ELVIS & NIXON: HISTORIC MEETING

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I heard that this movie was being made. Would it be a parody of the historic meeting between to larger than life personalities? Would it be an insightful look at that meeting? Would it make fun of both of these people and turn it into a comedy? Well having now watched it I can honestly say there are bits of each of these possibilities but on the whole it was a nice examination of that meeting.

While watching the news alone in his den Elvis (Michael Shannon) is disturbed by all that he sees. Political unrest, student protests, the Black Panther Movement, drugs and rock and roll far removed from what he performs. So what does he see as a solution? He contacts his friend Jerry Schilling (Alex Pettyfer) now working in LA and tells him to meet him and help set up this meeting.

Schilling now has a life of his own far removed from the Presley train but gets on board for one final bow before settling down with his girlfriend. He calls into work sick, joins Elvis on a plane flight to Washington, D.C. and gives the letter Elvis has written to Nixon the once over. When they land they check into their hotel and then drive over to deliver the letter in person.

The guards at the gate are impressed with Elvis but following protocol tell him that all they can do is pass it along. Elvis ingratiates himself with the guards and they move it along faster than normal. When it arrives at the desk of Dwight Chapin (Evan Peters) he rushes over to Nixon aid Bud Krogh (Colin Hanks) and the two present the opportunity for the meeting on to Nixon (Kevin Spacey). Unimpressed, Nixon turns it down.

Determined to help his friend Jerry meets with the White House duo and through them gets word to Nixon’s daughter Julie to intercede on their behalf. The pair think this would be a great help to Nixon politically as well as trying to convince Elvis to be a spokesperson on behalf of their anti-drug campaign. What Elvis wants is to be made a special undercover investigator with a badge to work for the White House.

The two finally meet and from there things start to play as much for laughs as for an examination of the meeting they had. But then the situation called for that. There are no recordings of that meeting, surprisingly, but what the writers come up with here seem plausible and probable. These two different men in appearance had more in common and share that during the meeting.

What makes this movie work so well is the performances by both leads as well as the supporting players. Spacey does a great job as Nixon using his skill at impersonation well but never overplaying it. No flopping jowls or victory signs, he plays Nixon as a man comfortable in his position of power who still backs down a bit as he talks with the icon that was Elvis.

But it is Shannon who gives life to the film. His portrayal of Elvis doesn’t rely on a lip curl or a swiveling hip as seen in so many Elvis impersonators that flock to Vegas. Instead he dons the clothes, the sideburns and the shades but only hints at Elvis’ slight southern twang. He plays Elvis as more than an icon, a man who had long ago given up any hope of true friends and knew that he was now treated more for the celebrity he has become than that boy from Memphis. Best of all he does this less with words (though there are indeed some great sequences) but more with how he portrays Elvis.

The photo of the meeting between these two is the most requested picture from the National Archives as is noted at the end of the film. People are still fascinated with the lives of both men. Few would have expected them to have much in common but the movie shows that though they are indeed different their similarities are striking. In focusing on this rather than what could have been a predictable slam of both men you get a more in depth look at both of them. While their quirks are portrayed here they aren’t done so with malicious intent. By not taking that tone the movie comes off as an interesting look at a moment in history that fits in no neat little box making it a movie that keeps your interest from start to finish.

 
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