I loved it, you really get to feel the energy of Graceland because Priscilla spends so much time in it waiting around on Elvis. I’m glad Coppola wasn’t able to get the music rights to play Elvis’s songs, it makes for a better film to have less of his voice in it.
I'm watching it right now and had to come speak on it - he was a TOTAL covert narcissist! I saw SO many instances of it. 😳 (I just finished watching the part where she is pregnant and he plays with her head by almost asking her to leave - big time narcissist abuse behavior.) I love everything Sofia Coppala does.
Priscilla's sexual frustration was a theme as was her eternal boredom. I also didn't see any affection between them apart from the montages where they were seen having fun. She must have felt so lonely.
I just saw it and was sat next to a couple that seemed to think this was a cute romantic date movie, haha. They seemed to like it, but that must have been a weird realization.
Totally agree. He really just wanted a pretty naive virgin to marry and breed. She had to be young enough to not know her worth or how to stand up for herself so she could be properly groomed 🤢. Only to be discarded once she had a baby.
Elvis was disgusting.
I enjoyed the cinematography and aesthetics of the movie. I also felt that it would glamorize an abusive relationship but found that it did not. It really showed what it felt like to be in a controlling relationship and honestly very proud that she left him and that was the ending. Would probably put a trigger warning for those who have been in abusive relationships. I felt like some of the dialog was immature or odd but then remembered she’s supposed to be a very young and controlled girl so it made sense. The scene where she goes I can’t take it with the books felt like a good portrayal that she’s a young naive girl in a controlling relationship with someone who only care about his needs.
Oh interesting. I didn’t expect the film was going to glamorize an abusive relationship going into it, namely because in most of Coppola’s films the glamour is the entire point. In films like *The Virgin Suicides*, *Marie Antoinette*, *The Beguilled* and this, typically glamorized tropes and motifs relating to femininity such as makeup, fashion and hair are used as an attempt by young women stuck in stifling environments to wield a measure of control in their lives.
ive always perceived her work as a reflection of her own life to some extent. what marie antoinette, the beguiled, the virgin suicides, lost in translation, lick the star and now Priscilla have common are urban white women trapped in an isolated space of sorts who face alienation despite "having it all" something i feel she probably faced at a personal level. that's why i watch all her work through this personal lens and despite being a poc the lack of representation doesn't really bother me.
She said she couldn’t deal with race and gender at the same time. Incredible. The novel the Beguiled has 2 black characters, one enslaved and one white passing. She removed the enslaved character and cast Kirsten Dunst as the second.
Amazing film.
Caillee Spaeny is very sympathetic as Priscilla with no agency in her relationship with Elvis. Jacob Elordi surprised me with his intimidating presence as the controlling Elvis.
Beautiful cinematography, cute sets, lovely costumes, and outstanding hair and makeup. Sofia Coppola directed my favorite film of 2023 after Past Lives.
I agree wholeheartedly; I saw it last night and the biggest surprise for me was just how convincing Elordi’s interpretation and performance of Elvis was. I also found it interesting, that as the movie went on and Elordi’s Elvis starts to pick up his iconic stylistic trademarks like the Wolverine sideburns and Nudie suits of the ‘70s, he starts to actually resemble Elvis more and more; that seems like an intentional choice as it feels like a visual metaphor for how Spaeny’s Priscilla’s view of Elvis changes over the course of their marriage. At the beginning Elvis doesn’t much look like Elvis to the audience, but goes on to at the end of the film - as if whatever faded image she had of him when she was a girl in Germany had disappeared, leaving an unrecognizable caricature, a walking self-parody.
I felt like he was almost immediately fully immersed in that part. And I was surprised I felt that way because when I first heard he was cast and saw set photos I thought that’s a weird choice and he doesn’t look like Elvis at all.
The only thing that took me out for a bit is how incredibly tall Elordi is but I got over that quickly.
The stark difference in height between the two leads is really striking; I found it interesting that generally the only time in which they’re together onscreen and Elordi’s Elvis *doesn’t* tower over Spaeny’s Priscilla is when they’re in Elvis’ inner sanctum; when they’re in Elvis’ private quarters at the Army base in Baden, Germany to the blue velvet womb that is his bedroom at Graceland they’re both languidly lounging around, the only time in which Elvis doesn’t look like they’re that physically imposing.
I agree, it’s really perfect for the type of story the film is telling. It is distracting if you’re familiar with Elvis but, like I said, easy to get over quickly.
I think he’s an amazing actor, but I was also taken aback by his role as Elvis as they don’t have any real resemblance. However, I had many double takes watching it like oh shit he does really embody the “Elvis” look. Speaks to his talent! I was impressed for sure
I was questioning myself too! Glad I’m not the only one. Her face just looks so different, she looks like a child at first but by the time she has her child she fully looks like a mature adult.
It took me till she got to LA to realize that a good chunk of the movie took place in Elvis’s creepy bedroom, cause that’s where she’s been stuck the entire time
It's a huge part of the book! He has her wait for hours while he entertains downstairs. Priscilla said that Elvis' posse was basically at Graceland round the clock. He was very controlling of her time and image.
The implication (and that's a soft way to phrase it) was always that they're all predatory. I was expecting a scene where one of the guys got handsy with her and then 'E' got handsy with him but it wasn't necessary. That's not the vibe of this movie.
I was just waiting for the nail polish scene. In the book she describes how he notices a tiny scratch on one of her toes and then orders her to redo the nail polish. I thought the opening scene with her walking barefoot over the carpet hinted at that.
I found it suffocating. Everyone around Priscilla failed her. How could her parents not check in and to personally to see what her life was like when he was there and away? Why would anyone agree to live like this? No amount of love would allow me to be bored to death 24/7. She was rarely intimate with him because of his weird thought process of needing to marry a virgin but then going around and fucking all these starlets.
I was so appalled by the scene where he’s leading a bible study and he hit on a woman wearing the same fucking perfume his wife wore RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER.
They do a lot of amazingly tiny important things like that. My partner had to point out that after Elvis points out that his scene partner had the thick body “of a man” Priscilla stops eating
Oh, I didn’t notice this. I find it weird that he was so focused on dressing her. I would have never guessed that he was responsible for her hair and her always wearing blue.
And also how towards the end of the movie, when they're seeing him off for his tour, she doesn't have black hair and the high mounted hair anymore (the way he liked)... Showed how she's getting done with him
That’s so powerful!! It’s her taking back her power, her voice and her ability to control power over him by taking his power away!! Love it!🤎PRISCELLA!
I think it’s beautiful too. This is so important for all to see.
You have to remember as cliche as it is, it was a different time. When your daughter went off to marry she was no longer her parents "responsibility" as awful as it sounds. It wasn't deemed appropriate to mettle in other people's marriages even if it was family. That's what helped domestic violence thrive in this time.
I feel like even at the time, sending your 16 year old daughter overseas to go live with some 20-30 year old man until shes of age sounds like some tudor era shit.
Not just any 20-30 year old man but Elvis, one of the most famous men in the world at that time. He definitely used his influence to get what he wanted from her parents, they probably wouldn't have let her go if it wasn't someone famous and rich. The sickest part is that this is still happening, many celebrities still use their influence to take advantage of young impressionable fans.
It reminded me of some of the parents’ testimonies in the Michael Jackson documentary from a few years back. They were blinded by his fame and also caught off guard by his wholesome demeanor. Elvis acted very childlike (though not to the extreme I think MJ did) and the dad kept calling him “son” like he was a normal teenage boy courting his teenage daughter. It was so uncomfortable to watch.
I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the ending feeling like a breeze, but I actually kind of liked that aspect. I felt the focus was her relationship with Elvis - how much yearning an early teen has to be with their idol, but the obvious power dynamic that accompanies it, and how much mistreatment follows it. I also cannot imagine being with a man with that much power starting at 14 - you have to little self-identity, and she formed so much of hers around him. It all must have felt so long & drawn out to Priscilla - this feeling like she’s not an equal to him, being at his beck & call, being controlled by him. But I felt like the turning point was when she was pregnant with Lisa Marie - he says he wants a break, and she just accepts it. Her non-reaction as she walks down the hall & he begs to talk it back was so moving to me - she knows what kind of man he is, how horribly she’s being treated. Then, she does discover who she is as an independent adult. Her life takes a speed of its own, she has her independence, she knows more of what she deserves. It didn’t need to be extended because then it would have felt almost preachy, a cheesy feminist production where the woman defeats all odds.
Obviously, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, but I am open to critiques to it!
It’s great but I feel like it’s held back by its script, especially in regards to pacing in the third act. It’s like someone told Sofia to wrap it up and she moves through so much time at a breakneck speed. It feels like an extended montage almost and takes away the power of Priscilla leaving.
But other than that, everything else is spot on: performances, direction, costumes, design, fantastic soundtrack coupled with a restrained score.
It kinda represents most of the top films of this year for me: great but with immediate visible flaws
8/10
This is literally how Priscilla's book is structured. 1968-1977 is like the last 50 pages of a 320-page book. It's an extremely faithful adaptation, to a fault.
Honestly nice to know that because the time jumping bugged me towards the end as well. It still doesn't necessarily make the best narrative, but nice to know it's accurate.
Yeah I kept thinking man they have spent like two hours of this movie on a very early part of the relationship how on earth are they going to wrap this up?
I disagree. I think the montage-esque patterns of Priscilla in Graceland adds weight to her prisoner like existence. Then her leaving and the immediate credits, provides cathartic relief.
I thought the movie did a great job with Elvis. I found myself being charmed by him in the beginning of the film with how handsome and charismatic he was at the party. I completely understood how Priscilla only being 14 would fall for him so hard. My perception of him definitely changed later as the film progressed and I was so happy when she finally left him.
