David Prickett

Disappointing. This movie did not do a very good job of capturing who Elvis was, honoring his incredible voice, or depicting his appeal beyond a bunch of screaming young women. It made his life out to be a circus—and it may have been at times—but it glossed over the beauty of his talent which, in my view, exceeded what we know as Elvis the sensation. Especially aggravating was the screen time devoted to Tom Hank’s character, Col. Tom Parker. I don’t believe I have ever despised a movie character more. If the real-life Parker was anything close to the portrayal in the movie, he would have suffered repeated and justified beatings. In the end, the movie left me sad beyond just the tragedy of his short life; those that don’t know much about Elvis will be left with what I believe is a small and distorted impression of him, and those of us who remember him and have appreciated him for many decades will wonder anew about what could have been had he had a genuine friend and someone to watch his back.