Elvis
Rent & Buy
The life story of Elvis Presley as seen through the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
What critics thought
Austin Butler's performance as Elvis draws near-universal admiration, but the film itself splits critics sharply along the fault line of Baz Luhrmann's maximalist style — enthusiasts find the sensory overload exhilarating, while detractors argue the spectacle swallows the subject whole. Tom Hanks's Colonel Tom Parker is a particular point of contention, with some finding him a fascinating framing device and others regarding the portrayal as a garish miscalculation that distorts the story's center of gravity.
“captures the tragic paradox of a phenomenal success story who clings tenaciously to the American Dream even as it keeps crumbling in his hands”
David Rooney·The Hollywood Reporter
“it veers in and out of fashion on a scene-by-scene basis: it's the most impeccably styled and blaringly gaudy thing you'll see all year, and all the more fun for it”
Robbie Collin·The Telegraph
“I honestly haven't a clue, although the image of Sydney Greenstreet looming menacingly in The Maltese Falcon repeatedly came to mind, with a dash of Hogan's Heroes”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“finds so little reason for Presley's life to be the stuff of a Baz Luhrmann movie that the equation ultimately inverts itself, leaving us with an Elvis Presley movie about Baz Luhrmann. They both deserve better”
David Ehrlich·IndieWire
“makes a compelling argument for the power of Elvis, at a time when the musician's arguably lost a little of his cultural cachet”
Clarisse Loughrey·The Independent
Accolades
Genres
Music, History, Drama
Cast & Crew
Baz LuhrmannDirector
Austin ButlerElvis Presley
Tom HanksColonel Tom Parker
Olivia DeJongePriscilla
Helen ThomsonGladys Presley
Richard RoxburghVernon Presley
Kelvin Harrison Jr.B.B. King
David WenhamHank Snow
Kodi Smit-McPheeJimmie Rodgers Snow
Luke BraceyJerry Schilling
Dacre MontgomerySteve Binder
Leon FordTom Diskin
Gary Clark Jr.Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup
Jeremy DonerWriter
Craig PearceWriter
Mandy WalkerCinematographyElvis
The life story of Elvis Presley as seen through the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
What critics thought
Austin Butler's performance as Elvis draws near-universal admiration, but the film itself splits critics sharply along the fault line of Baz Luhrmann's maximalist style — enthusiasts find the sensory overload exhilarating, while detractors argue the spectacle swallows the subject whole. Tom Hanks's Colonel Tom Parker is a particular point of contention, with some finding him a fascinating framing device and others regarding the portrayal as a garish miscalculation that distorts the story's center of gravity.
“captures the tragic paradox of a phenomenal success story who clings tenaciously to the American Dream even as it keeps crumbling in his hands”
David Rooney·The Hollywood Reporter
“it veers in and out of fashion on a scene-by-scene basis: it's the most impeccably styled and blaringly gaudy thing you'll see all year, and all the more fun for it”
Robbie Collin·The Telegraph
“I honestly haven't a clue, although the image of Sydney Greenstreet looming menacingly in The Maltese Falcon repeatedly came to mind, with a dash of Hogan's Heroes”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“finds so little reason for Presley's life to be the stuff of a Baz Luhrmann movie that the equation ultimately inverts itself, leaving us with an Elvis Presley movie about Baz Luhrmann. They both deserve better”
David Ehrlich·IndieWire
“makes a compelling argument for the power of Elvis, at a time when the musician's arguably lost a little of his cultural cachet”
Clarisse Loughrey·The Independent
Accolades
Genres
Music, History, Drama
Cast & Crew
Baz LuhrmannDirectorAustin ButlerElvis PresleyTom HanksColonel Tom ParkerOlivia DeJongePriscillaHelen ThomsonGladys PresleyRichard RoxburghVernon PresleyKelvin Harrison Jr.B.B. KingDavid WenhamHank SnowKodi Smit-McPheeJimmie Rodgers SnowLuke BraceyJerry SchillingDacre MontgomerySteve BinderLeon FordTom DiskinGary Clark Jr.Arthur 'Big Boy' CrudupJeremy DonerWriterCraig PearceWriterMandy WalkerCinematographyRent & Buy