Tag: Kevin Spacey

REBEL IN THE RYE – Review

The world’s obsession with J.D. Salinger has always been there. Perhaps the fact that so little of his work was ever published is a part of it. Perhaps it’s the fact that the press and readers graced him with such high praise early on in his career (possibly prematurely). Perhaps it’s the enigmatic label that he put upon himself.

REBEL IN THE RYE touches on many of these issues but in a rather soft-handed, unoffensive way. Most importantly, it shows J.D. Salinger at his worst – an ego-centric and tenacious singular voice. His dedication to his voice is only matched by his determination to let it be heard. Even after his death in January 2010, we still can’t stop talking about the infamous man and what made him tick.

The 2013 documentary SALINGER attempted to piece together the writer’s life, thoughts, and personal quirks into an eye-opening film – yet, missing the mark by quite a bit – and REBEL IN THE RYE fairs about the same, though possibly slightly better due to a committed performance. Nicholas Hoult crafts a character that falls in line with the modern label, “The Softboy.” This is someone that is emotive but emotionally inept. He’s complicated but calculated. He can shift from being the intellectual to the bad boy on a dime. Hoult gives voice to these many different facets, but creating something that is complex doesn’t mean that it feels real or very likable.

During an interview earlier in the film, a lady asks the writer what the J.D. stands for. He nonchalantly responds, “Juvenile delinquent.” This bad boy posturing in between playing the martyr in both the classroom with his instructor (played in predictable fashion by Kevin Spacey) and with the ladies becomes tired and… dare I say… phony.

Phony is a word used brazenly in Salinger’s book, THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, and one that best describes the film’s attempts at capturing any real spontaneous moments of genius that may have inspired his writing. Montage after montage is shown of him writing and smoking cigarettes all set to the internal monologues from the book. It seems to go through the motions of his life instead of trying to discover a form of truth.

“Are you willing to devote your life to writing without getting anything in return?” That question posed by Spacey’s character lingers heavily throughout the film. While the story follows Salinger’s search to be published, in the end, there’s the realization that publishing might have been his biggest downfall. It’s a bittersweet, ironic message to learn – almost Shakespearean, in a sense. But it’s an authentic realization that gets lost in a sea of melodrama and phony theatrics.

 


Overall rating: 2 out of 5

REBEL IN THE RYE opens at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema on Sept. 15th and is now playing in select theaters 

 

Kevin Spacey Is J. Paul Getty In Trailer For Director Ridley Scott’s ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

One of the most anticipated dramas of 2017 is ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD.

Inspired by historical events, director Ridley Scott’s thriller opens December 8 2017 (LTD).

ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Kevin Spacey) to pay the ransom. When Getty Sr. refuses, Gail attempts to sway him as her son’s captors become increasingly volatile and brutal.

With her son’s life in the balance, Gail and Getty’s advisor (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money.

Based on the book by John Pearson, here’s some background surrounding the case.

In 1973, John Paul Getty II’s eldest son, John Paul Getty III, was kidnapped in Rome by Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta mobsters and held in the Calabrian Mountains, chained to a stake in a cave.

Getty did not have enough money to pay the $17 million ransom demand, and his father refused to help, saying “I have 14 other grandchildren, and if I pay one penny now, then I will have 14 kidnapped grandchildren.”

However, when one of his son’s ears was delivered by mail to a newspaper in Rome (delivery had been delayed by three weeks because of a postal strike), his father finally agreed to help out with the ransom payment by making the ransom payment a loan to his son.

On 5 February 2011, aged 54, Getty died at Wormsley, Buckinghamshire, following a long illness. He had been in poor health since his 1981 drug overdose.

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of REBEL IN THE RYE In St. Louis

Opening in theaters September 15th is REBEL IN THE RYE.

The world of legendary writer J. D. Salinger is brought vividly to life in this revealing look at the experiences that shaped one of the most renowned, controversial, and enigmatic authors of our time.

Set amidst the colorful backdrop of mid-20th century New York City, Rebel in the Rye follows a young Salinger (Nicholas Hoult) as he struggles to find his voice, pursues a love affair with famed socialite Oona O’Neill (Zoey Deutch), and fights on the frontlines of World War II. It’s these experiences that will inform the creation of his masterpiece, The Catcher in the Rye, bringing him overnight fame (and notoriety) and leading him to withdraw from the public eye for the rest of his life.

Costarring Kevin Spacey and Sarah Paulson, Rebel in the Rye offers a tantalizing window into the life and times of a little-understood genius who broke the rules and redefined American literature.

WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of REBEL IN THE RYE on September 13th at 7PM in the St. Louis area.

Answer the following:

Name the novel’s protagonist.

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWERS AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house

Rated PG 13

http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/rebel-in-the-rye

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BABY DRIVER – Review

Edgar Wright knows cinema. It’s evident in the way he writes his characters. It’s evident in how he chooses to tell his stories. It’s evident in the little visual nods he sprinkles into each scene, like tiny cinematic sprinkles – though they may seem unnecessary, they add to the delightful treat for film lovers. And so, with each new film, he pushes himself in terms of telling a new type of story and delivering it in a way that pushes his exhilarating style. It’s impossible to watch an Edgar Wright film and not feel the energy he has for the project, complete with those fun little sprinkles on top.

His unabashed glee for filmmaking has come to a head with BABY DRIVER. Years of studying film, analyzing the camerawork, acknowledging the tropes, and listening to the importance of a solid soundtrack, has amounted to a cinematic fervor that he hasn’t exhibited before. Sure, films like HOT FUZZ and SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD have shown the filmmaker challenging his comedic visual chops or adapting a new visual language, but with his sixth feature film, Wright gathers his knowledge and love of cinema into a nearly two-hour assault on the senses that’s sure to be one of the most talked about films of the year.

Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a kid who walks (or drives) to the beat of his own drum. He’s constantly plugged into his headphones to drown out the hum in his head from a childhood accident, and in doing so, he has created the ultimate soundtrack for the film. You see, Baby is a getaway driver who is looking to get out of his contract with his crime boss (Kevin Spacey). When he meets the girl of his dreams at a diner (Lily James), he sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But as we all know with this genre, there’s always one last heist and it never goes as planned.

Relative newcomer Ansel Elgort is a delight, as he saunters and spins his way around veteran talent like Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Hamm. There’s a coolness to his performance that matches Wright’s style. It’s never cocky or ultra-masculine; it’s more indicative of Marlon Brando’s or James Dean’s brooding cool in THE WILD ONE or REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. Spacey seems to be toning it down (thankfully) to make room for Foxx, Hamm, and Eliza Gonzalez to flex their intimidating muscles opposite our puppy-eyed hero.

However, it’s important to remember that behind those soft eyes and quiet accent is fuel and rock n’ roll. Wright reminds us of this throughout the majority of the film. Like a Nirvana song where the verses are slightly softer and prettier and the choruses are loud and in your face, Wright incorporates those same tempo changes into the film. He’s not afraid to let the sweet moments between Baby and his waitress girlfriend shine, but he also ramps up the the intensity and is perfectly comfortable behind the wheel. It’s a balancing act, but he masters both with finesse and skill.

What might be the most astonishing feat but feels effortless, is the editing accompanied with each carefully selected song (curiously done by two editors who haven’t always worked together). The soundtrack, which runs the gamut from 60’s R&B like Carla Thomas, 70’s punk including The Damned, and a dash of modern hip-hop with Run the Jewels, is used throughout the film to coincide with the action, making the film the equivalent of an action movie musical. It’s one thing to listen to these songs, but it’s completely different watching how each drum beat and chord change matches up perfectly with the film.

Many might recognize the familiar story beats and cinematic tropes and see it as lazy or that Wright and his crew are copying off the films that have come before. Yet, Wright isn’t trying to hide his references. In fact, he openly showcases his love of these previous films throughout. You can’t have a kid from the “wrong side of the tracks” fall in love with a waitress at a diner without a little cheese. When you name the pizza place in your film “Goodfellas” – a film acknowledged as a cornerstone for film soundtracks – you clearly aren’t hiding your influences. Instead, Wright chooses to use these influences to create a cinematic language that walks a fine line between acknowledging the past and winking at the audience (something Tarantino falls on the wrong side of most times).

BABY DRIVER is an adrenaline-fueled love letter to the pulpy films from the 40s and 50s that’s precisely set and edited to the ultimate mixtape. Thoroughly exhilarating with just a touch of pathos, Edgar Wright has found the perfect vehicle for his passionate, cinematic voice. Each of our lives is set to a soundtrack, and it’s up to us to choose what track we want to live by.

Overall score: 4.5 out of 5 

BABY DRIVER opens in theaters June 28th 

Win Passes to the Advance Screening of BABY DRIVER In St. Louis


“He’s a good kid, and a devil behind the wheel.”

