“Priscilla” Review
Cailee Spaeny shines in “Priscilla” as the titular woman who met Elvis Presley and became his wife. However, the film also depicts her struggles with the relationship and the eventual desire she had for independence.
One of my favorite films of 2022 was Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis”. I loved the strong performances, ambitious style and the marvelous understanding of the legacy of Elvis Presley. However, this isn’t the only story you could tell surrounding the King of Rock and Roll. In fact, Elvis doesn’t even have to be at the center of it. This is what Sofia Coppola has understood perfectly with her latest film “Priscilla” which displays an earnest look into a complex story with an incredible leading performance.
Based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me”, the film depicts the life of Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny), the daughter of an Air Force officer stationed in West Germany who meets the world-famous Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) while he’s a Sergeant in the Army. After sparking a connection, the two develop a complicated relationship that lasts for years and Priscilla must contend with how being involved with a famous person and becoming famous yourself can try to strip you of your identity.
Going into this film, I was interested because of the source material and the fact that one of our great directors Sofia Coppola was helming the picture. However, the big standout from watching “Priscilla” is Cailee Spaeny’s amazing performance. Not only is she able to convincingly play an age range of 14 to 27-years-old, but she also grows over the course of the film into this powerhouse of empathy. There are stretches of the film where she doesn’t even talk, probably because Priscilla is very intimidated by the world she’s become engulfed in, but Spaeny’s physical acting and facial expressions are so good that she’s practically screaming everything that we need to know. Watching this film and seeing Spaeny’s acting made me realize why Priscilla Presley would write a book about her life with Elvis. It’s not just a scandalous tell-all. It’s a powerful story about a woman’s growth and desire for autonomy in her life.
While Austin Butler got considerable praise and an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Elvis last year, Jacob Elordi is also quite masterful in his role and disappears into the character. When we first meet this guy, he’s exceedingly charming and does carry that charisma all throughout the film. But as the film progresses, it’s evident that this relationship is tremendously flawed. After all, they start dating when she’s in high school and he’s in his twenties. I wouldn’t say that Coppola villanizes Elvis because it’s clear throughout the film that he does care about his wife but “Priscilla” is also very honest about his behavior and depicts him doing things that might be tough for a lifelong fan to watch.
More than anything, “Priscilla” is an intensely intimate portrait of the relationship and the film addresses all of its aspects both positive, like their loving connection and their good times as parents to their daughter Lisa Marie, and negative, covering the affairs Elvis had with his starlet costars and his impulsive nature. Unlike “Elvis”, which merely glossed over the age difference between Priscilla and Elvis, “Priscilla” makes it very clear that she was 14 when she met the 24-year-old Presley and the film also acknowledges the uncomfortable nature behind their first meeting. However, it would be wrong to compare this film too much to Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis”. Both films are completely different animals.
Sofia Coppola’s script and direction are marvelous because she doesn’t try to cast too much judgment. Instead, she crafts this private world and tries to depict the relationship from a honest perspective that wouldn’t get as much attention as the many tabloids and gossip columns that Priscilla reads throughout the film.
There’s also multiple scenes where we see this wide-eyed newcomer to the world of celebrity gradually give up her control to someone she loves. Seeing just how much influence Elvis had on her life is both interesting and also hard to stomach at times. During a scene at a clothing store, where Elvis is approving Priscilla’s clothing, it felt like watching the most uncomfortable parts of “Vertigo” where Jimmy Stewart is trying to control Kim Novak’s appearance. But the biggest price that Pricilla pays for her love is that of loneliness. When she’s enticed by his world, it almost becomes like a prison where there’s no room for her own self-discovery. However, seeing her slowly become aware of her confinement and trying to break free is what kept me riveted from beginning to end.
If you’re going into this film to hear a bunch of Elvis songs you like or if you just want to try and relive the glory days, this isn’t that movie. “Priscilla” doesn't have much focus on Elvis’s career and none of his songs are used in the film because Presley’s estate wouldn’t authorize their use. This is all for the best because it’s not about him. It’s about Priscilla. Too often in music biopics, the achievements of an artist are put on display instead of the personal relationships and dilemmas that really shaped them. “Priscilla” is nothing but the personal and that’s what makes it so refreshing.
We’ve seen plenty of stories about how fame can affect a person but what about the people around them? It turns out that the answer is much more interesting than initially expected and Sofia Coppola has nailed that in another film to add to her impressive filmography.
