Music agent Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) is best known for his time spent with music star Elvis Presely (Austin Butler). However, he’s been under fire forever, being labeled the manipulative leader of one of the greatest performers of all time–and he’s here to tell you his side of the story. Director Baz Luhrmann expresses the journey of Colonel Tom Parker, with instances of Elvis sprinkled throughout–framing the King’s life as one part of a whole; and that whole is Colonel Tom.
In typical Baz Luhrmann fashion, Elvis is full of magical realism and exaggeration. Luhrmann is what’s known as a maximalist filmmaker, pushing the boundaries of what is and isn’t acceptable in his films–and in Elvis he goes too far. What should have been a straightforward telling of the greatest rock and roll musician of all time’s life immediately shifts to something else. Elvis and his ventures alone should have been enough to wet Luhrmann’s whistle, to fill the void of insanity that he often craves–but he takes it further. He uses animation, wildly out-of-place location titles, and he pushes for Colonel Tom to be the center of attention. Not only is it an odd decision to make Colonel Tom Parker the core of Elvis, but the casting of the character makes this decision even more troublesome.
Hanks has long been known to many as one of the best actors of this generation (and I’m one of the people that subscribes to this idea). He’s proven himself time and time again in films like Forrest Gump, Castaway, and Captain Phillips–but his part in Elvis appears to be out of his range. I didn’t think I’d ever say that, that the great Tom Hanks was incapable of delivering a respectable performance, but here we are. Especially with the decision to constantly showcase Colonel Tom, Hanks finds himself incapable of delivering a believable performance. Elvis, as a whole, is a challenge, but this may be the most frustrating aspect of the entire film.
Luhrmann has also been known to take time-stamped stories and pull them into the current century. He’s done it with classics such as Romeo + Juliet and The Great Gatsby–and up to this point, he’s found success. His choices have seemingly been valid–even if they do flip the script on things that the world already loves. Incorporating modern music is a big part of what catapults these films into a new generation, and for those aforementioned films it works. Sure, the music is out of place, but it works with the overall tone of these pieces. Here, in Elvis, Luhrmann tries once again to do what the world knows him for–bring in modern music to help tell a story. It goes without saying, but don’t fuck with Elvis’ music. There’s no reason to include songs like “Vegas” by Doja Cat or “Tupelo Shuffle” by Diplo and Swae Lee. These songs are out of place, far too left-of-center–doing nothing to support Elvis, only becoming a detriment to it.
There are pieces of Elvis that do work: the costume and set designs, Butler’s performance, and more. These things, things that have been recognized by the Academy this year, help to keep the film afloat. Without them, the obscenities of Hanks’ performance and the asinine decisions made by Luhrmann would have completely taken over and drowned the film before it ever began.
Elvis is the most disappointing film of 2022. Constantly presented to the world as one of the best films of 2022, nominated for Best Picture (and six other awards) at this year’s Academy Awards, and co-starring the beloved Hanks, expectations were high. There was no way that Elvis could fail, no way that with all that it promised that it wouldn’t live up to the hype. Had someone else been in charge of bringing the film to life, someone other than Luhrmann, I believe that Elvis would have stood a chance–but Luhrmann does too many Luhrmann-esque things, crippling the film early on. While there are short stints of beauty and success, the film ultimately falls victim to its leader. Luhrmann fails his film, and the film fails audiences.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann.
Written by Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, & Jeremy Doner.
Starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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