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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Elvis lives no matter what shape he comes in, October 12, 1999
By A Customer
I rented this because I am always fascinated by what Harvey Keitel is capable of. He's an extraordinary chance-taker which he proves admirably here. After I stopped laughing until I was in tears at his Elvis impersonater competition, I replayed the scene several times. How far from the real Elvis can one be? And yet, and yet.....what passion and fun he created bumping, grinding, posing, flying around the stage in his too short cape, making fun of himself, the actor, yet commanding the situation with such assurance and verve that he revived the Elvis he was parodying in a vivid portrait of a man in love with his song. The story line was good. But something was missing. Maybe we should have learned more about the man who thought he was Elvis. More about the woman who chose to be Marilyn Monroe. We imbue icons with eternal life, and if we become them, even for a little while, maybe some of that rubs off on us. But then, if the movie went that route, it would be a different movie. This one is fun - interesting - and will leave you with a good feeling. Kind of rare today. Watch it. You'll like it.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a sweet story about the return from an injured soul, August 17, 1999
ok, so I'm a little sappy. It's just that movies today are so cynical, it's refreshing to see a movie about overcoming demons instead of indulging them. A hitchhiker who calls himself Elvis (Harvey Keitel) meets a traveler (Schaech) who reluctantly gives him a ride. Despite many rejections, the two develop a kind of odd friendship. They look out for each other. Schaech is morning the loss of his wife in a car accident, when he meets a Maralyn Monroe impersonator (Bridget Fonda) who is part of a lounge act at a casino on their journey to Memphis. The real fun of this movie is Keitel's performance. No matter what the role, he always gives you something of interest. He doesn't look like Elvis, he doesn't really talk like Elvis, and there is a definite question as to if Elvis would ever act like this; but it is fun. Schaech is a good straight man, and Fonda gives us more reasons to daydream about meeting her. All in all this was a good movie with top notch performances, that didn't feel the need to weigh itself too heavily with a message.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elvis is still "Taking Care of Business", April 11, 2004
This is one amazing little gem of a movie. It came and went without much fanfare, but a lot of movies worth seeing do that. They can't all be blockbusters. Harvey Keitel as "Elvis" only goes to show the genius of Keitel the actor and the man. The exterior of Keitel's character believes he's Elvis up to a point, the interior knows there is something spiritual inhabiting his very being. That spirit could very well be the real spirit of Elvis who has come back to earth to right a few wrongs and continue to change lives. Keitel was never meant to look, talk, act, or sing like Elvis. That's the beauty of it all. Where Keitel becomes Elvis is how he interacts with the people he meets and leaves them uplifted. Bridget Fonda plays a sweet young woman who impersonates Marilyn Monroe for a living, mostly in Vegas, but sometimes traveling around the casino circuit. At Robinsonville, Mississippi's Hollywood Casino (yes, these places are real), she meets Keitel and the emotionally shattered Johnathon Schaech, still mourning the death of his young wife from a year ago. Eventually, all make it to Memphis only a few miles from the Hollywood Casino where the spirit of Elvis also lives in his home and grounds known as Graceland. This is a film authorized by the Presley Estate, so the viewer will get to see the real interior of Graceland from angles that tourists don't get to see. This movie will make most viewers laugh and cry. There's a little something here for everyone. In fact you don't even have to be an Elvis fan to enjoy this film. I recommend it highly.
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