BADGEGATE
Elvis & Nixon
Review by Paul Preston
This photograph of a meeting between Elvis Presley and President Richard Nixon is the most requested from The National Archive. Looks pretty interesting enough…
Elvis was coming out of his ’68 Comeback Special, tight leather look and moving into his Vegas glitz-and-glamour duds. Nixon was on the verge of a scandal-plagued administration, and soon would rigorously tape all of his Oval Office meetings and sessions. Presley visited before such recordings, so we can only guess what went on between these two men, each pretty sure they were the most influential man in America.
Presley came to visit Nixon for noble reasons. He wanted to help the United States crack down on the drug culture that was seeping into our American youth, so he arrived at the gates of the White House to request a badge, and the title “agent at large”. He thought he could infiltrate the sections of America engaged in what he was sure would bring us down and make a difference. Elvis. Infiltrating. Blending In. Elvis.
Liza Johnson’s new film Elvis & Nixon explores this powerhouse meeting, within its every right to speculate as much as it cares to. Yet the biggest reason the film works is because it sidesteps every moment to be ridiculous and settles back into the more palatable “odd” and often “awkward”. Example – Michael Shannon plays Elvis, and all his preposterous desires and behavior are filtered through Shannon’s brilliant choice to underplay it all. The performance then becomes at once both disarming and empathetic.
Two moments like this specifically involve a monologue Elvis delivers to what amounts to his best friend Jerry Schilling (Alex Pettyfer) where Presley lays out his disappointment that he is losing his persona amongst the sea of fans and the lifestyle his celebrity demands. He says this as he’s putting himself together with hair color, sunglasses and everything that transforms him into “The King”. The other involves Presley rehearsing his first words with Nixon just before meeting him, contrasted to hilarious effect by Nixon’s blustering in the other room.
About that…Kevin Spacey as Nixon delivers up just the opposite. Director Johnson seems to have given him the “How to Play Nixon” book and told him to start at page one and GO. And Spacey pulls off a minor miracle, too, in pulling out all the Nixon-isms and yet being buy-able. If you can get on board with Nixon being a chest-puffing blowhard (not too difficult), Spacey’s take on the 37th President is a riot. His contempt for Elvis, who is essentially on the Mount Rushmore of musical acts, is entertaining as hell.
The supporting cast that includes Pettyfer and Johnny Knoxville is great, with another notable stand-out in Colin Hanks, who is really easing into his father’s mannerisms, all for the better. His takes and frustration level dealing with a cantakerous Nixon are comedy gold.
But Shannon’s performance remains the heart of the film, and the one on which the movie wisely spends the most time. His earnestness to help the U.S., to get that badge is endlessly enjoyable, and his trek to the Oval Office is met with letdowns, sidesteps and more while Shannon gives us the visible disappointment in it. Elvis, who seemed to have everything, was still capable of heartbreak, and both the heartbreak and the absurd Quixote-like mission are palpable in this funny, engaging film.
Directed by: Liza Johnson
Release Date: April 22, 2016
Run Time: 86 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: R
Distributor: Amazon Studios
