Priscilla (2023)

 

Genre: Romance/ Drama

Time: 1h 50mins

Director: Sofia Coppola

Quick Summary: When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.

Well, that was rather dull.

I'll be honest, I didn't think this was going to be the most exciting film. Don't get me wrong, It was interesting to see how awful Elvis actually was without him being idolised. It's sad to watch it too, as we learn that Priscilla was groomed from a young age to be exactly how he wanted her to be, how he liked things such as dying her hair, telling her what to dress, not allowing her to work so that she can always be at his beck and call. She became a possession to him, one that he picked up and threw away constantly. 

That said, I don't think that was enough to keep this film interesting as a lot of it is super slow and honestly really boring. We just watch Pricilla stand around, watching or waiting for Elvis for most of the film. A lot of the film just seemed empty. Sure, that is probably how the poor girl felt for most of her life, but that doesn't make for an interesting film sadly. 

I didn't find either of the main actors that good either. I'm not sure if it's because I'm deaf or that they all genuinely mumbled, but I barely understood either of them. I don't think the dialogue was all that interesting either, as it was all small talk after small talk after small talk. Which yes, again, I'm sure is very true to how it actually happened, but it doesn't make for an interesting film.

Also don't get me wrong, I know this is more about Pricilla's mistreatment and life with him, but I was genuinely surprised that none of Elvis's music played during this. At least to my memory, It didn't. 

It felt like we spent a significant amount of time watching how they met, but in the later years felt like we were skipping stuff. Either, this film was too long so they padded out the beginning, or it was too short and ran out of time. I mean the ending is so abrupt I was unsure that was even the ending. We don't even get to see her reaction to his death, which also shocked me. I feel like so much was missed out on this, like multiple affairs and outbursts.

Yes, this was a very pretty and aesthetic film. I loved how this looked, full of realistic 50's looks, clothing and decor and not just the pop culture side of it. As well some of the shots were nice, such as when she was doing her makeup, or watching Elvis from afar. But sadly, that couldn't hold this film up. 

I'll admit, this was hard to watch. If it wasn't for that I knew nothing about this side of Elvis and was curious to learn, I would have fallen asleep.

3/10