Elvis

Riveting. Elvis is portrayed as a real human being with all the trials, tribulations, and temptations we all face. This movie shows what so many of us suspected all along: Elvis was misguided and mismanaged by the Colonel who kept Elvis from reaching his full singing and acting potential. We may never know the real genius of the King of Rock n' Roll. Sad, sad indeed! The character of Elvis comes through loud and clear. He pledged loyalty to the Colonel and maintained that loyalty at his own expense. This is the best Elvis movie since the Kurt Russell flick which was simply excellent.

Rev. James W. Clifton

...why...??? well you know Elvis's magnificent song (my favorite of his) which superbly closes the film.Instead of showing Elvis' years of decrepitude,the film avoids the major pitfall of the biopics:dwelling on the sordid side of life.

Not that this "Elvis" passes over in silence the warts 'n all side .Colonel Parker provides the movie with a true villain;he made Elvis but he destroyed him.Take Elvis's movies career :the singer did know what was good (Siegel's "Flaming Star" ) and bad (90% of the rest). He wanted the part of Tony in "West Side Story" and I'm sure he would have been quite good ,at least he could sing ,whilst Richard Beymer could not .

The first part is the rise to fame till Elvis's drafted :Camryn Mannheim,an actress I did not know reminds me of Kathy Bates ,as Gladys Presley -Like John Lennon,Elvis's mother's death was probably the worst thing that happened to him- shines ,and along with Jonathan Rhys Meyers ,who gives an exciting performance and Robert Patrick ,the father at the beck and call of Parker ,they form a credible Presley family. Sam Philips represents music for the art's sake whereas Parker is only in it for the money.

Rhys Meyers carries the second part almost singlehandedly.Priscilla,his femme-infant,Ann Margret ,the duds ,the British invasions (Beatles and Stones ,singers Elvis hated ,though he covered the former group's "Something" ),and the longing for something else (He was always reading strange books)which the finale" If I can dream" perfectly captures.

Parker's character is probably caricatured ,but it does not spoil the interest."Elvis" is a made-for-TV biopic to recommend.

A true Elvis fan will appreciate the solid and outstanding effort by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He was a natural choice for this project. Aside from the strong resemblance, he also found a way to speak and move like him. He doesn't over-do the accent or the moves. The supporting cast deserves a lot of credit as well, especially Camryn's portrayal of Gladys Presley. The story is very well written and flows nicely. Most fans will enjoy learning more details about the events in his life. The music is exciting too. You will hear the original master recordings as Jonathan performs and he stays true to the tone of the song. Without a doubt this mini-series will keep you captivated.

Randy Quaid almost steals the show as the Colonel, his acting should be award-winning. I don't know how realistic the role was, but the real Colonel could have only hoped to be such a dynamic character.

Overall it was a pleasantly surprising TV movie, and Rhys-Meyers did a terrific job as Elvis. I wish he could have been 2 inches taller, but his voice impersonation was very believable.

Robert Patrick and Camryn Manheim both did excellent acting jobs. Except for Rose McGowan as Ann-Margret, the casting was excellent.

Very easy and fun to watch, I gave it a 9/10 because it is made for TV, and it is surprising that they put so much effort into it.

I have read some of the comments regarding the Elvis CBS mini series just aired and as someone who was close to Elvis for over 20 years it is disheartening to see the praise for this mini series, it's story, script and the midget who played Elvis. A midget in many aspects.

What we feared when we heard about the script has come to pass. These reviews point out to those of us who were close to him what we really were afraid of. That the general public would believe that pitiful story that was shown because the general public and many fans really don't know how it was.

Films like this do Elvis an injustice and along with the many discrepancies portrayed it once again portrayed Elvis as a wimpy, weak ass, whiny person when in fact he was a strong human being in many aspects of his life.

I was told by some Elvis fans who also disagree with you all on the brilliance of this movie about these reviews on this website and I was compelled to post here and respectfully inform you that the mini series was far from the reality of Elvis and all those years.

Thank you, Marty Lacker