[yasr_overall_rating]
The untold true story behind the meeting between the King of Rock ‘n Roll and President Nixon, resulting in this revealing, yet humorous moment immortalized in the most requested photograph in the National Archives.
I was a little suspicious going into Liza Johnson’s “Elvis & Nixon.” All I could think was, “How the hell is Michael Shannon going to pull off Elvis Presley?” I mean, it is Michael Shannon so I was willing to believe that miracles could happen. And then as soon as I saw him on screen I knew I had officially entered the Twilight Zone. But the meeting between Elvis Presley, who at the time was one of the world’s greatest entertainers, and the cantankerous President Nixon, is truly a bizarre footnote in history anyway, so perhaps crossing over is totally befitting and quite the compliment.
The story was fresh for me, as I had never heard or read about this offbeat meeting between The King and The President, and while there is no existing transcript of the meeting I have no desire other than to believe that the outlandishness of Johnson’s “Elvis & Nixon,” is how it all really went down. Elvis is in control and no M&M or Dr. Pepper of a tightly wound and insecure President Nixon is safe, and I love it.
We find our beloved Elvis holed up in a room of multiple televisions, each on a different channel, broadcasting the world’s troubles, everything is a threat and the target is America’s youth. As if the news is closing in on him, destroying the “teen dreams,” the America he helped mass produce at the height of his career, a perturbed Elvis soothes the agitation with one shattering shot, officially welcoming us to the absurd. A man on a mission, Elvis flies to Los Angeles to meet up with his close friend Jerry Schilling (Alex Pettyfer) to divulge his plan to meet with the President and get a badge that doesn’t exist. Also in tow is Sonny (Johnny Knoxville), another close friend who doesn’t do much but is cool with The King.
Michael Shannon as Elvis is a ridiculous thought, but he works it and it makes for a great take. Shannon’s Elvis is a bejeweled gun-toting mystic high on Aqua Net and well practiced in the art of karate. While there is a touch of melancholy to Elvis the “person,” his entertainer persona works like mind control, a true gift for accomplishing the most impossible of tasks. To be able to wheedle your way into Nixon’s office is quite impressive. But even with all his magnetism, Elvis had help, not only from his closest friends, but also from those closest to Nixon, Egil “Bud” Krogh (Colin Hanks) and Dwight Chapin (Evan Peters), who knew that President Nixon (Kevin Spacey) could up his cool points with not only the youth but with everybody in general, by kickin’ it with Elvis.
While it’s only fair to point out that Spacey doesn’t quite resemble Nixon, he does a damn good job holding his own. Shannon and Spacey’s off-kilter portrayals of two icons, who have essentially become caricatures in our nation’s consciousness, vibe off each other perfectly. You forget that neither actor resembles their icon and let the absurdity take you for a ride. While you may have had many laughs throughout, a sadness develops towards the end of the ride, the fear sets in that this film may easily be ignored while it is certainly deserving of much more. You can only hope for cult status.
In theaters April 22nd