That’s Baby (Ansel Elgort), an innocent-looking getaway driver who gets hardened criminals from point A to point B, with daredevil flair and a personal soundtrack running through his head. That’s because he’s got his escape route plotted to the beat of specific tunes that go from his well-curated iPod straight to his ears, and which translate into expertly timed hairpin turns, gear shifts and evasive maneuvers that leave his passengers on the ride of their lives.

Which makes BABY DRIVER, with its mixture of mph and music, the newest explosion of genre-crossing excitement from writer-director Edgar Wright, an action thriller unlike any other.

WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win TWO (2) seats to the advance screening of BABY DRIVER on June 21st in the St. Louis area.

Answer the following question:

What is your favorite movie with the word ‘baby’ in the title (mine is ROSEMARY’S BABY!) It’s so easy!

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.

It is rated R by the MPAA for the following reasons: violence and language throughout

Baby works for Doc (Kevin Spacey), a kingpin on a lucky streak of brash daytime bank heists, thanks in part to his faith in Baby’s auto acumen. Doc’s go-to professionals include former Wall Street type turned outlaw Buddy (Jon Hamm), Buddy’s young, lawless and scandalous partner in crime Darling (Eiza Gonzalez), and the impulsive, gun-slinging Bats (Jamie Foxx), whose suspicions about Baby – from his attitude to his aptitude – begin to create a dangerous rift in an until-then smooth-running operation.

Baby’s outward appearance – the sunglasses, the aloofness, the ever-present earbuds — may suggest a kid in over his head, but his catch-me-if-you-can skills are second to none. And yet the encroaching demand for his talents, and what he’s doing with them, begin to weigh on his sense of right and wrong, especially when he falls for a sweet, kind-eyed diner waitress named Debora (Lily James), and a doomed job threatens his chance at love and happiness away from his perilous profession.

Full of reversals, rewinds, fast forwards and heart-stopping skips, and inspired by the types of crime-and-chase movies that have thrilled moviegoers since Steve McQueen in a revved-up Mustang changed car pursuits forever, BABY DRIVER is a game-changing, lane-changing, hard-charging blast only Wright could have dreamed up.

Written and directed by Edgar Wright, BABY DRIVER is produced by Nira Park through her Big Talk Pictures, and Working Title principals Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan. Executive producers are Edgar Wright, Adam Merims, James Biddle, Rachael Prior, Liza Chasin, and Michelle Wright.

BABY DRIVER stars Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars), Kevin Spacey (“House of Cards”), Lily James (Cinderella), Jon Bernthal (“The Walking Dead”), Eiza Gonzalez (“From Dusk til Dawn”), with Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) and Jamie Foxx (Sleepless).

For the creative production team, Wright assembled a high-octane team of collaborators both longtime and new. Emmy®-nominated director of cinematography Bill Pope (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The World’s End) joins fellow Wright regulars production designer Marcus Rowland (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) and editor Paul Machliss (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) and Jonathan Amos (Attack the Block, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), and first-time Wright collaborators including costume designer Courtney Hoffman (The Hateful Eight, Captain Fantastic), visual effects supervisor Stuart Lashley (The Danish Girl, Mirror Mirror), and second unit director and stunt coordinator Darrin Prescott (Captain America: Civil War, John Wick).

A TriStar Pictures and MRC presentation, the film shot was shot in and around the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

BABY DRIVER has a running time of 1 hour and 53 minutes.

http://www.babydriver-movie.com/

WHO IS BABY DRIVER?

Cool but a little naive. Young but with an old soul. goofy at times, but all business when it counts. Thrillingly good at his given task, but not always aware of the consequences of what he does. That’s Baby, played by Ansel Elgort, a character Edgar Wright created as a way for moviegoers to live vicariously through a criminal, but also experience the very real fallout of that world.

“The movie is structured so it opens with the dream of being a getaway driver, and very quickly turns into the nightmare of being a criminal,” says Wright. “The opening chase is sort of positioned as a clockwork act of precision. Everything goes right. Then very quickly, with subsequent situations, things start to go wrong, and very visceral consequences start to bear down. The storm clouds have been gathering during the movie. At some point, Baby’s luck is gonna run out.”