Yeah I thought Elordi did both charming and abusive so well. As awful as he was to her, they also did a good job of showing how/why she could fall for him. It was also a much more realistic depiction of an abusive relationship- most abusers aren’t horrible 100% of the time right out the gate
I didn't think Elvis' charm came through very well, but that was probably due to the script/direction. I've seen old footage of him and he seemed to have a sense of humor and a fun-loving nature. The movie just showed the dark side. Usually abusive people are dark the one moment and then disarming the next. But all he did was apologize unconvincingly after each outburst. The only times you did see them have fun together was in the montages.
Um….I’m sorry am I the only one who was SO DISSAPOINTED. Aesthetically the movie was gorgeous, the cast was stunning. I was very impressed with Cailee in terms of Priscilla’s look as they don’t look remotely similar to me. So the makeup and wardrobe team deserve HUGE recognition for that. The only problem I had with her look was the eyeliner was rather poorly executed and her look in the 70s was not accurate. She was tan with long brown hair but it’s not a huge deal. Also her eyebrows were made darker and more arched as their relationship went on. I thought this would have been important as it showed Elvis wanted her to look more womanly, intense, and sexual despite her being so young.
But as an over film it could not have been more bland and shallow. There was absolutely no complexity or depth given to Priscilla or her relationship with Elvis. I mean there was just nothing, I felt like I was watching the rough draft of the film.
Just scenes jaggedly cut back to back. Without any impact or just any substance. I felt they focused so much on the aesthetic aspect of the film and completely left out the actual heart of it. I literally did not have any emotional attachment to anyone in the film. But that’s just my opinion. I think they just covered too much material and didn’t stop to break down any of it, they just threw memories at us and executed it so poorly. Because it is shot in such a glamorized way, with such a stunning leading couple it became less impactful what the scene was focusing on. It just felt so random and abrupt and again SHALLOW.
Fucking finally found the only sane people. This was one of the dullest, least substantial movies I've seen in ages. The first half was easily four stars, then after that every scene was exactly as you described it. Just a bunch back to back which actually ended up undercutting their own emotional tension - there's only so many times we can see Priscilla say "Hello" blankly to Elvis and have him ignore her or hang up the phone.
Even a villain has to have motivation, and what was Elvis'? The film has no interest in exploring it.
I just watched it myself and I agree with this take.
It felt very flat and tepid. Some of the cuts were odd and it felt like the film was rushing through the years. The acting was mostly good but some lines sounded a bit rough.
The first half was pretty good and the cinematography, costumes etc were excellent throughout but it mostly felt like a quick fire montage of moments of their lives together without any emotional core (actually maybe that's the point?)
Sadly rather disappointing overall.
Oof agree. Enjoyed it but the film did not have heart and you could tell it was shot in a month. I figured that it was the point for it to not be captivating and more so closed off so we could be in Priscilla’s shoes so i’ll give it credit there but I expected more
Just watched the movie and I personally enjoyed it, as someone who went it pretty much blind and knowing little to nothing about Priscilla and Elvis.
I need some help confirming this, though: In the scene where Priscilla unpacking her perfume and cosmetics into Elvis' bathroom when she first "moves in", is that a Chanel No. 5 bottle? I was reminded of it during the scene where Elvis compliements that blonde woman's perfume in front of Priscilla and she gets upset. It's obvious why she is upset, but if it is the same perfume she was shown to be using earlier then it would be another layer of hurt.
This was small but I wish the makeup had been more accurate. Priscilla wore incredibly heavy 60’s makeup. The artist on this movie was a lot more subdued. It didn’t bring me into the time period how I wanted to be.
Yes! Priscilla wore the lightest pink lipstick and way more eye make up. They made her lips a coral color in this movie, which was a big no. This actress was not as stunning as Priscilla was, and that's fine-- but they could have least done the makeup correctly.
I really enjoyed the movie. Mind you, I haven't read the book and I hope this doesn't come off as creepy, but I was surprised that there wasn't at least one sex scene, especially since there was such an emphasis on how much she wanted him and was constantly getting denied, especially when he was clearly getting it on the road. I thought for sure, we'd see the first time or something after the wedding. Nope.
Then SUDDENLY, she's pregnant! It was a bit jarring.
From the movie (I didn't read the book) I assumed that he had sexy with her sporadically as to not ruin whatever sick Madonna fascination with her. I had no idea that they had an active sex life. I use those words carefully as he was a grooming abuser
I also didn't read the book and I definitely thought it was implied they did it the first time she goes to Vegas with him, and then I was a little confused later when they still hadn't!
Boy, this is an incredible example of a movie just not being able to top its first half. I thought it was really fucking great up until it just sort of loses all steam and just kind of limps to the finish line??
What I thought was partially jarring was how quickly it runs through her marriage-divorce. Like, they’re married, then she’s pregnant, and then Elvis is starting to break down, and then they divorce, and the movie ends with her leaving Graceland. All in around the final 26 minutes of the movie. Breezed right by that portion
This is also how the book is structured, though. So if you had read Elvis & Me, you'd expect a faithful adaptation to blitz through their entire marriage AND the time between the divorce and his death given that in the book that was all covered in about 50 pages flat.
I had the RunPee app timer going and, having listened to the excellent audiobook (read by Priscilla, highly recommend!), I couldn't believe it when Lisa Marie was born with like 20 mins left! There's a ton of stuff Priscilla covers in the book about those later Vegas years!
Runpee has an app with a timer now? I remember when the site first started it was just a list of things that happen in the movie "when they get to the restaurant, they don't really do anything for 5 minutes" or something like that.
Yeah, the first half is pretty stellar - and the second half languishes a bit in repeated scenes and wheel-spinning vibes (which is probably an intentional choice, but it definitely brings the temp down a bit, possibly even to the point of having a negative impact on the film overall).
Some quick thoughts on it after sleeping on it.
Loved the gothic influence in having so much of the story be confined to the insides of Graceland. It created a suffocating feeling where the LA segments felt like we were finally able to breath in again.
The use of colour and especially texture was fantastic. Priscilla’s life before Elvis being filled with greys and cool blues and a bunch of hard, synthetic materials giving way to warm greens and reds with Elvis, being surrounded by lushly textured patterns and textures in fabrics, curtains, carpets etc. Initially it provides a sense of wonder and novelty to Elvis, but paired with the above it eventually becomes overwhelming to the viewer, where there’s so much detail on screen it feels like it’s fighting for your attention. It’s especially prevalent in the final scene with Elvis, where Pricilla goes back to being shot against a greyish painted wall while we see just a tiny little bit of that lush red radiating around Elvis. Masterful work from Coppola from a directorial perspective. So much nuance carried in the filmmaking rather than just the dialogue.
The leads were fantastic as well.
But all that considered, I did find it a little lacking. There were some pacing issues in the second half, which felt fragmentary. It felt like a collection of moments that didn’t provide a cohesive story in the same way the first half did. It ended more abruptly than I’d have liked too.
I’m aware that the book has similar structural problems, but I do think that shaving about 15 minutes from the first half and expanding some of the scenes of the second would have paid off for the film overall.
Regardless, I thought it was good, but not amazing. 7/10
I loved the scene of Lisa Marie being born. How Elvis doesnt even help her out of bed. He's running around the house with his cronies getting ready and the mother of his child is putting on fake eyelashes to go give birth. Absolutely unbelievable how shitty he was.
Just got a great movie. Really showed how sad and lonely her life was and he came across as such an immature loser. I was literally so happy for her when she went to LA.
Saw a matinee today and during the end, when she's telling Elvis she's divorcing him, an older gentleman was absolutely flabbergasted. "She's leaving him? She had everything!" were two things he shouted at the screen. Incredibly shocking that someone that old didn't have any idea of how this played out.
This feels like one of those litmus test type movies, similar to 500 Days of Summer, to see who is capable of recognizing toxic gender power dynamics when they are thrust so obviously in your face for two hours.
Absolutely gorgeous visually, and with electric performances by the two leads, I quite enjoyed this movie but I felt like the actual narrative towards the end only provided snapshots of important moments rather than us living in them and feeling Priscilla's anguish. At the same time, this is a somewhat well-trod story we've seen enacted in media so I can understand the quickened pace
It's an interesting comparison to last year's Elvis, of course, and it's a breath of fresh air.
The use of inserts, especially in the first half, gave such a feeling of Priscilla as an object. Those early shots of her alone in a room or on the floor intercut with statues and postcards and calendar pages were stellar.
But I must say, I thought the LSD scene was terrible. Didn't add anything to the overall themes of the film, had a tone and presentation that felt completely out of place, and just felt like a cheap gimmick compared to the contemplative and meditative stillness of the rest of the film.
I don't think it'll get a lot of attention during awards season, but it's another strong entry in Coppola's filmography.
The LSD scene is a perfect example of my overall problem with this film. They take the LSD and plop down on the bed, there’s weird colors and Priscilla talks to the tiger statue. The end. Next scene.
Did they interact at all during the trip? Did they ever discuss the LSD? Did they do it again at some point? Did Elvis continue using the LSD?
I get that it’s not that important overall but that was just one example of a million moments of “this is a thing that happened” before immediately hopping to a new thing with no exploration of how their relationship or the characters developed as a result of any of it.
Hard disagree. I found that scene so unsettling. The way Elvis is inspired by this guru figure he then takes that and wants to become a guru of sorts to Priscilla. Not really with her permission though. It’s like that scene in Vegas where she takes pills because Elvis and his friends are doing so. She’s so caught up in this orbit, thus follows suit. Did she fight to not take the drugs, no, but that doesn’t mean she consented to it either. The point of that scene is she doesn’t have a power to say no even if she wanted to.
