Tail_End_Charlie

While I cannot highly recommend this film, it does have it's strengths: a very fine cast, enriching music, lush set design, and gorgeous costumes. For me, the beautiful land of England and Scotland was a character unto itself. Other reviewers have pointed out several historical inaccuracies, and I would agree. One lovely scene which appealed to the viewer's empathy about the complexities of women actually never occurred in history. In some scenes, the writing was poignant and telling, but other scenarios were drawn out.

I felt the makeup for Robbie (as Queen Elizabeth) was rigorously good... her nose appeared real. On a minor tech note, Mary actually had hazel brown eyes, rather than blue, and contact lenses would have made her appearance more accurate. That said, I did like the very natural makeup for this character.

Conceptually, this film explores a current trend (connections between disparate people). The cast is quite apt, particularly Issac, who was gifted with a substantial role. Banderas brings insightful subtly to his portrayal.

But something happened with the patchy writing and the ridiculous narration. I'm not complaining about the frequency of the narrator. I'm speaking to the overwrought editorial approach, while donning a wistful philosophical mask. The final portion of this film was anticlimatic and predictable. While I won't discourage viewers from seeing this, I can't enthusiastically recommend it.

Late one night, I came upon this little ditty on PBS, as the moon was about say adios. To echo what others have said, this film has an abundance of nice images, and it welcomes a plethora of comments from those who respected, love, and even pitied Elvis. There are some poignant moments from those who were close up to the King. One of the most touching moments comes when a contemporary musician feels such empathy for Elvis, that he can't help but shed painful tears.

As "GORTX" (and other reviewers) have wisely pointed out, the director felt compelled to connect some dots in a bit of a reckless way... particularly when he compares the dynamics of Elvis with today's political climate and the American Dream. When he does this, it somehow minimizes certain parts of the singer's dramatic narrative.

You'll will find some good stuff here, even if you think the political references are not justified. Try to absorb the lively rhythm and zesty imagery. Elvis had an easy charm and a distinct voice. His face was unusually striking. While his physicality might seem superficial, his looks served him well, and propelled his fame to a deeper level.