PRISCILLA (2023) - Movie Review

Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Ari Cohen, Dagmara Dominczyk, Tim Post
Genre: Drama, Biography, Romance
Writer: Sandra Harmon
Runtime: 113 min
Rated: Rated R for drug use and some language
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Apple TV

This blog is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on my blog, I may earn an affiliate commission.

Synopsis:

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.

Review:

Based on Priscilla Presley's 1985 memoir "Elvis and Me", Sofia Coppola's biopic "Priscilla" had the misfortune of being released a year after Baz Luhrmann's epic Oscar-nominated crowd-pleaser "Elvis", which I feel hurt the film's chances of being taken on its own terms. And it's a shame really, because it adds a relevant and poignant perspective to a story that hasn't received much attention until now.

The subject matter is a lot darker than I expected, so much so that Elvis Presley Enterprises refused to allow Coppola to use Presley's songs in the film, and his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley threatened to boycott the film's release. The film doesn't paint a flattering picture of the legendary artist as it explores his whirlwind romance with Priscilla. On the surface, it was a relationship filled with passion and glamour, but underneath it all were manipulation, infidelity and disturbing abuse. It starts out like fairy tale, but soon turns into an A24 horror film.

Cailee Spaeny is pitch perfect in the title role, evoking Priscilla's frailty as a 14-year-old groomed by a 24-year-old Elvis, but also her inner strength as she becomes her own woman. Spaeny won the Volpi Cup best actress award at last year's Venice Film Festival, and was nominated for a Golden Globe, but unfortunately failed to secure BAFTA or Oscar nods. Admittedly, the competition was pretty tough last year. The movie's biggest surprise, however, is Jacob Elordi, who nails Elvis' voice and charisma, but his performance transcends mimicry to transform into a three-dimensional depiction of a complicated man haunted by inner demons that in the end got the better of him.

Coppola weaves an intricate tapestry of sounds and images to help tell the story, and cleverly finds a way around the Elvis music ban by using anachronistic musical choices, including cover versions of songs from that era, which work surprisingly well to support what the filmmaker was trying to convey. It's a great looking movie, especially considering it only cost $20 million to produce, and Coppola has a fantastic grasp on communicating a great deal with simple, but carefully constructed frames.

Sofia Coppola's "Priscilla" is a fascinating psychological docudrama that digs deep into its central toxic relationship and avoids manipulating the viewer. It's not perfect, losing some of its momentum in the second half, and the ending feels a bit too abrupt, but it's still a good movie that's well worth checking out, although I suspect it won't be an easy viewing for Elvis fans.

SCORE: 8/10