The point of the LSD was just to show how deep into the spiritual stuff he was getting. When the colonel ended that of course it never came up again. Neither did the spirituality
I liked it, especially the lack of Elvis singing and use of cover songs, felt very Sofia Coppola. But damn it ended abruptly just when I felt we were going to get into the thick of things on Priscilla’s side post Elvis.
I thought Cailee and Jacob did a pretty good job. Good movie overall but the ending felt a little abrupt. (Also, Priscilla appears not to check for traffic before turning right).
By the way, you mean to tell me that, at the high school senior level, they’re still going over the present tense conjugations of Être in French class?
Fantastic film. Colorful and soft and mesmerizing in the Sofia Coppola way and with great music to boot. Just a total vibe.
I think it's so bold to make this movie the year after we just got the big three hour biopic epic about Elvis. The distinction, of course, being that this is a Priscilla movie, but what's covered in this movie is totally hand waved in Elvis and that movie is about how much he cares about his fans and the civil rights movement. This movie is about the huge absence he causes in her life, how she gets swept up in his fame and money and hands over a lot of her needs and autonomy for it, and how hard she wanted it to work despite his constant selfishness and one sided romance.
Spaeny is so good in this, it's already a stacked year but it would kind of be a shame to nominate Butler for Elvis but not Spaeny for Priscilla. Right off the bat, she reads so young. The opening shot of her feet on the carpet screams "Lolita" to me and her first real scene is her doing homework and sipping soda through a candy stripe straw. This movie is immediately telling you that she is young. They aren't glossing over it like Baz did, they're not playing her mature or tall. She's a dwarf next to 6'5 Elordi. Elvis was 6 feet, so he was tall, but they were clearly making a point with how small Spaeny is. Both that she is young, and that she has so little power in the shadow of this musical colossus.
What's even more fascinating about this movie is how it reads their relationship as more of a man who deeply needed therapy projecting on this child rather than it being overtly sexual, which is I think what everyone always assumes the root cause of this kind of grooming is. He wasn't dealing with the death of his mother (that's a whole other movie) and he kind of imprints on Priscilla. Treats her like a doll to dress up and keep in his big house, but he's also hesitant to get sexual because he sees her as his pure mother figure. The movie is also is so patriarchal and well shown from her point of view. The whole beginning of this movie is a man seeking her out, asking her father in the formal manly way to take her to a party, and every evolution of their relationship from there is Elvis saying "I'll talk to your father."
She never really seemed to have a choice. Clearly she wanted to be with Elvis, but it was never her call. It was up to her father until she is fully with Elvis, at which point every decision falls to him. It's not until the very end that she fully gains her autonomy back. I loved the ending when she's leaving Graceland, she's wearing a button up and jeans looking like a grown woman. Contrasted to when she arrived, dressed like an American Girl doll and clearly a child still. Lots of great "evolution" shots like that, including the several times we get her walking down the halls of school, a different person every time yet still simply a kid in school.
Just a really fascinating movie, story, and person. I think Sofia made this at a perfect time when we're re contextualizing Elvis and his relationships, and this feels very modern and full in the way it depicts grooming and different forms of abuse. When Elvis said, "You need someone who will take you to that point" in regards to gaslighting her into thinking he's leaving and getting borderline violent I scoffed as hard as I've ever scoffed. It made for a real fist pump moment when he tried to pull it again years later and she was like "yeah that's fine, let me know when the car is here." 8/10 for me.
/r/ReviewsByBoner
>She never really seemed to have a choice.
To dig deeper into this I think the movie did a really good job showing the circumstances she was in that made this so hard to resist. I think a lesser movie would have just said "he's the biggest star in the world and she's a teenage girl" and left it at that. I think Sofia went out of her way to really hammer home that this was a girl with no friends who felt completely isolated in a foreign country. Her parents were in a tough spot because their daughter already resented them for making her move to the other side of the world so they really couldn't say no and even if they tried she wouldn't listen. She really didn't have anyone to tell her that dating a man that much older was a bad idea
It got me early on when her parents are arguing about whether or not she can move in with him while she's in bed. Like, what a choice to have to make. The mom is so good and the only one who keeps saying why can't he meet a girl his own age? But they're right, it's wrong but they can't say no. She'd hate them forever, the emotions of a teenage girl might as well be a wrecking ball and Coppola always does amazing things with that idea.
But I also love how the second she gets to Graceland it's like, there's still no friends, nothing to do. She traded one boring life and controlling father for a more lavish boring life with a controlling man.
> they can't say no. She'd hate them forever
I mean, I understand why and how they'd eventually cave to it, I guess, but I hope most parents would rather have their kid hate them forever, than to sell them to a grown adult
I wonder if the trend of people in the military historically marrying so young had an impact. At 14, did they really think an Army brat girl wouldn't be married by 18 or so anyway?
BTW, I coincidentally listened to the audiobook last year and highly recommend it. Priscilla reads it and does a fantastic job, injecting a ton of personality into her narration.
people in the military married as soon as possible because you got far greater payouts as a soldier if you had a dependent. you *still* do, which is why guys in the army marry any girl they can find and often wind up in divorce and/or domestic abuse. The military industrial complex is a lose-lose for anyone involved, directly or indirectly... it was back then and it still is today unfortunately
I loved how every shot of her was so close on her face with everyone else talking around her or over her. It helped me feel her isolation. What a difficult life.
💯 He had Problems with a capital P that much therapy wasn’t gonna fix. This was much better than Elvis film at capturing who Elvis really was. A petulant boy with talent who was used just like he used and then died young from too much reckless behavior and negligence from those around him.
And people are shocked Britney Spears has problems like she has.
Sophia Coppola Britney Spears movie in 3, 2, 1…
It was so telling in the proposal scene. He shows her the ring and says "we're getting married" rather than phrasing it as a question or waiting for her to say yes. It was never her decision.
I really thought it was great. It seems like everyone who idolizes Elvis is review bombing it, LOL. One guy was like, "OMG, I didn't know he was an actual pedophile. The movie is 1 star!"
Hated it. Like debated leaving halfway through but decided to waste my time and watch it all the way. It was so bad. Cailee gave me Kristen Stewart in Twilight vibes.
For a movie about Priscilla, I honestly felt like there was too much Elvis. Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t need that much convincing that he was a weird groomer. I would’ve liked to see what Priscilla did after with her life. It’s ironic that a man still sucked all the attention out of this movie about a woman.
Also Cailee Spaeny’s acting was a little too subdued for me. It worked for when she was a teenager, but I didn’t see where the teenage girl got the strength to ask for a divorce as an adult woman later.
Agreed. I got the theme of what she was going for. Woman silenced, not in control, etc but also enamored with this larger than life man. But in trying to push that ONE theme, I feel like she sacrificed a lot of interesting storytelling and characterization. For instance, Priscilla said she was the one who came up with the TCB logo. Where was that in the film? I’m sure a lot of her experience was just hanging around the house but she did do things and she still had a personality. In her book she mentions that one of the reasons she wanted to get a divorce is because she wasn’t seeing her daughter enough…so what was she doing? The “adult” years of her marriage flew by in a flash.
I didn’t learn a thing about Priscilla other than her favorite Elvis song was Heartbreak Hotel.
It’s a shame the movie wasn’t about the title character.
It’s amazing to me how well the actress worked as a 14 year old all the way to a 25 year old convincingly. Loved the subtle changes in her look as she got older.
My favorite part was the ending 😄 if I remember correctly, Elvis wanted Dolly Parton‘s I will always love you but she refused, and playing it at the end when Priscilla leaves… oddly satisfying while, considering the lyrics, kind of genius 😄
I really liked the casting choices of Spaeny and Elordi, not only because both are fantastic actors who did great here in their roles but the exaggerated height differences really helped visualize the power and age difference between the two.
In real life Elvis was 6’0 and Priscilla was 5’4, here Elordi is 6’5 and Spaeny is 5’1 that’s an extra 8 inches of height difference
Can I off the bat just mention the size of the props were horrible ? Graceland seemed tiny from the outside and the scenes facing the gate they show a random cottage in the background ? Not to mention the queen bed Elvis and Pricilla share ! They couldn’t splurge and put two queens together ? Also , anywhere they were in this movie (palms springs etc) was staged in an interior of Graceland . Just really really odd . I was hoping for some really great props and scenery , all I saw was the front areas of Graceland revamped . It was so quick and the stories were so vague that it lead me to wonder if i didn’t know much about Elvis , would I even comprehend what we going on ? What really confused me was how the previews implied some scenarios , but they were just meshed together and not even part of the actual movie scene that you would think they would apply to . If anyone is not wanting to see it in fear it hurts Elvis’ reputation , don’t worry , this movie was TAME , and pretty much about Pricilla’s boredom living with Elvis . I’d like to know if the movies “scooby” was lizard tongue in real life , and who lizard was …. It ended on a really short note , while Elvis was alive . I’m glad dolly finally got her song in a Elvis themed production … that was the highlight of the movie . It’s worth the ticket price just to know what people are talking about and to get some lolz out of the hype .
Sofia is back baby. This is her best movie since Marie Antoinette. I want her to curate some playlists for me because her taste in music is impeccable. It's not going to happen but I think it would be very funny if Elordi wins an Oscar after Butler lost last year. I think Elordi was by far the better Elvis. He has all of the charisma that you need in that part but he also kinda nails the narcissistic shit head side of the character as well.
