Customer Reviews

Finding Graceland [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I have watched this movie no less than 20 times and each time, I find something clever I missed from the last. It is witty, touching, intriguing and memorable. It takes Elvis' memory and generosity and shows how that kindness still lives on and touches people to this day. A MUST SEE for your spirit, and a MUST BUY for that Elvis fan you may know! Also has GREAT footage of Graceland, inside the mansion and out.

I cried my eyes out. I love this movie. It doesn't matter that Harvey Keitel does not look like Elvis. Elvis came back to do what he loved to do, help people. There are hints all the way through this movie that true Elvis fans will recognize as Elvis trivia. The soundtrack is wonderful. From the frist notes of the music at the end of the movie, I knew the answer to all the question the movie asked. I have watched this movie at least 15 times and find something new in it each time. Anyone who wants to "find Graceland" will find it in this movie. I thank Priscilla for understanding what it would mean to all of us who still love Elvis, and endorsing it.

Harvey Keitel stars in this film as Elvis Presley. Yes, Harvey Keitel as Elvis. Or at least the character he plays thinks he's Elvis. Now, I know that Keitel doesn't look anything like The King. However, that's part of the charm of this movie; how a man who doesn't look anything like Elvis can embody his soul and spirit so perfectly.

The film has a mix of both wonderful and wooden acting performances, and the plot is decent, but not very tight. However, seeing Keitel singing "Suspicious Minds" dressed as The King is worth some of the other dribble you will find here. The soundtrack is great as is the footage filmed from inside Graceland.

Overall, not too bad of a movie.

A great film from start to finish. But, where's the soundtrack???

The main thing you have to get about this movie is that it's not about Elvis. It's about being willing to live as if there really is something sublime about life in this Universe. Now, Elvis did that, and he inspired that, but that's only why it's plausible that a more mundane person who aimed at the same goal (like the Keitel character) might use an Elvis impersonation as a way to cope with the pain and the glories of life.

That's to say this movie is deep, and it succeeds at that most difficult of cinematic goals about as well as a small, quiet movie can. It's not something to compare with other Elvis movies, but rather to compare with subtle, crafted movies like "Remains of the Day" or "Diner" (and it's better than either). It's also rare in being, at heart, a "feel-good" movie with absolutely none of the contrived "heart-tugging" [stuff] that usually makes that phrase a kiss of death for most flics.

I feel kind of sorry for people who rent this because they love Elvis. It's not that kind of thing. But it just might be that the same reasons why some folks love Elvis (especially for his greatest artistic achievements) do have something to do with why you might love this exploration of what it means to be human.

Ok, I'm a fan of Harvey's and I'm saying that right up front because I know not everyone is. I've seen this movie twice and loved it both times. I'll even go further: Harvey makes me believe he's Elvis by the end of the movie! I think he's either a ghost Elvis or an angel Elvis but he is Elvis. His mission is to hitch a ride toward Memphis with troubled souls and heal them by the magic of being Elvis returned. He succeeds in every assignment. He had to not look like Elvis because that would have made the person's faith too easy to gain. The test of faith, of course, is in believing in the preposterous. Harvey also does a knockout rendition of singing as Elvis onstage while wearing a blue studded jumpsuit. I am not really a big fan of Elvis but he interests me as the folk hero he has apparently become in the USA. This role is utterly in keeping with the urban legends floating around now about Elvis. Everyone else in the film supports the Elvis character and is primarily important for doing so. They do a good job but it is Harvey Keitel's movie all the way. I've followed him since the beginning of his career and he has really carved out the best of that career being and playing a middle-aged man instead of a young one.

This movie has something for everyone even if you're not an Elvis fan. It has great acting, a good story, mystery and laughs. Although I think it works best for anyone that at least likes Elvis Presley.