Review of Priscilla
Priscilla (2024) Dir. Sofia Coppola
Are you lonesome tonight? Well, Priscilla often is.
Bathed in a hazy glow of 1959 nostalgia, Priscilla is a new biopic from Sofia Coppola that attempts to examine a complex woman very much on the side lines of Elvis’ huge music superstar status.
Opening on a German army base, we are introduced to the shy 14-year old Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) who crosses paths with the 24-year old singing star who’s been drafted into the military.
The young girl is in awe of Elvis’ fame and personality and they soon begin to date, despite her parents’ reservations, before he returns to the US to continue his music and film career.
The film is pretty much non-judgmental of the couple’s obvious age-gap. As it goes on, we see the (real-life) story of Elvis waiting until a more appropriate time - as per his religious beliefs - to become intimate. That said, my modern sensibilities were pricked not just with the uncomfortable emotions it stirred up but by a glaringly obvious height difference between Elordi (6’5”) and Spaeny (5’1”)!
This physical, and somewhat comical, contrast didn’t help the feelings of uneasiness regarding the predatory nature and subsequent grooming behaviour seen later on as Elvis controls various aspects of his wife’s image and persona.
After a time jump, the slow pace eventually sees Elvis reconnect with Priscilla who comes to the star’s home Graceland where he slips her a pill (good lord) and gets authority from her parents so she can complete her high schooling (!) nearby.
Coppola has always been good with her music choices, and here she forgoes Elvis tracks almost in their entirety with only the faintest of his song’s melodies being heard in the melancholy score and a mix of contemporary and more modern music to reflect the film’s mood.
Sadly though, but maybe intentionally, the film’s representation of Priscilla’s side-lining within Elvis’ world means the first act has little to no conflict - meaning its meandering pace simply doles out perfunctory biographical moments as if cribbed from Wikipedia.
Empty houses and lonely moments drone on and on and yes, her life was solitary and often companionless. But does the film have to be such a literal translation of this? Who are these people? What are any of their goals, desires or wants? *shrugs*
To me it’s a missed opportunity to delve deep into one of music's most engrossing spouses. With Priscilla sadly reduced to a whinging husk, haunting Graceland like a bored ghost.
There’s FAR too many scenes of phone calls (I counted 12) and the yukky moments lead to a leering scene where Elvis’ skeezy mates help him tailor (literally) her clothing to meet what his needs.
And there’s far too few scenes of drama as well. A couple of lines thrown at each other concerning Elvis’ alleged infidelity and constant absence owing to far-flung touring schedules merely tease at more interesting scenes that could have been. The sumptuous production design is well shot but it’s all surface with no feeling - again, perhaps the point but hardly an entertaining watch for either the head or the heart.
The performances are fine and I was taken aback by a recent post seen on X which stated confidently “This IS cinema” in relation to a long zoom out of Priscilla staring at the world from a window - really? It's film student stuff. And Elordi (though great in the recent Saltburn) slowly drifts into a drawl that simply reminded me of Nic Cage’s Cameron Poe in Con Air.
Rather dull, and far too often quite creepy, Priscilla is a biography that seems to have satisfied a fair amount of film fans but left me feeling flat with its underwhelming examination of a frankly fascinating female. Doing as it does a disservice to both its compelling subject and her multifaceted story.
★★
2 / 5
Michael Sales