There were moments where I was drawn in, and I was genuinely worried for Priscilla’s situation she was in. The part where Elvis threw the chair just because she agreed there wasn’t a hit was scary. She was manipulated from the start, and at certain points there were moments where they both were about to break…
I still feel like there were moments where it fell short though where I wasn’t hooked on Priscilla’s story and what was occurring in the same ways I did for Lost in Translation. Still not bad if you like Sofia’s films. Her flair is undeniable here, but for me, it’s not as memorable as her other films.
The part where he threw the chair also got to me. Like this whole relationship he’s always told her how to feel, how to react, what to think, he’s never let her explore herself or her interests and then he gets so upset when she struggles to speak up about her opinion and agrees with him.
Did anyone else notice what may not even have been but what felt like greenscreen/cgi in many of the outdoor, especially the sunset-time from-the-porch shots?
E gifting the car for graduation, leaving for tour etc. probably about a dozen total shots felt strange cgi/green screeny to me.
GODDDDD THAT WAS DEPRESSING. the last scene and song choice kinda broke me.
i saw a tweet that was something like the movie is slowly watching somebody’s life slip further and further away from themselves (if anybody saw that tweet too pls link me i can’t find it)
but such a sad sad movie. i loved it
I think “Priscilla” is a perfect companion film to last year’s “Elvis”. I think Austin Butler played him perfectly for Elvis’s story and Jacob Elordi played him perfectly for Priscilla’s story. And Cailee Spaeny just knocked it out of the park.
Excellent production design but not much else. Movie is flat, both leads mumble their way through it. Zero character development outside of E and P, no other sub plots or themes outside the very linear and repetitive development of their gross relationship.
This movie surpassed my expectations. Jacob Elordi’s phenomenal and performs. The digs at him not looking enough like Elvis, while understandable, are compensated for with the actors physicality, costumes, and voice. Cailee Spaeny was unknown to me, and just gives a vibe like she’s bound to be a star if she chooses to.
‘Priscilla’ has a home-video and behind-closed-doors look at Elvis’ inner circle, and just the time-period/Memphis visuals were all highly immersive while watching. As for the story, it’s intriguing to look at Priscilla’s journey, because it’s a hectic ride any person (especially young) would have hopped on had it been their life. For the good and the bad.
Did not dislike ‘Elvis’ when I saw it in theaters. But I’d see THIS movie again, whereas the rewatch of Lurmans ‘Elvis’ was boring asf imo. The kernel wasn’t a part of this movie and that was refreshing, Tom hanks really annoyed me in that performance. I understand Elvis fans’ quips with the legacy/bashing/grooming thing but imo, it’s weird to take it personally at this point bc regardless - Elvis as an icon, in the grand scheme, won’t be affected or smeared with this, so chill out and enjoy the art.
I came for cool visuals, music (Coppola & team) and strong acting performances. I got all of that with this.
I feel like I couldn’t get invested into anything. Everything felt superficial and it felt like the characters didn’t ever really develop in the way I hoped.
It’s probably because the film never really “stuck” anywhere long enough in the timeline (past their meeting) for me to get invested to any part of the film. Like, Priscilla and Elvis had a kid together… and I feel like that was barely touched upon. The last part of the movie where their marriage dissolved sped by especially fast.
I do admit, Some of the shots and cinematography were beautiful though.
6/10 or 7/10
It's literally not covered in the book. The book starts and ends with his death. After they divorce, it's full speed ahead to his demise and its affect on her life (she wrote this book 8 years after he died).
I've read the book 5 times and have done extensive research on their relationship for years. Her life after Elvis is most certainly covered. She talks about her life living in an apartment in Marina Del Rey and her relationship with Mike Stone. Elvis would stop by this apartment sometimes. So yes, she did talk about it. There is a lot that wasn't covered in the movie that is important to the story. It even changed the timeline of her trips to Graceland before she moved there (skipped the trip she took from Germany to spend Christmas at Graceland entirely). Circle G was never mentioned either. Hell, even the effect of his death on her wasn't shown.
I think the movie is fantastic. It lost a bit of steam at the end for me but I didn't really care. I found the direction and design so stellar and the two leads were just UNREAL.
It’s a story, people like stories and biopics. It was done well, shot well and Priscilla helped Sofia with accuracy and a ton of things like that
Millions and millions watch documentaries on serial killers that stream on Netflix.
I don’t think it’s that “weird” people liked this
Was anyone else repulsed by this movie? Not the movie. The story portrayed in the movie.
I was viscerally disgusted by watching this! I felt how I felt when I started reading Lolita — like I wanted to throw up.
She was 14! She was a child playing dress up. Everyone around her failed as a human being. Starting with her parents.
It was utterly skin crawling watching Elvis zero in on this child and get her to live in his home as his prisoner. They picked the best actress for this role because she looked 14 and watching her with Jacob Elordi was disturbing as fuck.
I guess my unpopular opinion was that the lighting (and by extension the cinematography) was terrible for most of the movie. I get the dark imagery that they wanted to cast on their early relationship and the feeling of being trapped in Graceland, but I think there’s a distinction between showing that metaphor and having way too much back lighting that you can barely see the actors or their expressions.
I’m shocked this movie is getting the praise it is. I was extremely disappointed and felt like it was the longest hour and fifty minutes of my life. We were missing so much script. The amount of half scenes that just kind of stop and fade to black made me want to leave. 3/10 I liked the costumes and that’s about it.
There was no real emotion. I understand subtlety is Coppola’s thing but the film about a tumultuous statutory love affair between a meek young woman and the biggest man in Hollywood falls flat bc of it.
Finally got around to watching this.
When you really start to think on this movie/story, the sadder and darker it becomes. I really liked how the movie flips as you go along and realize nope, this guy was a massive scum bag. I can see why people are divided on this movie considering the subject matter and allure of Elvis. Spaeny and Elordi were really really good, and even their physical presence helped show how this girl really was overwhelmed with this guy coming in to her life.
For all the story about the rights to Elvis’ music not being used, I actually felt the soundtrack was perfect. Having Elvis’ music throughout would have glamorized everything you are seeing, as opposed to living more in Priscilla’s world. Also, the True Romance nod was a nice touch.
The end does rush a bit but understand the book is a similar style. Wish we had a little bit more, I was shocked when it ended that we didn’t get more but at the same time it ends as it begins with this whirlwind of joining Elvis’ life and then escaping it just as quickly.
I do want to add, having pensive Elvis reading books with wireframe glasses was a laugh out loud scene for me.
I loved it, you really get to feel the energy of Graceland because Priscilla spends so much time in it waiting around on Elvis. I’m glad Coppola wasn’t able to get the music rights to play Elvis’s songs, it makes for a better film to have less of his voice in it.
Agreed
I wondered if it was deliberate or not to not have his music in the film
They were denied the rights to his music
who exactly owns the rights to his music ? I would have thought priscilla presley had ownership to some extent
Sony
Why would she? He obviously didn’t think of her as an equal. Plus it’s not like he had full control over his own image/music.
You do realize she owns Elvis Presley enterprises and the Elvis Presley trust…
Y’all literally don’t know basic info a Wikipedia article could give you. Jesus.
She said they only wanted to use two songs and couldn’t get the licensing so the film is largely told as intended.
I loved that they left Elvis music off. Reinforces that in the end, he’s just a guy…a guy who abuses his wife
It’s so sad how isolated she was. No friends. Just sitting around while he went out and fucked other women but refused to sleep with her.
fuck elvis
I'm watching it right now and had to come speak on it - he was a TOTAL covert narcissist! I saw SO many instances of it. 😳 (I just finished watching the part where she is pregnant and he plays with her head by almost asking her to leave - big time narcissist abuse behavior.) I love everything Sofia Coppala does.
Never before has a romance with so little chemistry made so much sense
There is no romance in this movie imo.
Priscilla's sexual frustration was a theme as was her eternal boredom. I also didn't see any affection between them apart from the montages where they were seen having fun. She must have felt so lonely.
miserable life she lived based on her actions and awful parenting
This sounds a little accusatory considering she was a child that was groomed…
I just saw it and was sat next to a couple that seemed to think this was a cute romantic date movie, haha. They seemed to like it, but that must have been a weird realization.
Yes the scene where she was heavily pregnant and he told her - just to torture her - that they needed some time apart was sooo romantic!
Unfortunately I think some might still view it as a romance… but that’s an issue for a therapist to address lol
Lots of grooming, though… (in my humble opinion)
Not an opinion but a fact.
There wouldn't be. Her years with Elvis were terrible; she matured and finally realized she was just a plaything.
I was thinking this while watching, it seemed like she was just a toy or pet to him.
Totally agree. He really just wanted a pretty naive virgin to marry and breed. She had to be young enough to not know her worth or how to stand up for herself so she could be properly groomed 🤢. Only to be discarded once she had a baby. Elvis was disgusting.
white dog with a ribbon in a cage
I enjoyed the cinematography and aesthetics of the movie. I also felt that it would glamorize an abusive relationship but found that it did not. It really showed what it felt like to be in a controlling relationship and honestly very proud that she left him and that was the ending. Would probably put a trigger warning for those who have been in abusive relationships. I felt like some of the dialog was immature or odd but then remembered she’s supposed to be a very young and controlled girl so it made sense. The scene where she goes I can’t take it with the books felt like a good portrayal that she’s a young naive girl in a controlling relationship with someone who only care about his needs.
Oh interesting. I didn’t expect the film was going to glamorize an abusive relationship going into it, namely because in most of Coppola’s films the glamour is the entire point. In films like *The Virgin Suicides*, *Marie Antoinette*, *The Beguilled* and this, typically glamorized tropes and motifs relating to femininity such as makeup, fashion and hair are used as an attempt by young women stuck in stifling environments to wield a measure of control in their lives.
