Wonderful character development!

Sadly Over-hyped

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Just as elections are ultimately all about the economy, casting in biopics is ultimately all about looks and physical resemblance, and, no matter how satisfactory the performance may be in various regards, it will, in the end, all hinge on that. Jonathan Rhys-Myers is, without doubt, a very handsome young man. On a scale of one to ten, he'd easily rate 9 - more than enough in any normal real-life situation (club, party, disco) to have the girls flocking around you like wasps around a honey pot (and, let's be honest, far too good-looking to play Henry VIII!).Now here's the problem: the guy that he aims to portray, on the same 1-10 scale, was about a 14 - another league altogether, in which, basically, a 9 just doesn't cut it. Sorry, Jon, to have to be so brutally frank, but you can take comfort from the fact that what you're attempting is nigh-on impossible. Many other handsome Hollywood actors (most notably, Kurt Russell) have tried and failed even more miserably.In fact, there is only one actor I can think of offhand who could convincingly portray Elvis Presley on screen. Sadly, however, he's been unavailable for about 33 years...

...why...??? well you know Elvis's magnificent song (my favorite of his) which superbly closes the film.Instead of showing Elvis' years of decrepitude,the film avoids the major pitfall of the biopics:dwelling on the sordid side of life.Not that this "Elvis" passes over in silence the warts 'n all side .Colonel Parker provides the movie with a true villain;he made Elvis but he destroyed him.Take Elvis's movies career :the singer did know what was good (Siegel's "Flaming Star" ) and bad (90% of the rest). He wanted the part of Tony in "West Side Story" and I'm sure he would have been quite good ,at least he could sing ,whilst Richard Beymer could not .The first part is the rise to fame till Elvis's drafted :Camryn Mannheim,an actress I did not know reminds me of Kathy Bates ,as Gladys Presley -Like John Lennon,Elvis's mother's death was probably the worst thing that happened to him- shines ,and along with Jonathan Rhys Meyers ,who gives an exciting performance and Robert Patrick ,the father at the beck and call of Parker ,they form a credible Presley family. Sam Philips represents music for the art's sake whereas Parker is only in it for the money.Rhys Meyers carries the second part almost singlehandedly.Priscilla,his femme-infant,Ann Margret ,the duds ,the British invasions (Beatles and Stones ,singers Elvis hated ,though he covered the former group's "Something" ),and the longing for something else (He was always reading strange books)which the finale" If I can dream" perfectly captures.Parker's character is probably caricatured ,but it does not spoil the interest."Elvis" is a made-for-TV biopic to recommend.

As a lifelong admirer and advocate of Elvis Presley, I wish to say that the story was quite enjoyable and would have educated younger generations of people as to what Elvis Presley achieved in his life up until the 1968 "Comeback" Special. Generally, the actors were terrific. I feel that the two most powerful performances came from Camryn Manheim, who gave an extraordinary and sympathetic portrayal of Elvis' mother, Gladys Presley..and from Randy Quaid, who was equally convincing as the greedy "Colonel". Also, Robert Patrick, was fine in his role as Elvis' daddy, Vernon Presley. Sadly, Elvis' strong-willed and much-loved Grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, was virtually invisible in this story and, to me, the actor who took on the challenge of playing the world's greatest entertainer, failed miserably. Realising it is impossible to capture the beauty and the magic that was Elvis, I nonetheless found the portrayal to be "wooden", predictable and unconvincing...in an otherwise, good film.

ELVIS, in my opinion, is an excellent biopic of the king of rock and roll. The performances were smashing, the soundtrack was great, and the casting was just right. Ever since the first time I saw it, I've been wondering if Jonathan Rhys-Meyers actually sang the vocals or lip-synched them. Anyway, I thought that Jonathan Rhys-Meyers gave a smashing performance every time she was performing. If you ask me, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers totally deserved the Golden Globe for his work in this smash biopic. In conclusion, if you are a die-hard fan of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers or like Elvis' music, I highly recommend this excellent biopic of the king of rock and roll. You're in for a real treat and a good time, so don't miss this one.