Finding Graceland

"Finding Graceland" is a sweet, fascinating movie that will take you through a whole landscape of unlikely characters who show up unexpectedly and manage to leave their perfect gifts behind. It is a road movie in which the adventures are spiritual. When Keitel announces that he is Elvis, you suspect that he is delusional but, before the movie ends he will convince you that what you think you know is not necessarily the way things are. Keitel is wonderful at playing tough guys but I think he really shines as an actor in his smaller and more low-key movies like this one and Smoke. The cast is excellent - some playing celebrity impersonators who are real, complex human beings with personalities of their own. Bridget Fonda as a tender, almost motherly, Marilyn Monroe is great fun to watch. I've seen this movie several times and it holds up well, always revealing new layers of story and message. Wonderful scenery, a classy car, excellent performances, and a quirky plot make this a worthwhile movie to watch. Maybe even to watch over and over. I hope you like it as much as I do.