Priscilla

Just rather uninteresting, on film terms at least.

It is interesting seeing the film portray a different type of version of Elvis Presley, one that is uncomfortable to watch unfold but one that ought to be told. That's where anything noteworthy I have to say about this release ends, though. As a movie, it's rather boring. I'm not convinced there's enough to be told across a full blown picture, at least not one around 1hr 45mins in length. I will say that Cailee Spaeny puts in a solid display as the titular character, in fairness.

Jacob Elordi as Elvis, in my opinion, isn't a positive to be honest. If I didn't know he was playing Elvis I genuinely wouldn't have guessed he was playing the singer, aside from a few outfits and the twisty bit of hair in his fringe. Accent particularly seemed off to me too, Elordi amusingly (given the director's connection) sounds more like Nicolas Cage (c. 1997, 'Con Air', Cameron Poe) on phone call scenes.

It's competently put together visually at least, though overall I can't honestly say this made a mark on me personally. I don't feel like I learnt anything about 'Priscilla' herself. I doubt I'll remember this one long term, sadly.

The movie fails to provide a closer look at the real Priscilla -- most of the movie's portrayal is already known to the world-wide Elvis audiences. Worse is that it portrays Elvis in such a negative light -- again, much of which; the drug addiction and its obvious ills, the audience already knows. The actors did what they could to this uninspiring script, especially Elordi but it was really the visuals that were, if anything, at all interesting and beautiful. That said, I could not get past the height difference between the key actors which was an obvious mismatch nor a more in-depth understanding of the main character herself. As I drove home from the theatre I just kept asking myself, "But...why? Why make this movie?" What good comes from it? For me, the portrayal did no good to Priscilla necessarily; as mentioned it taught little of her; her parents or their parenting, it lacked an emotional fullness to the real life story of this romance (if you will), and other than the bedroom scenes, very little of Priscilla's thinking, the relationship of Elvis and she. Lastly, and importantly, it does little good to the real-life extended Presley family, not to mention, the legacy of Elvis.

I saw this 2 weeks ago and completely forgot that I had. Even watching the trailer right now doesn't bring memories of me watching this movie. It's like a bland meal with zero spices. Totally unoriginal. Utterly boring and predictable. It's sad because this is a story worth telling and I'm sure that it was an epic ride for Priscilla but this movie barely made any impact. It lacked something major and I can't even put my finger on it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible but it was nothing to rave about.

My main issue with this movie is how Priscilla is portrayed. She is totally character-less. Almost no emotion. Very slow. Lifeless. As if she never even lived. Even the party scenes in Vegas were slow and lifeless. It may have been the editing or maybe the low budget (?) but this movie did not portray the grand-ness and epic-ness of the life that Elvis' girl must have had.

Watch if you're bored and have nothing better to do. Otherwise, skip.

When a film seeks to depict the life story of a beloved public figure, it generally works best when it paints a comprehensive portrait of said individual. However, in this biography of the wife of rock icon Elvis Presley, viewers get a picture that seemingly tells only half of the story. Writer-director Sofia Coppola's latest focuses on the years Priscilla Presley (Cailee Spaeny) spent with Elvis (Jacob Elordi). They embark on a sincerely loving relationship that, sadly, falls prey to problems with drugs, firearms, infidelity, prolonged separations and control freak tendencies, conditions - largely initiated by Elvis - that eventually lead to their separation (and at times cause the film to be more about him than her). Regrettably, the choice of this narrative leaves out the many significant personal and professional accomplishments of Priscilla's life on her own, an inspiring story that's completely (and perplexingly) overlooked. As a consequence, viewers are primarily shown a profile of a predominantly subservient character who rarely rebels until she finally somehow musters up the courage to leave (where did that trait come from?), with nothing about the successes that followed. In addition, there are many story threads that feel unresolved or underdeveloped, leaving audiences hanging about what comes from them. To its credit, "Priscilla" is, in several respects, some of the best (though surprisingly most conventional) work that Coppola has produced as a filmmaker, as evidenced in the cinematography and editing and in Elordi's balanced portrayal of Elvis. But, like other of Coppola's efforts, this offering could still use some tidying up in the writing, character development and overall story structure. The wife of a King truly warrants better treatment.

Priscilla does really well when it comes to cinematography and direction. There are good shots in the movie and Coppola did an amazing job as director.

However, the screenplay was very disappointing to me. The story feels slow at times and gets into a repetitive cycle after a while: Elvis does something horrible to Priscilla, they fight, Priscilla hesitates to leave him, and finally forgives him for unexplainable reasons. And in the end, when she finally leaves him, we don't know what finally made her make the decision, she just leaves. Moreover, I was expecting to see more of Priscilla's life where Elvis is not a central part of the story, as the title might have suggested, but the film starts when she meets him and ends when he is no longer part of her life.

Apart from that, I think Cailee Spaeny did an incredible job and is the highlight of the movie. I have mixed feelings about Jacob Elordi, at times he felt like the perfect choice for the role, but other times it felt like I was watching his Euphoria character.

The movie is a beautifully decorated but empty box.