Elvis & Nixon (2016)

Directed by: Liza Johnson | 87 minutes | history, comedy | Actors: Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville, Colin Hanks, Evan Peters, Sky Ferreira, Tracy Letts, Tate Donovan, Ashley Benson, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Ahna O’Reilly

Is it because of that stubbly crook’s head? Because of those well-known villains? We’ll never quite know, but the fact is that former US President Richard M. Nixon shows up remarkably often in feature films. From ‘Nixon’ to ‘The Assassination of Richard Nixon’ to ‘Frost/Nixon’ to an invisible lead in masterpiece ‘All the President’s Men’. And then in 2016 ‘Elvis & Nixon’ will also be released. Elvis & Nixon?

In the year 1970, singer and movie star Elvis Presley gets the idea that he would do well as an undercover cop. In this way he wants to infiltrate the circles of rebellious youth, the kind of youth of which he himself was once the embodiment. To put that plan into practice, Elvis flies to Washington with his long-time friend Jerry Schilling. He wants to visit Richard Nixon, because who better to help the King get a job than a president?

This crazy but (sort of) true story is cut in half in the film. In the first part, we see how Elvis makes some creative attempts to get into the White House. In the second part we see the meeting with Nixon.

Both the first and the second part are not interesting at all. Main problem is that we can never identify with Elvis or Nixon. Elvis is a cartoon character who has gone quite off track. Nixon is a gray mouse, lacking depth and authenticity. Top actor Michael Shannon looks nothing like Elvis while Kevin Spacey in this role looks too much like Frank Underwood (‘House of Cards’), stripped of his spiky personality. The other characters barely have any color on their cheeks.

The story doesn’t matter either. Elvis as an undercover agent? Nixon bringing in Elvis just to get an autograph for his daughter? Whatever. You can see from afar that both men have more in common than you might expect. Just like the obvious joke that closes the film. In terms of humor it’s okay anyway, while ‘Elvis & Nixon’ really seems to be intended as a comedy.

What this film does have is a wonderful score with very cool music (mainly soul) from the late 60s, early 70s. The seventies design looks very seventies and there are a few musings from Elvis that we will not forget. That goes for the rest of the movie.