The bizarre true story of the meeting between Elvis Presley and President Nixon, which resulted in one of the most famous photos ever.
BIOPIC/COMEDY
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Elvis & Nixon (2016)Directed by Liza Johnson
Written by Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal, Cary Elwes Starring Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville, Colin Hanks, Evan Peters |
It's difficult to put into words how crazy this true story is. Basically, one day rock and roll legend Elvis Presley decided he wanted to serve his country as an undercover federal agent and he went to great lengths to secure a meeting with President Nixon to achieve this. Even if you don't know the story, odds are you've seen the iconic picture at one point or another. If you haven't, take a moment and Google it. I'll wait. Yeah, isn't that unintentionally hilarious? This film shows the events that led up to that bizarre photograph that has since become the most requested image in the entire National Archives. All because Elvis wanted a badge.
Elvis & Nixon is a simple story led by two incredible powerhouse actors, Michael Shannon as Elvis and Kevin Spacey as Nixon. Together, these two turn powerful historical figures into relatable men who were both seriously out of their element on one unforgettable day. Between the two, it's Shannon who steals the show as the King himself. He takes his performance out of the realm of imitation and manages to tell us everything we need to know about Elvis Aaron Presley in just a few days of his life. I must also praise the supporting cast, who held their own with these two talents very well. This film is an absolute riot, mostly because of how insanely accurate it really is. After every crazy moment, you have to stop and remind yourself that this really happened and people really remember it. Elvis Presley actually did walk up to the White House, strapped as a Green Beret and most likely stoned out of his gourd, and request to meet President Nixon about becoming a secret agent. It's likely something this crazy and hilarious will never happen again. Thankfully, we can all know what happened and how we were treated to a truly perplexing photograph. |