The Baby we meet at the beginning of the movie – hidden behind sunglasses, dialed in to his iPod playlist, then a hellion at the wheel – is like the greatest gang apprentice ever. “This kid’s a hotshot, but he’s also on the fringes of the gang,” says Wright. “He literally sits as far away from them as he can, because he really doesn’t want to be part of the group. He thinks, wrongly, that he can be a getaway driver but not be a criminal Like, ‘I’m just the courier. I don’t have anything to do with the bad stuff.’ The action scenes are kind of like Baby’s day job, and I think a lot of people that work in a job sometimes shield themselves in a different persona. Then when they’re home, they’re a different person.”

When Wright was dreaming up the role, he envisioned a riff on the strong silent type personified by Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen, but with the tension that it might all be a front. “You meet him, and he’s a badass in his profession, and then immediately afterwards you start to meet the real kid. It’s an interesting dichotomy, that he’s really good at a job that he should not be doing.”

The music that drives the Baby Driver is, to Wright, indicative of his twofold persona. Blasting his favorite tunes while he does his job looks cool, but it masks a defect tied to a tragedy. “He has this hearing defect, tinnitus, a whine in his ear caused by being in a car crash when he was young,” says Wright. “It has the effect of him not wanting to talk too much, because people with hearing defects can feel more self-conscious talking. But the other aspect of that is to listen to music, to drown out the whine. It becomes a security blanket, and then a full-blown obsession. He literally has to soundtrack his entire life because he can’t really do things without the right music playing.”

Baby is encouraged by his elderly deaf foster father (CJ Jones) to get out of his life of crime. Meeting the friendly, beautiful waitress Debora (Lily James) further articulates for him how misdirected his life is, and how much better it could be. But Baby has to make that leap, and cut ties with his profession. What will it cost?

 

Ridley Scott’s J. Paul Getty III Kidnapping Film ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD To Star Michelle Williams, Kevin Spacey And Mark Wahlberg

Director Ridley Scott on the set of ALIEN: COVENANT

STXinternational has secured the highly sought international rights to ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD, Ridley Scott’s true crime thriller chronicling the harrowing 1973 kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III, it was announced today by Adam Fogelson, Chairman of STXfilms, and David Kosse, President of STXinternational, divisions of STX Entertainment. Imperative Entertainment and Scott Free are producing. Sony Pictures is handling North American and UK distribution of the film.

All the Money in the World stars Michelle Williams, Kevin Spacey and Mark Wahlberg and is a true story about the world’s wealthiest man, J. Paul Getty, who refuses to pay the ransom for his kidnapped grandson, forcing the boys desperate but resourceful mother to team with an ex-CIA negotiator in Getty’s employ to figure out a way to save her son. Spacey will play the billionaire, Williams will portray Getty III’s determined mother, and Wahlberg stars as the ex-CIA negotiator. Charlie Plummer has been cast in the role of J. Paul Getty III.

Production will begin in May in Europe from a screenplay written by David Scarpa. The film is being produced by Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Ridley Scott, Mark Huffam, Chris Clark, Quentin Curtis. Kevin Walsh will executive produce.

Imperative Entertainment’s Dan Friedkin said: “Bradley and I are honored to be a part of this film, and to have the opportunity to work with Ridley Scott, who we know will masterfully bring this story to life. We are so grateful to Sony for entrusting us with it, and thrilled that STX shares our vision and passion for this unbelievable true story.”

“Ridley Scott is a master storyteller like none other and this is a film that has it all. Ridley has assembled an outstanding dream cast with Michelle Williams, Kevin Spacey and Mark Wahlberg and we could not be more excited or proud to be involved with this epic event motion picture at STXfilms,” said Adam Fogelson, who, along with Kosse previously teamed with Scott on American Gangster, which took in more than $266 million at the worldwide box office.

“This is the kind of amazing story and film that will be a huge title internationally, especially as the intimate and behind-the-scenes details of this crime involving one of the world’s most wealthy families are revealed through the lens of this heart stopping drama,” said Kosse. “We are tremendously honored to be working with the team at Scott Free and are especially eager and excited to begin our relationship with Imperative on this important film for STXinternational.”

Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant, which brought in an estimated $36 million for the weekend domestically, has already raked in an impressive $66M internationally in 34 markets, including a massive $7.1M debut in South Korea, and will open in another 54 markets this weekend.

Sir Ridley Scott seen at Hands and Footprint Ceremony honoring him at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Wednesday, May 17, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Twentieth Century Fox/AP Images)

BABY DRIVER New Thrilling International Trailer Is Here

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Buckle up. A brand new international trailer has been released for BABY DRIVER.

The film from director Edgar Wright was chosen as 2017’s SXSW’s Audience Award winner. The overwhelming enthusiastic response out of the Austin film festival prompted Sony Pictures to move the movie’s release date from August up to June.

