Seriously? Of course I wanted to include an Elvis film. The only decision was which? Viva Las Vegas is generally regarded as one of his best and has the bonus that we got to see Ann Margrock, of Flintstones fame (that's Ann-Margret to the rest of you.)
Specs:
Short! Not even an hour and a half and color. We could not get a hold of this movie anywhere and were going to have to rent it from Amazon (yikes!), when luckily TCM happened to play the flick on a Sunday afternoon that fit right in to our plans. Worked out great.
Our family's rating on a scale of 1-10:
6.75
More abut the film and our reaction to it.
Personally, I feel a little sheepish giving this film a "7" since it is not a strong film, really. It's absurd and far-fetched, weak on plot and cheap-ish on effects, BUT, it is a very entertaining and enjoyable film. Its simply fun to watch and that makes up for all its shortfalls. A movie like this is wonderful because it knows just what it is and doesn't try to be anything bigger.
I am not a huge Elvis fan, but I've always found it so cool that he was both a major performing artist and film actor. OK, maybe he wasn't a great actor, but he made 31 films! and that's nothing to sneeze at. Elvis is nothing if not entertaining and charming and Ann-Margret is the same. Together they carry this senseless film and make us root for them.
Now for a brief rundown on the silliness. Elvis plays a rock & roll race car driver who has come to Vegas to compete in the Grand Prix. He meets his rival driver in the first few moments, clashes with him, gets angry and insulted then proceeds to hang out with him genially for the rest of the film. He also meets Ann-Margaret when her car breaks down, but she gets away before he learns who she is and, assuming she's a show girl, he spends the whole night (along with his enemy) searching for her by going to all the clubs. He finds her the next day at the pool of the hotel he's staying at, teaching swimming lessons. She doesn't like him and pushes him in pool. This causes his big wad of cash, that he was going to use to buy his race car's motor, to float away, so he gets a job at the hotel. One of our favorite bits is their first date, where these two broke kids both have a day off from the hotel, so they go dancing at the university, then motorcycle riding, then fly around in a helicopter, then go waterskiing. Those things don't cost money, right?
She alternately hates him and loves him -- the hate seemingly connected to her fear that he will die in a car crash, yet still finds room in her heart to introduce him to her dad (William Demerest who is very charming here) who plays a pivotal role by the end in helping Elvis compete (in the race and with his daughter). Somewhere in the midst of all of this, Elvis and Ann-Margaret also compete head on in a talent competition (where they both win ridiculous prizes) and have the opportunity to perform some dozen or so song numbers. I lost count. Given that this has been out for about 50 years, I won't consider this as a spoiler if I tell you that at the end Elvis wins the race! and then the director decided the movie was over so cut to a scene of the leads getting married. And the film ends. Boom.
Its not great cinema; it's Elvis cinema. And you just have to go with it.
Iconic image:
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