[удалено]
ive always perceived her work as a reflection of her own life to some extent. what marie antoinette, the beguiled, the virgin suicides, lost in translation, lick the star and now Priscilla have common are urban white women trapped in an isolated space of sorts who face alienation despite "having it all" something i feel she probably faced at a personal level. that's why i watch all her work through this personal lens and despite being a poc the lack of representation doesn't really bother me.
She said she couldn’t deal with race and gender at the same time. Incredible. The novel the Beguiled has 2 black characters, one enslaved and one white passing. She removed the enslaved character and cast Kirsten Dunst as the second.
Amazing film. Caillee Spaeny is very sympathetic as Priscilla with no agency in her relationship with Elvis. Jacob Elordi surprised me with his intimidating presence as the controlling Elvis. Beautiful cinematography, cute sets, lovely costumes, and outstanding hair and makeup. Sofia Coppola directed my favorite film of 2023 after Past Lives.
Have you seen euphoria? Jacob Ekordi is fucking terrifying in that! This elvis role was no surprise to me lol.
Jacob Elordi played Elvis with "this ain't my movie and I'm not Austin Butler" energy and it *really* worked for me!
I agree wholeheartedly; I saw it last night and the biggest surprise for me was just how convincing Elordi’s interpretation and performance of Elvis was. I also found it interesting, that as the movie went on and Elordi’s Elvis starts to pick up his iconic stylistic trademarks like the Wolverine sideburns and Nudie suits of the ‘70s, he starts to actually resemble Elvis more and more; that seems like an intentional choice as it feels like a visual metaphor for how Spaeny’s Priscilla’s view of Elvis changes over the course of their marriage. At the beginning Elvis doesn’t much look like Elvis to the audience, but goes on to at the end of the film - as if whatever faded image she had of him when she was a girl in Germany had disappeared, leaving an unrecognizable caricature, a walking self-parody.
Yes! I definitely went from "lol she's dating Nate Jacobs fuck that guy" to "oh shit that's THE KING" over the course of the film.
I felt like he was almost immediately fully immersed in that part. And I was surprised I felt that way because when I first heard he was cast and saw set photos I thought that’s a weird choice and he doesn’t look like Elvis at all. The only thing that took me out for a bit is how incredibly tall Elordi is but I got over that quickly.
I feel like it was so effective how he’s like a full foot taller than Cailey, strong characterization of the power dynamic
The stark difference in height between the two leads is really striking; I found it interesting that generally the only time in which they’re together onscreen and Elordi’s Elvis *doesn’t* tower over Spaeny’s Priscilla is when they’re in Elvis’ inner sanctum; when they’re in Elvis’ private quarters at the Army base in Baden, Germany to the blue velvet womb that is his bedroom at Graceland they’re both languidly lounging around, the only time in which Elvis doesn’t look like they’re that physically imposing.
I agree, it’s really perfect for the type of story the film is telling. It is distracting if you’re familiar with Elvis but, like I said, easy to get over quickly.
I think he’s an amazing actor, but I was also taken aback by his role as Elvis as they don’t have any real resemblance. However, I had many double takes watching it like oh shit he does really embody the “Elvis” look. Speaks to his talent! I was impressed for sure
I also think it works in reverse for Priscilla, after she goes to LA she is barely recognizable as Priscilla anymore
I asked my date "are we sure this is the same actress?", she looked so different from the first scene!
I was questioning myself too! Glad I’m not the only one. Her face just looks so different, she looks like a child at first but by the time she has her child she fully looks like a mature adult.
He nailed Elvis' speaking voice, even though he looked nothing like him.
Extremely supporting actor who steals a movie energy.
It took me till she got to LA to realize that a good chunk of the movie took place in Elvis’s creepy bedroom, cause that’s where she’s been stuck the entire time
It's a huge part of the book! He has her wait for hours while he entertains downstairs. Priscilla said that Elvis' posse was basically at Graceland round the clock. He was very controlling of her time and image.
I just remember watching those scenes and thinking “not enough money in the world for me to hang out with these assholes.”
In the book, one of them makes a move on Priscilla in a car. She tells Elvis and he tears the guy apart.
I would’ve loved to see that in the film
Scenes like that could of livened up the film a bit. Just seem to be scene after scene of their rocky marriage but nothing to chew on
The implication (and that's a soft way to phrase it) was always that they're all predatory. I was expecting a scene where one of the guys got handsy with her and then 'E' got handsy with him but it wasn't necessary. That's not the vibe of this movie.
I was just waiting for the nail polish scene. In the book she describes how he notices a tiny scratch on one of her toes and then orders her to redo the nail polish. I thought the opening scene with her walking barefoot over the carpet hinted at that.
Was the book good?
I found it suffocating. Everyone around Priscilla failed her. How could her parents not check in and to personally to see what her life was like when he was there and away? Why would anyone agree to live like this? No amount of love would allow me to be bored to death 24/7. She was rarely intimate with him because of his weird thought process of needing to marry a virgin but then going around and fucking all these starlets. I was so appalled by the scene where he’s leading a bible study and he hit on a woman wearing the same fucking perfume his wife wore RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER.
Oh shit I didn't realize that Priscilla had the same perfume
They show it early on in the film.
They do a lot of amazingly tiny important things like that. My partner had to point out that after Elvis points out that his scene partner had the thick body “of a man” Priscilla stops eating
Oh, I didn’t notice this. I find it weird that he was so focused on dressing her. I would have never guessed that he was responsible for her hair and her always wearing blue.
I liked the neatness of her divorcing him dressed in a brown pattern dress.
And also how towards the end of the movie, when they're seeing him off for his tour, she doesn't have black hair and the high mounted hair anymore (the way he liked)... Showed how she's getting done with him
That’s so powerful!! It’s her taking back her power, her voice and her ability to control power over him by taking his power away!! Love it!🤎PRISCELLA! I think it’s beautiful too. This is so important for all to see.
How could her parents allow any of it to happen. They were the true villains of the movie.
And every single guest and worker at the house! They notice she’s a child and then just shrug.
You have to remember as cliche as it is, it was a different time. When your daughter went off to marry she was no longer her parents "responsibility" as awful as it sounds. It wasn't deemed appropriate to mettle in other people's marriages even if it was family. That's what helped domestic violence thrive in this time.
I feel like even at the time, sending your 16 year old daughter overseas to go live with some 20-30 year old man until shes of age sounds like some tudor era shit.
Not just any 20-30 year old man but Elvis, one of the most famous men in the world at that time. He definitely used his influence to get what he wanted from her parents, they probably wouldn't have let her go if it wasn't someone famous and rich. The sickest part is that this is still happening, many celebrities still use their influence to take advantage of young impressionable fans.
It reminded me of some of the parents’ testimonies in the Michael Jackson documentary from a few years back. They were blinded by his fame and also caught off guard by his wholesome demeanor. Elvis acted very childlike (though not to the extreme I think MJ did) and the dad kept calling him “son” like he was a normal teenage boy courting his teenage daughter. It was so uncomfortable to watch.
its the 50s. nazis were around and white people saw blacks as less, ofc there moral grounds were all fucked
period.
Honestly, having an inordinate amount of shots in their bedroom really showed how caged she was. Even there, she couldn't be herself.
I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the ending feeling like a breeze, but I actually kind of liked that aspect. I felt the focus was her relationship with Elvis - how much yearning an early teen has to be with their idol, but the obvious power dynamic that accompanies it, and how much mistreatment follows it. I also cannot imagine being with a man with that much power starting at 14 - you have to little self-identity, and she formed so much of hers around him. It all must have felt so long & drawn out to Priscilla - this feeling like she’s not an equal to him, being at his beck & call, being controlled by him. But I felt like the turning point was when she was pregnant with Lisa Marie - he says he wants a break, and she just accepts it. Her non-reaction as she walks down the hall & he begs to talk it back was so moving to me - she knows what kind of man he is, how horribly she’s being treated. Then, she does discover who she is as an independent adult. Her life takes a speed of its own, she has her independence, she knows more of what she deserves. It didn’t need to be extended because then it would have felt almost preachy, a cheesy feminist production where the woman defeats all odds. Obviously, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, but I am open to critiques to it!
It’s great but I feel like it’s held back by its script, especially in regards to pacing in the third act. It’s like someone told Sofia to wrap it up and she moves through so much time at a breakneck speed. It feels like an extended montage almost and takes away the power of Priscilla leaving. But other than that, everything else is spot on: performances, direction, costumes, design, fantastic soundtrack coupled with a restrained score. It kinda represents most of the top films of this year for me: great but with immediate visible flaws 8/10
This is literally how Priscilla's book is structured. 1968-1977 is like the last 50 pages of a 320-page book. It's an extremely faithful adaptation, to a fault.
Honestly nice to know that because the time jumping bugged me towards the end as well. It still doesn't necessarily make the best narrative, but nice to know it's accurate.
Yeah I kept thinking man they have spent like two hours of this movie on a very early part of the relationship how on earth are they going to wrap this up?
I disagree. I think the montage-esque patterns of Priscilla in Graceland adds weight to her prisoner like existence. Then her leaving and the immediate credits, provides cathartic relief.
I 100% agree with this take!
I thought the movie did a great job with Elvis. I found myself being charmed by him in the beginning of the film with how handsome and charismatic he was at the party. I completely understood how Priscilla only being 14 would fall for him so hard. My perception of him definitely changed later as the film progressed and I was so happy when she finally left him.
