Priscilla (2023)
We managed to catch this Sofia Coppola film on the very last day it left Tubi, the only streaming service that was carrying it.
At the moment it's only available to rent on Amazon or for purchase or rent on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Worth catching up with? Ehhhh.....yes and no.
What the strange, sad story this is, co-produced by Priscilla Presley herself and based her on own memoir of her courtship, life and marriage with the titanically famous legendary rock 'n roll superstar or all superstars.
Coppola's casting of the two leads becomes her film's biggest assets and liabilities all at the same time.
Physically, they're all wrong for the parts (and each other).....Jacob Elordi's too freakin' tall and thin for Elvis and petite Cailee Spaeny, at barely five feet, looks like she'd need mountain climbing equipment to reach him for a kiss.
But these kids, as odd as they appear together, possess talent to burn and they inhabit their roles with unerring skill and conviction. Elordi nails that soft, mellow voice and Spaeny, whose story this is, convincingly takes us through Priscilla's transformative journey...... from a naive middle schooler to a heartbroken young woman to a wife finally driven to seize control of her own destiny.
Sofia Coppola, never a director to make crowd pleasing entertainments, isn't afraid to craft a dark moody, slowly paced fairy tale gone awry. And she fashions a portrait of Elvis as an eternally child-like narcissist who selects an actual child as his mate....to nurture, groom and keep under his watchful protection like a Don't-Open-til-Christmas collectible doll.
It's a unflattering portrait of Elvis Presley as you're likely to ever see, but at the same time, an epic tragedy of a young girl who can't pierce through the barrier of Elvis's overwhelming fame, insecurity and ego to obtain the love she mistakenly thought he could provide.
Not an easy film to watch by any means, but fans of Coppola's work, independent cinema, and the fast rising two young stars will want to seek it out.
3 stars (***).
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