Elvis fans will be delighted to learn that Sofia Coppola’s 2023 biographical drama Priscilla will be available to stream this upcoming weekend. The movie, which is based on the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, which was written by Elvis Presley’s ex-wife Priscilla Presley, was a huge success.
Its plot on IMDb reads: “When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.
“Through Priscilla’s eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this deeply felt and ravishingly detailed portrait of love, fantasy, and fame.”
In contrast to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, which was released the previous year and saw Austin Butler embody the King of Rock and Roll, Priscilla focuses on Elvis’ spouse, who is portrayed by Cailee Spaeny.
In Priscilla, Elvis Presley is played by Jacob Elordi. Released in the United States by A24, the movie received positive reviews from critics and grossed $33 million worldwide. Moreover, Cailee received a Best Actress nomination at the Golden Globe Awards for her performance.
Priscilla received a score of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.5/10 on IMDb. Those who have watched the movies have been left with mixed feelings, as an IMDb wrote as a review: “The first hour was fantastic.
“They were both very good in their roles and the chemistry( or lack of ) was very well presented. It took the story of the two of them meeting and made it come to life, the filming was interesting and the general vibe felt spot on.
“The development in this first part for the characters was great and you really felt like you were being set up to be taken somewhere. And then ….
“Then all the sudden [sic] the second half it’s like the character development just stopped , very little connected together or made sense without background knowledge into the story as a whole, and then the last 20 min it was like ‘oh shoot we have 20 min better finish it’ and no one could figure out exactly how.
“The jump from being in an abusive relationship to being her own woman was instant and it all felt very juvenile and hallmark in the end. Worth watching ? Yes for sure . Not great film but really could have been which made it more disappointing.”
Someone else penned: “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.”
Priscilla will air on BBC iPlayer from midnight on Sunday, April 20.