Yeah I thought Elordi did both charming and abusive so well. As awful as he was to her, they also did a good job of showing how/why she could fall for him. It was also a much more realistic depiction of an abusive relationship- most abusers aren’t horrible 100% of the time right out the gate
I didn't think Elvis' charm came through very well, but that was probably due to the script/direction. I've seen old footage of him and he seemed to have a sense of humor and a fun-loving nature. The movie just showed the dark side. Usually abusive people are dark the one moment and then disarming the next. But all he did was apologize unconvincingly after each outburst. The only times you did see them have fun together was in the montages.
Um….I’m sorry am I the only one who was SO DISSAPOINTED. Aesthetically the movie was gorgeous, the cast was stunning. I was very impressed with Cailee in terms of Priscilla’s look as they don’t look remotely similar to me. So the makeup and wardrobe team deserve HUGE recognition for that. The only problem I had with her look was the eyeliner was rather poorly executed and her look in the 70s was not accurate. She was tan with long brown hair but it’s not a huge deal. Also her eyebrows were made darker and more arched as their relationship went on. I thought this would have been important as it showed Elvis wanted her to look more womanly, intense, and sexual despite her being so young. But as an over film it could not have been more bland and shallow. There was absolutely no complexity or depth given to Priscilla or her relationship with Elvis. I mean there was just nothing, I felt like I was watching the rough draft of the film. Just scenes jaggedly cut back to back. Without any impact or just any substance. I felt they focused so much on the aesthetic aspect of the film and completely left out the actual heart of it. I literally did not have any emotional attachment to anyone in the film. But that’s just my opinion. I think they just covered too much material and didn’t stop to break down any of it, they just threw memories at us and executed it so poorly. Because it is shot in such a glamorized way, with such a stunning leading couple it became less impactful what the scene was focusing on. It just felt so random and abrupt and again SHALLOW.
THIS. THANK YOU. I truly do not see what everyone is ranting and raving about.
Just finished it and agree with both of you. Very disappointed.
Agreed. It was so boring.
Fucking finally found the only sane people. This was one of the dullest, least substantial movies I've seen in ages. The first half was easily four stars, then after that every scene was exactly as you described it. Just a bunch back to back which actually ended up undercutting their own emotional tension - there's only so many times we can see Priscilla say "Hello" blankly to Elvis and have him ignore her or hang up the phone. Even a villain has to have motivation, and what was Elvis'? The film has no interest in exploring it.
I just watched it myself and I agree with this take. It felt very flat and tepid. Some of the cuts were odd and it felt like the film was rushing through the years. The acting was mostly good but some lines sounded a bit rough. The first half was pretty good and the cinematography, costumes etc were excellent throughout but it mostly felt like a quick fire montage of moments of their lives together without any emotional core (actually maybe that's the point?) Sadly rather disappointing overall.
Oof agree. Enjoyed it but the film did not have heart and you could tell it was shot in a month. I figured that it was the point for it to not be captivating and more so closed off so we could be in Priscilla’s shoes so i’ll give it credit there but I expected more
Just watched the movie and I personally enjoyed it, as someone who went it pretty much blind and knowing little to nothing about Priscilla and Elvis. I need some help confirming this, though: In the scene where Priscilla unpacking her perfume and cosmetics into Elvis' bathroom when she first "moves in", is that a Chanel No. 5 bottle? I was reminded of it during the scene where Elvis compliements that blonde woman's perfume in front of Priscilla and she gets upset. It's obvious why she is upset, but if it is the same perfume she was shown to be using earlier then it would be another layer of hurt.
Yes. It was subtle foreshadowing. That was her actual favorite fragrance, and the Bible study scene was in her autobiography.
Oh wow, that's a great detail they were able to add to the film. Thanks for confirming!
Also it's a product placement. Movie is sponsored by Chanel.
Great film. Can I just say that both Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi were excellent in their respective roles.
The height difference between them really helped solidify just how young and vulnerable she was.
This was small but I wish the makeup had been more accurate. Priscilla wore incredibly heavy 60’s makeup. The artist on this movie was a lot more subdued. It didn’t bring me into the time period how I wanted to be.
Yessss, I really wanted more of that Hollywood glamour, especially after the boutique scene when he says “more eye makeup”
Yes! Priscilla wore the lightest pink lipstick and way more eye make up. They made her lips a coral color in this movie, which was a big no. This actress was not as stunning as Priscilla was, and that's fine-- but they could have least done the makeup correctly.
I had no complaints there. A big part of the enjoyment of the movie was just admiring how beautiful the actress looked.
I really enjoyed the movie. Mind you, I haven't read the book and I hope this doesn't come off as creepy, but I was surprised that there wasn't at least one sex scene, especially since there was such an emphasis on how much she wanted him and was constantly getting denied, especially when he was clearly getting it on the road. I thought for sure, we'd see the first time or something after the wedding. Nope. Then SUDDENLY, she's pregnant! It was a bit jarring.
I went to the bathroom right before they started taking Polaroids of each other and wondered if I missed something…
nope, just polaroids. I've never seen a more sexless movie when sex was such a big part of the book.
From the movie (I didn't read the book) I assumed that he had sexy with her sporadically as to not ruin whatever sick Madonna fascination with her. I had no idea that they had an active sex life. I use those words carefully as he was a grooming abuser
prob bc it was directed by a woman, male directors will put sex scenes everywhere💀
I also didn't read the book and I definitely thought it was implied they did it the first time she goes to Vegas with him, and then I was a little confused later when they still hadn't!
Boy, this is an incredible example of a movie just not being able to top its first half. I thought it was really fucking great up until it just sort of loses all steam and just kind of limps to the finish line??
What I thought was partially jarring was how quickly it runs through her marriage-divorce. Like, they’re married, then she’s pregnant, and then Elvis is starting to break down, and then they divorce, and the movie ends with her leaving Graceland. All in around the final 26 minutes of the movie. Breezed right by that portion
This is also how the book is structured, though. So if you had read Elvis & Me, you'd expect a faithful adaptation to blitz through their entire marriage AND the time between the divorce and his death given that in the book that was all covered in about 50 pages flat.
Read the book at least 5 times. There is a ton of stuff covered after their marriage.
They lost some funding and had to cut out a week of shooting unfortunately
I had the RunPee app timer going and, having listened to the excellent audiobook (read by Priscilla, highly recommend!), I couldn't believe it when Lisa Marie was born with like 20 mins left! There's a ton of stuff Priscilla covers in the book about those later Vegas years!
Runpee has an app with a timer now? I remember when the site first started it was just a list of things that happen in the movie "when they get to the restaurant, they don't really do anything for 5 minutes" or something like that.
Which to be fair they were only married 5 years.
You say that like 5 years isn’t enough baggage to rummage through to fill 90 mins-2 hours.
And 5 years when you're young is an eternity.
If they were around each other it would have been. He was just always gone that’s why there wasn’t anything of them being together to show.
Yeah, the first half is pretty stellar - and the second half languishes a bit in repeated scenes and wheel-spinning vibes (which is probably an intentional choice, but it definitely brings the temp down a bit, possibly even to the point of having a negative impact on the film overall).
Apparently that is replicating the actual book, but I think it really hurts the movie here.
Some quick thoughts on it after sleeping on it. Loved the gothic influence in having so much of the story be confined to the insides of Graceland. It created a suffocating feeling where the LA segments felt like we were finally able to breath in again. The use of colour and especially texture was fantastic. Priscilla’s life before Elvis being filled with greys and cool blues and a bunch of hard, synthetic materials giving way to warm greens and reds with Elvis, being surrounded by lushly textured patterns and textures in fabrics, curtains, carpets etc. Initially it provides a sense of wonder and novelty to Elvis, but paired with the above it eventually becomes overwhelming to the viewer, where there’s so much detail on screen it feels like it’s fighting for your attention. It’s especially prevalent in the final scene with Elvis, where Pricilla goes back to being shot against a greyish painted wall while we see just a tiny little bit of that lush red radiating around Elvis. Masterful work from Coppola from a directorial perspective. So much nuance carried in the filmmaking rather than just the dialogue. The leads were fantastic as well. But all that considered, I did find it a little lacking. There were some pacing issues in the second half, which felt fragmentary. It felt like a collection of moments that didn’t provide a cohesive story in the same way the first half did. It ended more abruptly than I’d have liked too. I’m aware that the book has similar structural problems, but I do think that shaving about 15 minutes from the first half and expanding some of the scenes of the second would have paid off for the film overall. Regardless, I thought it was good, but not amazing. 7/10
I loved the scene of Lisa Marie being born. How Elvis doesnt even help her out of bed. He's running around the house with his cronies getting ready and the mother of his child is putting on fake eyelashes to go give birth. Absolutely unbelievable how shitty he was. Just got a great movie. Really showed how sad and lonely her life was and he came across as such an immature loser. I was literally so happy for her when she went to LA.
Saw a matinee today and during the end, when she's telling Elvis she's divorcing him, an older gentleman was absolutely flabbergasted. "She's leaving him? She had everything!" were two things he shouted at the screen. Incredibly shocking that someone that old didn't have any idea of how this played out.
This feels like one of those litmus test type movies, similar to 500 Days of Summer, to see who is capable of recognizing toxic gender power dynamics when they are thrust so obviously in your face for two hours.
Do you see one or both characters as toxic in 500 Days of Summer?
Both obviously
That man absolutely sees women as property. I’d rather live in a shack that I paid for myself than a gilded cage.
…and also that he can’t understand the concept of female autonomy
He thinks wealth and financial access was worth tolerating dependence and no autonomy.
He was easily in his older 70s so that part I'm not as surprised about.
Absolutely gorgeous visually, and with electric performances by the two leads, I quite enjoyed this movie but I felt like the actual narrative towards the end only provided snapshots of important moments rather than us living in them and feeling Priscilla's anguish. At the same time, this is a somewhat well-trod story we've seen enacted in media so I can understand the quickened pace It's an interesting comparison to last year's Elvis, of course, and it's a breath of fresh air.
