Sofia Coppola adapted the film from Priscilla's memoir, Elvis and Me. They both tell how Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny), the 14-year-old daughter of an Air Force captain stationed in Germany, met the King of Rock'n'roll. Elvis (Jacob Elordi) is a foot taller and a decade older than her. But it's love at first sight for them. He even arranges for her to move into Graceland a few years later. Her parents have quite a few objections.
Priscilla initially enjoys living like a superstar's girlfriend, and later, wife. She slowly becomes lonely at Graceland as Elvis goes on the road for tours and film shoots. Back home, Elvis becomes more and more volatile, especially when she confronts him over his highly publicized flings with his co-stars. He expects her to "understand that things like this may happen." He probably expected too much.
What can you expect? We get to see their romance start in a surprisingly endearing way. She's just a humble schoolgirl and he, the superstar mama's boy. They hit it off right away despite their many differences. It's so easy to miss how the film's central romance went wrong for much of the film. But you'll realize it, if you haven't, when Elvis blows up over a silly pillow fight. It suddenly puts much of his actions in perspective. I'll get into further detail with the leads.
Spaeny, who is 25, is believable as Priscilla goes from 14 to 27. She's quite compelling as she tries to circumnavigate Elvis's world. As I said, it's initially endearing despite the differences. But then reality sinks in. Elvis's father and stepmother, Vernon and Dee (Tim Post and Stephanie Moore), are so demanding they won't let her play with her poodle on Graceland's front lawn. Elvis, himself, is overdemanding of her fashion choices, among other things. We're as uncomfortable as she is when cinematographer Phillipe Le Sourd shows him loom over her. So, naturally, we're all for her as she tries to find happiness elsewhere.
It's inevitable to compare Elordi's Elvis to Austin Butler's Elvis. Both are charming, but Elordi's Elvis slowly becomes more and more erratic and unsettling. He has some redeeming moments, such as him accepting Priscilla's disinterest in spirituality, albeit with the unseen Col. Parker's orders. A few other moments are at best, irresponsible, and nasty at worse. We don't really see Elvis perform, other than a home piano solo, as Coppola couldn't get the rights to his songs. I think it's apt. If Butler was the public Elvis, then Elordi is the private Elvis.
What about the actual music? Coppola populates the soundtrack with a few other classic songs, and a score by the bands Phoenix and Sons of Raphael, the former of which is fronted by her husband, Thomas Mars. Its tender opening theme and its classic songs make for easy listening. Its final selection may strike a few viewers as odd given the film's events. But it made sense to me once I read up on Priscilla's perspective. The production and costume designs are stylish, but nowhere near as dazzling as last year's film. All in all, it's a good film to see and hear.
Priscilla has a much narrower focus than Elvis, and thus, has plenty of time to breath. I barely noticed his Grandma Minnie Mae "Dodger" in last year's film, where she was played by Liz Blackett. But here, as played by Lynne Griffin, she's a warm presence and a welcome friend for Priscilla. See both films back-to-back for some major whiplash. Are you not interested in that? Priscilla is still an interesting biopic of a star's private life. Let's see if the Academy takes notice.
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