I have a confession to make — I couldn’t wait to watch this month’s pick for the one new Netflix movie I can’t wait to watch in November.
That’s because I missed Elvis when it was in theaters in 2022, and I just never made the time to watch the whole thing until now.
I’m glad I did, because this music biopic is a masterpiece that’s worthy of the King of Rock and Roll.
If you’ve never seen Elvis before, then here are the three reasons why you should watch it on Netflix this month.
Austin Butler Is Sensational as Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was an over-the-top kind of guy even on his best days. His mannerisms are so fun to imitate that there’s still a market for Elvis impersonators. But the ability to physically embody the King in a way that’s beyond parody is a unique skill. This wasn’t just Austin Butler‘s star-making turn — it was a statement by a performer who really should have gotten an Oscar for Best Actor. But he had to settle for a nomination instead.
Butler’s work imitating Elvis on-stage is impressive, but he was also able to make his persona work during the film’s personal scenes away from the crowds. It’s easy to forget that Elvis became a tragic figure in his own life, and Butler’s performance makes him sympathetic even as he starts slipping away.
The Director Brings His Signature Style to ‘Elvis’
There aren’t a lot of directors in Hollywood whose visual style is so refined that you can tell a movie is one of their films just by watching it. Baz Luhrmann is one of those directors, and he has a way of making even the smaller moments stand out. One of my favorite parts of the film are the scenes that are slowed down so Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) can share his insight about what’s unfolding before our eyes.
Luhrmann’s visual flourishes give Elvis a mythic quality, which is fitting because his personal history has taken on those same larger-than-life qualities. We know all about his marriage to Priscilla Wagner (Olivia DeJonge) when she was still a girl. But it’s another thing entirely to see it play out on film. And yet it’s never a deal-breaker for Elvis’ most devoted fans.
The Music and the Story Are Incredible
Admittedly, not everyone is into the style of music that Elvis played at the dawn of rock and roll. But if you have any love for the oldies in Elvis’ back catalog, then this film feels like the closest thing to seeing Presley in concert. The fact that Butler is singing as Elvis only makes the illusion more convincing. He even pulls off Elvis’ voice during his famous comeback near the end of his life.
The real Elvis has practically been elevated to a mythic figure by his most devoted fans, and one of the movie’s biggest accomplishments is that it manages to hit most of the major moments in Presley’s life without wearing out Elvis’ welcome. We accept him as a flawed man who was also exceptionally gifted. It’s hard to ask for a better biopic result than that.
Elvis is streaming on Netflix.
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