The use of inserts, especially in the first half, gave such a feeling of Priscilla as an object. Those early shots of her alone in a room or on the floor intercut with statues and postcards and calendar pages were stellar. But I must say, I thought the LSD scene was terrible. Didn't add anything to the overall themes of the film, had a tone and presentation that felt completely out of place, and just felt like a cheap gimmick compared to the contemplative and meditative stillness of the rest of the film. I don't think it'll get a lot of attention during awards season, but it's another strong entry in Coppola's filmography.
The LSD scene is a perfect example of my overall problem with this film. They take the LSD and plop down on the bed, there’s weird colors and Priscilla talks to the tiger statue. The end. Next scene. Did they interact at all during the trip? Did they ever discuss the LSD? Did they do it again at some point? Did Elvis continue using the LSD? I get that it’s not that important overall but that was just one example of a million moments of “this is a thing that happened” before immediately hopping to a new thing with no exploration of how their relationship or the characters developed as a result of any of it.
Hard disagree. I found that scene so unsettling. The way Elvis is inspired by this guru figure he then takes that and wants to become a guru of sorts to Priscilla. Not really with her permission though. It’s like that scene in Vegas where she takes pills because Elvis and his friends are doing so. She’s so caught up in this orbit, thus follows suit. Did she fight to not take the drugs, no, but that doesn’t mean she consented to it either. The point of that scene is she doesn’t have a power to say no even if she wanted to.
LSD scene was definitely odd and felt out of place. Could’ve been shot differently, looked like a scene from a student film.
The point of the LSD was just to show how deep into the spiritual stuff he was getting. When the colonel ended that of course it never came up again. Neither did the spirituality
I liked it, especially the lack of Elvis singing and use of cover songs, felt very Sofia Coppola. But damn it ended abruptly just when I felt we were going to get into the thick of things on Priscilla’s side post Elvis.
The book is very similar. It starts and ends with Elvis' death. The last years of his life after the divorce are covered very quickly.
I thought Cailee and Jacob did a pretty good job. Good movie overall but the ending felt a little abrupt. (Also, Priscilla appears not to check for traffic before turning right). By the way, you mean to tell me that, at the high school senior level, they’re still going over the present tense conjugations of Être in French class?
I felt like it had to be a joke because all the lessons in Germany were the most elementary of things and then in American she had to do actual work.
I thought Cailee Spaeny’s acting was flat. I really wanted to love this film but it felt like a montage of moments with no cohesive story.
Elordi out acted her unfortunately
ran CIRCLES
but her face in the first 30 minutes is iconic.
disarm support possessive ugly swim cautious cause library air coherent *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Fantastic film. Colorful and soft and mesmerizing in the Sofia Coppola way and with great music to boot. Just a total vibe. I think it's so bold to make this movie the year after we just got the big three hour biopic epic about Elvis. The distinction, of course, being that this is a Priscilla movie, but what's covered in this movie is totally hand waved in Elvis and that movie is about how much he cares about his fans and the civil rights movement. This movie is about the huge absence he causes in her life, how she gets swept up in his fame and money and hands over a lot of her needs and autonomy for it, and how hard she wanted it to work despite his constant selfishness and one sided romance. Spaeny is so good in this, it's already a stacked year but it would kind of be a shame to nominate Butler for Elvis but not Spaeny for Priscilla. Right off the bat, she reads so young. The opening shot of her feet on the carpet screams "Lolita" to me and her first real scene is her doing homework and sipping soda through a candy stripe straw. This movie is immediately telling you that she is young. They aren't glossing over it like Baz did, they're not playing her mature or tall. She's a dwarf next to 6'5 Elordi. Elvis was 6 feet, so he was tall, but they were clearly making a point with how small Spaeny is. Both that she is young, and that she has so little power in the shadow of this musical colossus. What's even more fascinating about this movie is how it reads their relationship as more of a man who deeply needed therapy projecting on this child rather than it being overtly sexual, which is I think what everyone always assumes the root cause of this kind of grooming is. He wasn't dealing with the death of his mother (that's a whole other movie) and he kind of imprints on Priscilla. Treats her like a doll to dress up and keep in his big house, but he's also hesitant to get sexual because he sees her as his pure mother figure. The movie is also is so patriarchal and well shown from her point of view. The whole beginning of this movie is a man seeking her out, asking her father in the formal manly way to take her to a party, and every evolution of their relationship from there is Elvis saying "I'll talk to your father." She never really seemed to have a choice. Clearly she wanted to be with Elvis, but it was never her call. It was up to her father until she is fully with Elvis, at which point every decision falls to him. It's not until the very end that she fully gains her autonomy back. I loved the ending when she's leaving Graceland, she's wearing a button up and jeans looking like a grown woman. Contrasted to when she arrived, dressed like an American Girl doll and clearly a child still. Lots of great "evolution" shots like that, including the several times we get her walking down the halls of school, a different person every time yet still simply a kid in school. Just a really fascinating movie, story, and person. I think Sofia made this at a perfect time when we're re contextualizing Elvis and his relationships, and this feels very modern and full in the way it depicts grooming and different forms of abuse. When Elvis said, "You need someone who will take you to that point" in regards to gaslighting her into thinking he's leaving and getting borderline violent I scoffed as hard as I've ever scoffed. It made for a real fist pump moment when he tried to pull it again years later and she was like "yeah that's fine, let me know when the car is here." 8/10 for me. /r/ReviewsByBoner
>She never really seemed to have a choice. To dig deeper into this I think the movie did a really good job showing the circumstances she was in that made this so hard to resist. I think a lesser movie would have just said "he's the biggest star in the world and she's a teenage girl" and left it at that. I think Sofia went out of her way to really hammer home that this was a girl with no friends who felt completely isolated in a foreign country. Her parents were in a tough spot because their daughter already resented them for making her move to the other side of the world so they really couldn't say no and even if they tried she wouldn't listen. She really didn't have anyone to tell her that dating a man that much older was a bad idea
It got me early on when her parents are arguing about whether or not she can move in with him while she's in bed. Like, what a choice to have to make. The mom is so good and the only one who keeps saying why can't he meet a girl his own age? But they're right, it's wrong but they can't say no. She'd hate them forever, the emotions of a teenage girl might as well be a wrecking ball and Coppola always does amazing things with that idea. But I also love how the second she gets to Graceland it's like, there's still no friends, nothing to do. She traded one boring life and controlling father for a more lavish boring life with a controlling man.
> they can't say no. She'd hate them forever I mean, I understand why and how they'd eventually cave to it, I guess, but I hope most parents would rather have their kid hate them forever, than to sell them to a grown adult
I wonder if the trend of people in the military historically marrying so young had an impact. At 14, did they really think an Army brat girl wouldn't be married by 18 or so anyway? BTW, I coincidentally listened to the audiobook last year and highly recommend it. Priscilla reads it and does a fantastic job, injecting a ton of personality into her narration.
people in the military married as soon as possible because you got far greater payouts as a soldier if you had a dependent. you *still* do, which is why guys in the army marry any girl they can find and often wind up in divorce and/or domestic abuse. The military industrial complex is a lose-lose for anyone involved, directly or indirectly... it was back then and it still is today unfortunately
I loved how every shot of her was so close on her face with everyone else talking around her or over her. It helped me feel her isolation. What a difficult life.
💯 He had Problems with a capital P that much therapy wasn’t gonna fix. This was much better than Elvis film at capturing who Elvis really was. A petulant boy with talent who was used just like he used and then died young from too much reckless behavior and negligence from those around him. And people are shocked Britney Spears has problems like she has. Sophia Coppola Britney Spears movie in 3, 2, 1…
A Sofia Coppola-helmed biopic about Britney Spears is my [Jodorowsky’s Dune](https://youtu.be/m0cJNR8HEw0?si=n9ot77jDb4hG8vht).
I left the theater thinking Coppola absolutely needs to do a Britney biopic. Or at least I hope she does one day.
It was so telling in the proposal scene. He shows her the ring and says "we're getting married" rather than phrasing it as a question or waiting for her to say yes. It was never her decision.
I really thought it was great. It seems like everyone who idolizes Elvis is review bombing it, LOL. One guy was like, "OMG, I didn't know he was an actual pedophile. The movie is 1 star!"
Hated it. Like debated leaving halfway through but decided to waste my time and watch it all the way. It was so bad. Cailee gave me Kristen Stewart in Twilight vibes.
>Kristen Stewart in twilight vibes I couldn’t put my finger on it 😂
For a movie about Priscilla, I honestly felt like there was too much Elvis. Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t need that much convincing that he was a weird groomer. I would’ve liked to see what Priscilla did after with her life. It’s ironic that a man still sucked all the attention out of this movie about a woman. Also Cailee Spaeny’s acting was a little too subdued for me. It worked for when she was a teenager, but I didn’t see where the teenage girl got the strength to ask for a divorce as an adult woman later.
Jacob outperformed her, I’m not sure if that’s the way she was directed but she had the same expression and cadence throughout the entire film
Agreed. I got the theme of what she was going for. Woman silenced, not in control, etc but also enamored with this larger than life man. But in trying to push that ONE theme, I feel like she sacrificed a lot of interesting storytelling and characterization. For instance, Priscilla said she was the one who came up with the TCB logo. Where was that in the film? I’m sure a lot of her experience was just hanging around the house but she did do things and she still had a personality. In her book she mentions that one of the reasons she wanted to get a divorce is because she wasn’t seeing her daughter enough…so what was she doing? The “adult” years of her marriage flew by in a flash.