Stars Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Eiza González, with Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx.

A talented, young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom.

In Theaters June 28, 2017.

http://www.babydriver-movie.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BabyDriverMovie/

https://twitter.com/BabyDriverMovie

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NINE LIVES – Review

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Review by Stephen Tronicek

NINE LIVES is offensive on an intellectual level, which is kind of clichéd to say, but it’s resoundingly true. It’s only understanding of a film for kids is to pander to them. Now, sometimes a pandering attitude of an exaggerated happiness in the world is a good thing in a kids film. It’s what makes the lows of those films seem low, and the highs seem so high, but there’s a difference between taking the real world and filtering all the tougher emotions that it presents through a happier lens, and simply making everything happy and fake as you can be for the sake of appeasing the children. The latter just seems disrespectful. That, of course, doesn’t stop NINE LIVES from pulling the worst version of that ever, especially since this tone doesn’t actually work with the rest of the movie.

As for the plot, Kevin Spacey stars as Thomas Brand, a man who ignores his family and when his daughter’s birthday comes up decides he must grudgingly get her a cat. Christopher Walken plays the owner of the store and he decides that Brand, being such an ignorant person, needs to be taught a lesson. So, Walken puts Brand’s consciousness in a cat, “comedy” ensues, and Brand must save the company and skyscraper that he built while being a cat.

The premise is trivial, but the real insult here is the world that NINE LIVES creates. The pandering sense of everything being so nice doesn’t actually work well with the characters, who all but undercut the main conflict of the movie.  Brand is an idiot, and a horrible father, but everyone here is. Each character is so thoroughly unlikable that Brand simply comes off as one of the many people who deserve to get some sense tortured into them. And tortured it is. The whole way that each person is turned into a cat is something out of a horror movie. Actually, this movie deserves a horror movie version. That would at least be watchable.

But, the focus here is less on any of the plot or scary cat transformations. The real focus is the number of early 2000’s slapstick jokes having to do with cats  that can be crammed on screen. It’s like the film thinks that the Garfield movie is still relevant and funny, and much like the characters of the film, most of the jokes approach the level of just being mean rather than funny. This kids movie makes a joke about someone bringing an uzi to an office building, and makes a joke at the expense of child labor.. This is unacceptable for this movie, and just uncomfortable.

NINE LIVES is the type of film that makes one with it had more fangs. With an “R” rating and a right to give into the more horror-ish aspects of its premise, Nine Lives would be a weird type of incredible, but now it just seems like it’s either too nice for the mean-spirited characters at its center or to mean for the niceties that the world of the film compromises to take. This is a sickening piece of work (quite literally), and you should skip it.

0 of 5 Stars

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GIVEAWAY – Win A NINE LIVES Prizepack

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Coming to theaters on August 5th is the family movie NINE LIVES!

To celebrate the opening this summer’s Purrfect comedy, WAMG is giving away a prizepack from EuropaCorp.

One winner will receive the fun items listed below, as well as a $25 FANDANGO gift card!!

  • NINE LIVES Cat ears
  • NINE LIVES Cat ties
  • NINE LIVES Cat t-shirts
  • NINE LIVES Cat beach towels
  • NINE LIVES Cat sunglasses
  • NINE LIVES Cat paw tattoos
  • NINE LIVES Cat coloring sheets
  • NINE LIVES Cat pencils
  • NINE LIVES mini poster

For a chance to win:

ENTER YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW. WE WILL CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE A WINNER.

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2. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES.

No purchase necessary.

Tom Brand (Kevin Spacey) is a daredevil billionaire at the top of his game. His eponymous company FireBrand is nearing completion on its greatest achievement to date – the tallest skyscraper in the northern hemisphere. But Tom’s workaholic lifestyle has disconnected him from his family, particularly his beautiful wife Lara (Jennifer Garner) and his adoring daughter Rebecca (Malina Weissman).

Rebecca’s 11th birthday is here, and she wants the gift she wants every year, a cat. Tom hates cats, but he is without a gift and time is running out. His GPS directs him to a mystical pet store brimming with odd and exotic cats- where the store’s eccentric owner- Felix Perkins (Christopher Walken), presents him with a majestic tomcat, named Mr. Fuzzypants.

