Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) meets Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) when she is fifteen years old. They are both stationed in Germany together, while Elvis is fulfilling his years in the draft, and Priscilla is accompanying her mother and stepfather. Elvis believes he is attracted to Priscilla since she represents a piece of home, and Priscilla is head over heels for the most famous rockstar on the planet immediately. Despite her age, Priscilla and Elvis find a way to spend more time with each other, and after they arrive home, it isn’t long before Priscilla is swept into the King’s starry lifestyle – but whether she be there for a serious partnership, or just to “keep the fires burning at home”, is a good question.
Priscilla may be your standard, well-directed romance, but internally, especially at the beginning, it’s fucking gross. You cannot forget that Priscilla is fifteen, and she barely speaks on their dates together, which makes you wonder how much Elvis is projecting his desires onto this girl, and how much he actually likes her. I’m reminded of a meme I saw once, that showed Elvis and Priscilla on their wedding day, that read “when “groom” has two meanings”, and well, we’re basically watching a depiction of that process play out on the screen before us. The movie does a good job of depicting Priscilla’s time entering Graceland; a wonderland with all the razzle and dazzle that comes with a carefree life, but also the loneliness that Elvis leaves behind whenever Priscilla is left alone. Priscilla has literally entered the land of the giants, since Presley is so tall, and as are his entourage of lads that are always hanging around – she can do nothing but look up to them. The movie doesn’t play up on the fact that Priscilla is dating a national icon too strongly, more than to present the attention that comes with it, as the focus of the movie is the pair’s relationship, from Priscilla’s perspective, and I think that was wise. Elvis can be controlling, but again, the movie is not about making a point of him being like that with everyone because he’s famous, for it’s just the way his masculinity may present if he were any dude. The smallness of this movie is in contrast to Baz Luhrman’s recent biopic on Elvis; a movie that I loved, that exuded energy. Different stories of course, but the contrast in the manner of styles is stark, and watching Priscilla quietly swoon and get frustrated a few times over, I wondered, if this couple weren’t Elvis and Priscilla, how much would I care?
Cailee Spaeny looks like a young Brie Larson, and acts like a young Mary Elizabeth Winstead – a true Scott Pilgrim vs. the World mash-up, and a great sign for the future. And I saw Jacob Elordi’s name come up in the opening credits, remembered that he was in this, and then took about fifteen minutes of watching the movie, to finally be like, holey heck, that’s Elordi as Elvis – his posture is so convincing as Elvis, especially from a distance, and that accent works well enough, that I was transported. Far from the daft British angel he recently played in Saltburn, and not a bad notch on your belt to say you once played Elvis either. Spaeny’s expressionism is inviting, but I was surprised by how little the movie gives Priscilla a personality, throughout the course of the movie – she really is just an ordinary young girl crashing up against the waves of a larger-than-life first love. The movie also plays a lot on how Elvis didn’t want to boink Priscilla, and while that’s noble at the start because of her age, eventually it’s a wonder. I haven’t seen all of Sofia Coppola’s work, but Priscilla does give off the same energy as I remember of Marie Antionette, in that it wants to get to the spirit of the famed feminine figure in focus, and there’s nobility in that. And I am glad that Priscilla Presley, who is an executive producer on this movie, that’s based on her own memoir, got to put her own story on the big screen, and it could’ve turned out much worse; like Rocketman for Elton John, in my opinion, which came across too solemn for what has been an extraordinary life. Reviewers much more prominent than I have said it before, but Priscilla does what is says on the box – and if you go into this movie expecting a detailed account of Elvis and Priscilla’s courtship, you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for…
But then something happened, and the movie had grown on me. Around the time Priscilla becomes pregnant, she begins to figure Elvis out, and get the upper hand on his potent shenanigans. There’s the scene where Priscilla is strong enough to ignore the gossip column, for her own sanity, followed by her calmly agreeing with Elvis, if he wants some time apart, leading to him instantly backtracking on it. I started to consider why the movie was constantly showing us Elvis roughhousing with his mates, through inane jokes we only witness from afar, and I figured out that the movie was showing how Elvis wasn’t really maturing, still able to play football unchallenged, and fantasize on movie sets, with the papers reinforcing onscreen romance. It was then I realised that it was at benefit to the movie’s intention, that the movie hadn’t shown us a strong personality for Priscilla, as it would’ve gotten in the way of watching a young lady journey through choppy waters, learning in the shadows, and becoming a strong woman on the other side.
Something I should’ve stated already is that this movie looks beautiful – the set design is top class 👍 And concludingly, Priscilla is a movie that came into focus for me in the last twenty minutes, and I eventually found the overall narrative a nurturing one, and well worthwhile. If I was sitting in the cinema with Sofia Coppola, getting bored, I can just imagine her urging me to keep with it, knowing that the magic will come 🤩 People who turn movies off before their full allotment must miss so much good stuff, cutting the ride short before the start, middle, and end can form one unit. Priscilla mightn’t be a movie that will ever be a personal favourite, but I’ll be eager to revisit it someday, absolutely.
3.5
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