Elvis Presley in Concert
Went to see the Baz Luhrman-directed Elvis doc last night. It starts with a recap of Elvis’ career up to that point, notably omitting the ‘68 Comeback Special, presumably because that’s better than any of the Vegas footage that follows. Then we see some rehearsals, and then we get to the live shows.
The movie is GORGEOUS. Just an absolute super-saturated feast for the eyes. Luhrmann and Elvis seem to share views about subtlety, which is to say I’m not sure either was/is familiar with the concept, so subject and filmmaker are a great match. And it’s a bold move on Luhrmann’s part to try to redeem the most widely ridiculed and derided stage of Elvis’s career. And, for the most part, he succeeds.
We see the band being loose and having fun in rehearsals, and the joy Elvis got from performing is infectious to the band, the live audience, and the movie audience. And God knows we all need a little joy these days.
So far so good, though I have one quibble with the performer and one with the filmmaker.
Elvis loved performing and would often make jokes, often at the expense of the material, to entertain the audience, as when, in EPIC, he changes the “Are You Lonesome Tonight” lyrics to “do you gaze at your forehead and wish you had hair.” This makes him a fun performer to watch, but it means that he, and therefore the audience, are kept at an ironic distance from the songs. Which is a shame because he was a gifted singer who could wring something real even out of bad material. The performance of “Suspicious Minds” in this movie shows what he can do when he’s actually trying, and it’s spectacular.
Still, if you go into this movie as a non fan trying to understand why Elvis mattered, this movie probably won’t help you understand. I encourage you to seek out the sit down shows from the comeback special—they didn’t give Elvis a guitar strap, so he had to channel all his energy into the songs. It’s stunning.
As for Luhrmann, he’s kind of mistitled this movie. I don’t think theres A single song that we get to see performed start to finish without interview voiceovers or cuts to rehearsal footage or other footage of Elvis working the crowd or fleeing the crowd or driving around Vegas, etc. So it’s not really Elvis Presley in Concert, because at a concert you get to hear the whole song.
Still, it’s been a rough week, and this movie made me happy for an hour and a half, which, in the year 2026, is about the highest recommendation I can give.