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Stories about Elvis Presley have been told from every angle, over and over again—stories examining his life, his career, and the challenges he faced through every step of the way. But Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla tells not Elvis’s story but the story of the woman who loved him.
Priscilla begins when Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) is just a teenager living on an Air Force base in West Germany. When she’s invited to a party at the off-base home of the superstar (Jacob Elordi), she’s immediately star struck—and she’s shocked when he asks to spend more time with her. After their months-long romance in Germany comes to an end, Priscilla fears that he’ll forget about her. Eventually, though, he moves her to Graceland—but while she’s originally caught up in the glamour and excitement, Priscilla’s new life soon becomes one of loneliness and isolation.
While Elvis travels around the country, from concert tour to movie set—always with his rowdy band of friends by his side—Priscilla is forced to stay behind to “keep the home fires burning.” She reads the rumors in her daily paper and sees the pictures, but she learns not to question the man she loves.
The film shows these early days of Priscilla’s life at Graceland as gauzy and stylish, with this teenage girl set apart, alone with her studies or her dog—told what to wear, how to style her hair, how to spend her time.
The film offers a fascinating perspective on Elvis and Priscilla’s love story, giving Elvis the supporting role. And Cailee Spaeny gives a heartbreaking performance as the teenager who found her life caught up in the whirlwind of Elvis’s celebrity. But while Coppola makes Priscilla a beautiful and fashionable film, the pacing is rather perplexing. For the first half, she takes her time with the story, allowing audiences to get caught up in the highs and lows of Priscilla’s life. But then, after a bizarre side story exploring Elvis’s brief fascination with spiritualism and philosophy—and following a strange drug trip scene—the rest of the story is rushed. It seems like the couple’s entire marriage is covered in about 15 minutes, told in snippets and assumptions, before bringing the film to its abrupt end. And while the story is definitely intriguing, it feels strangely unbalanced.
With its new point of view, Priscilla gives an eye-opening perspective on the life and personality of The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. But, more than that, it tells the story of a girl’s struggle to find herself while living in the spotlight. It’s a fascinating and stylish film—but one that just falls apart in the end.
You can move in to Graceland when Priscilla expands to theaters nationwide on November 3, 2023.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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