Elmer Ahrens

I went to see this movie with a good friend who had read the book. I purposely never view movie trailers or read plot summaries before viewing a movie. That being said, I had no idea what to expect, but have family in Louisiana, so I grew up being very familiar with crawfish. Some scenes are very difficult to watch and absorb. I wouldn’t recommend younger audiences accompany adults to see it, but use your discernment as it relates to your scenario. Abuse, (physical, verbal, mental) betrayal, abandonment, neglect, rape, sexual situations are among the scenes the audience will partake in. To counter those there are plenty episodes of kindness, love and the human spirit shown through the store owner couple, the attorney, whom has known of Kya her entire life & comes out of retirement to represent her,& finally, there is handsome Tate. His kindness abounds and you feel his genuineness. Some things were unclear and I understand a book can be more detailed and a movie budget forces events to be compressed. For example, we don’t learn what all Tate is doing while he is away at college, nor do we know precisely what happened to Kya’s siblings & their mother. One of her brothers comes back to inform her that seeing their mother is no longer a possibility. He has no news of the siblings for Kya. The actress who portrays Kya has a very strong accent but she gave n amazing performance with no hint of it. Really, she was outstanding in this role in every way. The ending was rather abrupt, but very well done. I would watch this movie again. It was the best movie I have seen in a long time.

I went into this movie with an open mind, intentionally not viewing trailers or the story line beforehand. That being said, Austin Butler was phenomenal, however, I sometimes caught myself thinking he looked more like John Travolta in “Grease” at times) more than he did Elvis. Butler did an excellent job of encapsulating Elvis, the entire person; mannerisms, movements, the way he spoke and perhaps, most impressively in his vocals. The southern black influence on Elvis was heavily portrayed, and tastefully presented. The young man portraying Little Richard provided a nice rendition. The movie also captured some of the societal tragedies we all had a tough time with. Even Elvis struggled greatly with the assassinations of MLK and Bobby Kennedy Sr. Knowing what many of us have learned about Tom Hanks, I must say I was exceptionally disappointed with the time and space allotted to his portrayal of Parker. I’ve read much on both and Parker was a crook deluxe. Nevertheless, Hanks captured the aura of Parker. I had no idea it would basically be told/narrated from Parker’s perspective. I felt that could’ve been minimized, while time could’ve been better utilized focusing on Elvis’ rise to fame and his pitfalls. I almost felt it was more about Parker and less about Elvis at times. I did not like how Elvis’ mother was portrayed as a heavy drinker. Maybe she was, but I’ve never read anything about that, and I don’t think the actual cause if her death was widely publicized. The dead cannot defend themselves. Similarly, after her death, Elvis has rocketed to fame, yet the movie depicts his vulnerability at having lost her, as he clings to her dress in the closet, crying. He had very little time to grieve, and Parker demanded Elvis face the press to give a statement. Grief denied is a common theme during times of tragedy for Elvis in this movie. I’m not sure what was up with the Rap style music that was featured in a scene from the movie, as well as at the close of it. I thought that was a huge disappointment and missed opportunity. I would much rather have seen side by sides of Austin and Elvis in scenes and archived photos, as well as perhaps an Elvis discography timeline, or montage of career photos. Though I was relieved they didn’t show a death scene, I did leave feeling very heavy and sad, as Elvis was Parker’s greatest “carnival act” ever. Taking 50% of his earnings, snd more at times, is kind blowing and well, sad. He wax extremely manipulative. How different might things have been had Parker’s and Presley’s paths never crossed? I’m so grateful I got to visit Graceland & Sun Records last year. I was able to identify with the home in the scenes where it was presented. Go. Take it in for what it is; entertainment!