En route to present his daughter with her dream pet, a bizarre turn of events finds Tom trapped inside the body of Mr. Fuzzpants. Adopted by his own family, he begins to experience what life is truly like for the family pet, and as a cat, Tom begins to see his family and his life through a new and unexpected perspective. Meanwhile, his family adjusts to life with an odd and stubborn cat, and his son David (Robbie Amell), steps up in ways Tom never expected.

If any hope exists of returning to his family as the husband and father they deserve, Tom will have to learn why he has been placed in this peculiar situation and the great lengths he must go to earn back his human existence.

Visit the official site: ninelivesmovie.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrfuzzypants
Join on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ninelivesfilm
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Photo Credit: Takashi Seida © 2016 EuropaCorp
Photo Credit: Takashi Seida © 2016 EuropaCorp

ELVIS & NIXON Review

Credit: Steve Dietl / Amazon Studios & Bleecker Street
Credit: Steve Dietl / Amazon Studios & Bleecker Street

Likely you have seen the photo: Richard Nixon, President of the United States, shaking hands with Elvis Presley, the King of Rock N’ Roll in full Las Vegas costume. It looks like a joke, one staged with impersonators, but the photo is real and, as the film tells us, the most requested photo of the National Archives.

This absurd, unlikely meeting is the basis of ELVIS & NIXON a hilarious satire starring Kevin Spacey as Nixon and Michael Shannon as Elvis. The film, directed by Liza Johnson with a script by Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal and Cary Elwes, is sly, clever and funny, with a little thoughtful reflection on the insular nature of great fame or power, and human relationships.

In 1970, Elvis Presley (Shannon) unexpectedly shows up at the White House gate, accompanied by friend Jerry Schilling (Alex Pettyfer), to request a meeting with President Richard Nixon (Spacey). Elvis wants to offer to help the President in the war on drugs, by becoming a Federal agent at large. Nixon’s staffers, Egil “Bud” Krogh (Colin Hanks) and Dwight Chapin (Evan Peters) think it could be good PR for the “youth vote” in the next election. Nixon does not even know who Elvis, even though he is one of the most famous men in the country. He dismisses the meeting as a trivial waste of time.

Yet the delusional does meet the paranoid in the end. Nixon and Elvis are two iconic figures of an earlier era but ones you would never expect to see in the same room. Presley was one of the most beloved figures in entertainment, whose death spawned denials and decades of Las Vegas impersonators but also a symbol of the excesses of fame – a man who shot his TVs when he didn’t like what he saw, loved his guns, held politically conservative views, but drank, drugged and lived the life of rock n’ roll excess. Nixon was once called “the most hated man in America,” a politician known as “Tricky Dick” noted for both underhanded politics, personal paranoia and his serious, wonky un-hipness, who ramped up the Vietnam War, secretly bombed Cambodia, opened China and was the only president to resign.

That two such people existed in the same time period seems odd enough. The possibility they would meet seems unimaginable. Yet there is the photo.

There had to be a story behind this absurd image, and ELVIS & NIXON tells one, mixing some facts with satiric fiction. The story is based in part on the memoir by Elvis pal Schilling, and his character acts as a kind of grounding in reality for the absurd situation. Spacey does not look like Nixon and Shannon does not resemble Elvis, but with a little help from costume and make-up, these two great actors make it work.

The film succeeds due to the actors and the strong script, which reveals the human side of both figures and avoids the cliches. The actors wisely play their parts straight-faced, since the comedy is inherent in the situation. The majority of the film is the lead-up to the meeting, as Elvis, disconnected from reality by too much fame, has not a clue what he is asking, and Nixon, famously resentful, seriously focused on politics and international affairs but clueless about popular culture, move in their own spheres towards their meeting.

Once the film puts Shannon and Spacey in the same room, it is like magic, with two terrific actors brilliantly playing off each other in hilarious fashion. It is worth the ticket price all by itself. But the film also offers other gems, particularly reflection on the isolating, disconnecting nature of fame or power, and the price of maintaining an image. Most of the film focuses on Elvis, and tells its story through his relationship with Schilling, a childhood friend with whom Elvis can be himself, not his public persona. Nixon gets his moments of insight and humanization, partly through his love for his college-aged daughter, an Elvis fan, but also in his discussion with Elvis.

The details may not all be true, but the satiric humor is spot on and the insights on human relationships are universal. With strong performances by Shannon and Spacey, ELVIS & NIXON is a film worth seeing, even if you don’t care about either guy in the photo.

ELVIS & NIXON opens on April 22nd, 2016

OVERALL RATING:  4 OUT OF 5 STARS

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