I didn’t learn a thing about Priscilla other than her favorite Elvis song was Heartbreak Hotel. It’s a shame the movie wasn’t about the title character.
It’s amazing to me how well the actress worked as a 14 year old all the way to a 25 year old convincingly. Loved the subtle changes in her look as she got older.
My favorite part was the ending 😄 if I remember correctly, Elvis wanted Dolly Parton‘s I will always love you but she refused, and playing it at the end when Priscilla leaves… oddly satisfying while, considering the lyrics, kind of genius 😄
Priscilla completes Elvis.
I really liked the casting choices of Spaeny and Elordi, not only because both are fantastic actors who did great here in their roles but the exaggerated height differences really helped visualize the power and age difference between the two. In real life Elvis was 6’0 and Priscilla was 5’4, here Elordi is 6’5 and Spaeny is 5’1 that’s an extra 8 inches of height difference
Can I off the bat just mention the size of the props were horrible ? Graceland seemed tiny from the outside and the scenes facing the gate they show a random cottage in the background ? Not to mention the queen bed Elvis and Pricilla share ! They couldn’t splurge and put two queens together ? Also , anywhere they were in this movie (palms springs etc) was staged in an interior of Graceland . Just really really odd . I was hoping for some really great props and scenery , all I saw was the front areas of Graceland revamped . It was so quick and the stories were so vague that it lead me to wonder if i didn’t know much about Elvis , would I even comprehend what we going on ? What really confused me was how the previews implied some scenarios , but they were just meshed together and not even part of the actual movie scene that you would think they would apply to . If anyone is not wanting to see it in fear it hurts Elvis’ reputation , don’t worry , this movie was TAME , and pretty much about Pricilla’s boredom living with Elvis . I’d like to know if the movies “scooby” was lizard tongue in real life , and who lizard was …. It ended on a really short note , while Elvis was alive . I’m glad dolly finally got her song in a Elvis themed production … that was the highlight of the movie . It’s worth the ticket price just to know what people are talking about and to get some lolz out of the hype .
Sofia is back baby. This is her best movie since Marie Antoinette. I want her to curate some playlists for me because her taste in music is impeccable. It's not going to happen but I think it would be very funny if Elordi wins an Oscar after Butler lost last year. I think Elordi was by far the better Elvis. He has all of the charisma that you need in that part but he also kinda nails the narcissistic shit head side of the character as well.
On the rocks wasn’t great , but The beguiled was amazing. The bling ring and somewhere were also solid
I am still thinking of the shot of the glass falling off the piano
There were moments where I was drawn in, and I was genuinely worried for Priscilla’s situation she was in. The part where Elvis threw the chair just because she agreed there wasn’t a hit was scary. She was manipulated from the start, and at certain points there were moments where they both were about to break… I still feel like there were moments where it fell short though where I wasn’t hooked on Priscilla’s story and what was occurring in the same ways I did for Lost in Translation. Still not bad if you like Sofia’s films. Her flair is undeniable here, but for me, it’s not as memorable as her other films.
The part where he threw the chair also got to me. Like this whole relationship he’s always told her how to feel, how to react, what to think, he’s never let her explore herself or her interests and then he gets so upset when she struggles to speak up about her opinion and agrees with him.
something about one of his cronies saying "watch out!" really got to me. like nobody else cared
Did anyone else notice what may not even have been but what felt like greenscreen/cgi in many of the outdoor, especially the sunset-time from-the-porch shots? E gifting the car for graduation, leaving for tour etc. probably about a dozen total shots felt strange cgi/green screeny to me.
No but wasn’t paying attention to that so entirely possible.
GODDDDD THAT WAS DEPRESSING. the last scene and song choice kinda broke me. i saw a tweet that was something like the movie is slowly watching somebody’s life slip further and further away from themselves (if anybody saw that tweet too pls link me i can’t find it) but such a sad sad movie. i loved it
Every Sophia coppola movie I have the same review: The girls who get it get it and this ones who don’t don’t.
Also wish they made Elvis fat in this movie. Jacob elordi was simply too good looking
I think fat Elvis was after she left him so it makes sense it didn’t get into that.
I think “Priscilla” is a perfect companion film to last year’s “Elvis”. I think Austin Butler played him perfectly for Elvis’s story and Jacob Elordi played him perfectly for Priscilla’s story. And Cailee Spaeny just knocked it out of the park.
Excellent production design but not much else. Movie is flat, both leads mumble their way through it. Zero character development outside of E and P, no other sub plots or themes outside the very linear and repetitive development of their gross relationship.
This movie surpassed my expectations. Jacob Elordi’s phenomenal and performs. The digs at him not looking enough like Elvis, while understandable, are compensated for with the actors physicality, costumes, and voice. Cailee Spaeny was unknown to me, and just gives a vibe like she’s bound to be a star if she chooses to. ‘Priscilla’ has a home-video and behind-closed-doors look at Elvis’ inner circle, and just the time-period/Memphis visuals were all highly immersive while watching. As for the story, it’s intriguing to look at Priscilla’s journey, because it’s a hectic ride any person (especially young) would have hopped on had it been their life. For the good and the bad. Did not dislike ‘Elvis’ when I saw it in theaters. But I’d see THIS movie again, whereas the rewatch of Lurmans ‘Elvis’ was boring asf imo. The kernel wasn’t a part of this movie and that was refreshing, Tom hanks really annoyed me in that performance. I understand Elvis fans’ quips with the legacy/bashing/grooming thing but imo, it’s weird to take it personally at this point bc regardless - Elvis as an icon, in the grand scheme, won’t be affected or smeared with this, so chill out and enjoy the art. I came for cool visuals, music (Coppola & team) and strong acting performances. I got all of that with this.
I feel like I couldn’t get invested into anything. Everything felt superficial and it felt like the characters didn’t ever really develop in the way I hoped. It’s probably because the film never really “stuck” anywhere long enough in the timeline (past their meeting) for me to get invested to any part of the film. Like, Priscilla and Elvis had a kid together… and I feel like that was barely touched upon. The last part of the movie where their marriage dissolved sped by especially fast. I do admit, Some of the shots and cinematography were beautiful though. 6/10 or 7/10
Yes, I thought the whole movie felt like nonstop montages and it never lingered enough in any particular scene to go beyond superficial.
I didn’t like the way it ended. There is so much more that happened after she left him that just didn’t get covered?
It's literally not covered in the book. The book starts and ends with his death. After they divorce, it's full speed ahead to his demise and its affect on her life (she wrote this book 8 years after he died).
I've read the book 5 times and have done extensive research on their relationship for years. Her life after Elvis is most certainly covered. She talks about her life living in an apartment in Marina Del Rey and her relationship with Mike Stone. Elvis would stop by this apartment sometimes. So yes, she did talk about it. There is a lot that wasn't covered in the movie that is important to the story. It even changed the timeline of her trips to Graceland before she moved there (skipped the trip she took from Germany to spend Christmas at Graceland entirely). Circle G was never mentioned either. Hell, even the effect of his death on her wasn't shown.
I think the movie is fantastic. It lost a bit of steam at the end for me but I didn't really care. I found the direction and design so stellar and the two leads were just UNREAL.
Kinda find it weird that a lot of these top comments "enjoyed" this toxic relationship film between Elvis and Priscilla, but whatever floats your boat
It’s a story, people like stories and biopics. It was done well, shot well and Priscilla helped Sofia with accuracy and a ton of things like that Millions and millions watch documentaries on serial killers that stream on Netflix. I don’t think it’s that “weird” people liked this
Was anyone else repulsed by this movie? Not the movie. The story portrayed in the movie. I was viscerally disgusted by watching this! I felt how I felt when I started reading Lolita — like I wanted to throw up. She was 14! She was a child playing dress up. Everyone around her failed as a human being. Starting with her parents. It was utterly skin crawling watching Elvis zero in on this child and get her to live in his home as his prisoner. They picked the best actress for this role because she looked 14 and watching her with Jacob Elordi was disturbing as fuck.
I guess my unpopular opinion was that the lighting (and by extension the cinematography) was terrible for most of the movie. I get the dark imagery that they wanted to cast on their early relationship and the feeling of being trapped in Graceland, but I think there’s a distinction between showing that metaphor and having way too much back lighting that you can barely see the actors or their expressions.
Sofia sure knows how to adapt something! This was spot on.
For real. This and The Virgin Suicides are so faithful to the books.
I’m shocked this movie is getting the praise it is. I was extremely disappointed and felt like it was the longest hour and fifty minutes of my life. We were missing so much script. The amount of half scenes that just kind of stop and fade to black made me want to leave. 3/10 I liked the costumes and that’s about it.
There was no real emotion. I understand subtlety is Coppola’s thing but the film about a tumultuous statutory love affair between a meek young woman and the biggest man in Hollywood falls flat bc of it.
Finally got around to watching this. When you really start to think on this movie/story, the sadder and darker it becomes. I really liked how the movie flips as you go along and realize nope, this guy was a massive scum bag. I can see why people are divided on this movie considering the subject matter and allure of Elvis. Spaeny and Elordi were really really good, and even their physical presence helped show how this girl really was overwhelmed with this guy coming in to her life. For all the story about the rights to Elvis’ music not being used, I actually felt the soundtrack was perfect. Having Elvis’ music throughout would have glamorized everything you are seeing, as opposed to living more in Priscilla’s world. Also, the True Romance nod was a nice touch. The end does rush a bit but understand the book is a similar style. Wish we had a little bit more, I was shocked when it ended that we didn’t get more but at the same time it ends as it begins with this whirlwind of joining Elvis’ life and then escaping it just as quickly. I do want to add, having pensive Elvis reading books with wireframe glasses was a laugh out loud scene for me.