A quick glance into the comments of Priscilla Presley’s Instagram as of late showcases the polarizing reactions to Sophia Coppola’s biopic about the ex-wife to “The King” – viewers either loved it or hated it. Critics of the film tend to be Elvis superfans, claiming that the film was just a cheap shot to Elvis’s legacy, and that it was disrespectful to make when he isn’t alive to defend himself. Other critics feel that Jacob Elordi’s adaptation of the music sensation pales in comparison to Austin Butler’s performance in the 2022 film Elvis. Butler famously prepared for the role by secluding himself from society to fully immerse himself in method acting and Jacob Elordi commented in an interview that the most he knew about Elvis prior to Priscilla was from the animated movie Lilo and Stitch.
Despite the overwhelming criticism, I (as well as many other viewers) loved the film.
The casting for the film was impeccable. Cailee Spaeny so artistically captured Priscilla in every stage of her love with Elvis; she portrayed every aspect of Priscilla perfectly – from the innocence and bewilderment of fourteen year old Priscilla meeting Elvis for the first time to the heartbroken contentment she felt when she left Elvis at twenty eight. I could go on and on about how perfect Jacob Elordi was for the role of Elvis – he has the same classy good looks and heartthrob status as Elvis, and he stands at six foot five, which contributed to Elvis’s “larger than life” character. Elordi’s mannerisms and speech patterns were identical to Elvis – Priscilla Presley helped cast Elordi as Elvis, and even told him some of his eating habits, which Elordi mimicked in preparation for the role.
As for the depiction of Elvis Presley: I didn’t see it as villainizing him like many fans did. The biopic showed a side of the star that the public has never seen before – Priscilla’s side. The way Priscilla saw him, the way he treated her, the experiences only they shared. It was a much more intimate look into the life of the Presleys compared to the glamorized 2022 film about the side of Elvis the public is more familiar with. This film showed the intimate life of the couple, which included the darker side of his stardom. Priscilla depicts Elvis’s struggle with substances like acid as well as pills to help him fall asleep and stay awake. In the movie, Elvis’s character can be seen constantly bouncing his leg up and down as a result of the pills, and when he gives them to Priscilla to help her stay awake during her classes, she sports the same incessant bouncing of the leg. Elvis’s hot temper was also majorly depicted in the biopic. There are several scenes recreating true events when his temperment blew up – when Elvis threw a chair at Priscilla, a pillow fight turned violent between the couple, as well as many other instances of Elvis losing his cool facade around his wife.
The most emotional scenes of the film were enhanced immensely by the music choice (or lack thereof)- and funnily enough, no Elvis songs are actually played throughout the entire movie. The owner of Elvis Presley Enterprises did not grant Coppola permission to use any of his songs in the film, but truthfully, it made the film all the more raw and real without it. The songs used in pivotal moments of the film represent Priscilla’s adolescent emotions and feelings, and by using more niche songs, the audience’s emotions run higher with an unexpected score in the background. Silence was also utilized in such an artistic way. In the moments between Elvis and Priscilla where there was no music, just the sounds of their breath and their words, the silence encapsulated the intimacy and charm of their love, especially in the beginning of the movie when they first meet.
The music that backed the final scene could not have been more perfectly cinematic – as soon as Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You” began playing as Priscilla got in the car to leave Elvis, I got chills. Not only do the lyrics of the song particularly resonate with the situation Priscilla had faced, but the backstory behind the choice made the impact of the scene all the more intense. When she first had written the song, Elvis Presley had tried to buy the song off of Dolly Parton, to which she refused. The lyrics of ‘I Will Always Love You’ represent Priscilla’s everlasting love for Elvis, but the story behind the song represents her liberation from their marriage and the start of her independence.
Priscilla is now showing in theaters, and I have never been so enthralled and in love with a biopic as I am with this one. I cannot recommend seeing it enough – this film is a work of art.
