in Translationâ) presents Elvis as the toxic King of Rock 'n' Roll, successfully giving their love story a distinct perspective, though one lacking character development or any significant nuance.
Spaeny, whose biggest roles to date are âThe Craftâ and âPacific Rimâ sequels, is the real find here, gamely playing the title character from a young teen to her late 20s. In 1959, Priscilla is a 14-year-old ninth grader feeling bored and stuck in Germany, where her Air Force dad (Ari Cohen) is stationed, when a young military man asks if she likes Elvis Presley, then a soldier overseas in the Army. She gets permission from her reluctant dad and mom (Dagmara Dominczyk) to attend a party at Elvisâ place.
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âYouâre just a baby,â the 24-year-old music superstar says â the first of many times the sentiment is expressed about their massive age difference and the fact that she always looks like a kid next to him. (With a bouffant hairdo, she still doesnât come up to his shoulders.) Even considering the time period, itâs a creepy sight for 2023 eyes but they do hit it off, sharing a strong sense of homesickness. The time comes when he has to return to the States, years pass as he focuses on his movie career, and finally, she convinces her parents to let her finish up school in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Priscilla soon figures out that sheâs only traded one cage for another: Heâs often off making movies, leaving her alone at Graceland to read magazine reports of rumored dalliances with co-stars Ann-Margret and Nancy Sinatra â not to mention endure side-eye from jealous classmates. And when Elvis is around, heâs increasingly controlling in every aspect, including her makeup and the color of her wardrobe. (Mr. âBlue Suede Shoesâ is not a fan of brown!)
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She wants to work at a boutique after school, but he says no. She wants to be intimate, but he brushes her off. He flies off the handle at her, and moments later heâs asking for forgiveness. Drugs and erratic behavior begin to be a part of their relationship as they marry and have a child. In one scene, an angry Elvis flings a chair in her direction and almost hits her, though the abuse is more psychological than physical, and Priscilla has to work to find any sense of freedom.
While complementary in their individual points of view, âPriscillaâ and âElvisâ couldn't be more opposite. âElvisâ is zippy and energetic while âPriscillaâ is methodical, bordering on sedate. However, the biggest sin with âPriscillaâ is Coppola never really digs into her wants and desires apart from Elvis. While theyâre shown getting to know each other early on and there are moments of passion and fury later between the couple, their emotional bond is left unexplored to the point where you really wonder why Priscilla sticks around through her loveâs Bad Boyfriend 101 antics.
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Elordi has his moments as Elvis â one fun scene, in particular, has him snapping photos with excited nuns after Priscillaâs graduation â but his performance is surprisingly charmless, almost by design. âPriscillaâ overall has a rather anti-Elvis vibe: Instead of the Kingâs tunes, the soundtrack is sprinkled with songs like a Ramones cover of The Ronettesâ âBaby, I Love Youâ and Dolly Partonâs âI Will Always Love You.â (âDonât Be Cruelâ and âHeartbreak Hotelâ honestly would have been too on the nose, anyway.)
Like most Coppola efforts, it's a good-looking film yet the storytelling in âPriscillaâ frustrates instead of illuminates, letting down its namesake with a superficial approach to an iconic life.
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