Similar movies have come out close to each other before, à la “Armageddon” and “Deep Impact.” Usually they aren’t two award contending dramas, though. But here we are with “Elvis” in 2022 and “Priscilla” in 2023.
In the titular role is Cailee Spaeny, who portrays Priscilla from her teenage years living in Germany to when she ended her marriage to Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi). The movie dramatizes how the two met, Priscilla moving to the Graceland mansion, the extended courtship and eventual deterioration of the relationship.
In addition to exploring the relationship, director and writer Sofia Coppola follows Priscilla’s personal journey of having to go through high school and enter adulthood in such a situation.
Coppola’s “Priscilla,” based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir “Elvis and Me,” is a dynamic biopic, bringing a true coming-of-age story to life in empathetic, artistic fashion. The movie explores in fine detail how, as a teenager, Priscilla was thrust into the limelight and has to navigate the experience of growing up in a setting anything but normal.
The real brilliance of the film comes in how well Coppola shows Priscilla’s transformation from a bright-eyed teen to a woman who’s become weary, heartbroken and looking for a way out. Coppola and company pull this off by transitioning Priscilla’s experience from a dream-like portrayal in the first half to a second half where the reality of the situation sets in, as if a haze is being lifted.
While it is a tale of two halves in that regard, Coppola also uses the three act structure nicely. The first act is effective in showing Priscilla feeling special for having been singled out by Elvis, the whirlwind that’s created as she begins going with him to places like Las Vegas for nights of drinking and gambling, and the hope of marrying toe the rock star, all while she’s still just a teenager.
The film’s center then reveals life with her dream coming true. For better or worse, she gets to live at the singer’s mansion and experiences the realities of her new life, from being talked about by other classmates at the new school she has to attend to being trapped at her new home without friends.
The third act then finds Priscilla as an adult. Having had to grow up and become a woman in the spotlight and without the fairytale ending that seemed promised when she was younger.
An auteur, Coppola has always managed to create intimate portrayals of the women at the heart of her films, with them often going through times of loneliness and melancholy periods, even while being surrounded by luxury. “Priscilla” is no different, and the character arc benefits greatly from the writer/director’s abilities.
Major credit also has to go to Cailee Spaeny for the film’s success, though. Recently appearing in a few miniseries such as “Mare of Easttown” and “The First Lady,” Spaeny is spot on as Priscilla, convincingly portraying her as both a starry-eyed teenager and a grown woman, pulling it off without a hitch. She does tremendous work capturing the character’s progression and wide range of emotions
Elordi, mostly known for his work in the romantic film series “The Kissing Booth,” pulls a successful drama turn as Elvis. Comparisons with Austin Butler’s performance in last year’s film have already and will continue to come in, but Elrodi does enough for the performance to stand on its own.
He displays the southern charm and rock star confidence the figure presented, while also portraying the flaws of the man. Those flaws range from the inappropriate behavior the character shows when first meeting Priscilla to his abusive and controlling tendencies later in their relationship.
There’s an uncomfortableness because of his performance and overall situation in many of the scenes that makes the overall feature quite powerful. Coppola and her crew infuse a lot of style in the picture, too, capturing the lavish lifestyle while also showcasing how closed off Priscilla is, with a muted color pallet and lingering shots of her in notably empty rooms in the home.
Overall, “Priscilla” is a strong film with a few light flaws. The final year or so of the relationship between the two leads could have been more fleshed out, for example. However, the truth remains that Coppola put together a great biopic with “Priscilla” and it’s worth seeing. 4.5 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
Another great review. I’m definitely looking forward to watching this one as well. I’ve always been a huge fan of Elvis Presley and his timeless music. I really loved Baz Luhrmann’s biopic focusing on the musician and his colorful career. Here’s my review for that movie:
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