Making a King
Cert 12A ★★★★ In cinemas now
Grave news for wedding singers and Las Vegas variety acts – it’s time to hang up those sparkly jumpsuits and shave off those pork-chop sideburns. From now on, there’s only one Elvis impersonator worth watching.
Hollywood was all shook up when Austin Butler snagged the role, beating off pop sensation Harry Styles. But the newcomer repays the faith of Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann with a star-is-born performance.
Butler, 30, nails the moves, mannerisms and soulful voice and even channels The
King’s charisma. Luhrmann focuses on his complex relationship with manipulative manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks in a fat suit) who talks us through Elvis’s formative years in Mississippi where he wiggles his hips when taken by the Lord’s spirit in church.
Parker knows little about music but, when he sees Elvis perform and scores of seemingly rational women turn into screaming maniacs, you can imagine dollar signs in his eyes.
He takes charge of young Presley’s career but a furore erupts over his ungodly gyrations and, during a brush with the authorities, the colonel fears his own dark past could be exposed. His bid to tame rebellious Elvis leads to conflict but, as the singer needs to provide for an extended family plus wife Priscilla (Olivia Dejonge) and daughter Lisa-marie, Parker has the upper hand.
The star ends up hooked on drugs and trapped in a contract with a Vegas casino. It’s a sad ending to a film filled with triumphant moments, such as a behind-the-scenes look at his 1968 TV special and a concert where Elvis baits the police with If You’re Looking For Trouble.
We don’t really get under his skin but this is a foot-tapping, spine-tingling testament to a musical pioneer.
He nails Elvis’s moves, mannerisms, soulful voice and even his charisma