No. 36 Elvis & Nixon (2016) 70 of 100
This must be the first film made that was based solely on a photograph. The photo is of Elvis shaking hands with Nixon, and the film seeks to discover what went down when the two men met. It says at the start that the meeting took place before Nixon started recording his Oval Office meetings, so you can be assured that everything is totally made up. If you go in with that in mind it’s a pretty fun ride – at no point does the film purport to be a documentary.
Elvis is played by our man Shannon in what has to be some pretty left field casting. He looks nothing like Elvis and that takes you out of the film somewhat, given that Elvis is one of the most recognisable people on the planet. Shannon is also a lot skinnier than Elvis was at the time and 4 inches taller – there is a nod to this when a woman says ‘He’s a lot taller than I expected’.
Elvis is seen in his Graceland TV room and becoming more and more despondent about the state of the country. He shoots up one of his TVs and makes his way to the airport. He heads off to recruit his old friend Jerry who he appoints as his PR manager. Later on another old member of his Memphis crew, Johnny Knoxville, shows up in a pretty unnecessary part.
The plan is for Elvis to meet with Nixon so that he can become an undercover agent who can bust druggies and hippies and restore America to greatness. The actual meeting is relatively brief so the film is padded out with Elvis visiting restaurants and other government departments where he is met by swooning women and men at every turn.
After initially eschewing the meeting, Nixon agrees to it, having been pressurised by his daughter who wants an autograph. Elvis gets a long briefing about how to behave in front of the president but totally ignores everything he's told by drinking the Commander in Chief’s Dr Pepper and eating his M&Ms. It’s not clear if Elvis is being casual, rude or trying to exert dominance here, but he just comes across as a dick.
Nixon initially budgets five minutes for the meeting but the two men connect over some shared characteristics and experiences and eventually Elvis gets his badge and undercover status.
The film ends with some captions letting you know what happened to everyone afterwards with Elvis’ undercover antics being left uncertain.
This was a pretty decent effort with Shannon and Kevin Spacey as Nixon, having good fun with the dress up box. Shannon's Elvis was slow talking and understated and I’d have thought the King would have more presence. To be honest Spacey’s Nixon was better than Shannon’s Elvis, but the two bounced off each other well.
The whole project was a fun confection and obviously meant to be taken with a pinch of salt. The secondary characters didn’t add much, with a side plot about Jerry getting home for a family dinner hardly compelling. It did zip along though, and I enjoyed the 70’s setting and the aura of Elvis, something we’ll likely never see again.
When is Shannon-On? - 04.05
Outcome? Undercover federal Agent
Film 3/5
Shannon Stars 3.5/5
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