Elvis
Has Left The Building
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Why
is Elvis Has Left The Building so hard to find?
To date it has only released (on a limited basis) to
theaters in Europe and on DVD in Asia.
Is
the film that bad? Actually it's not, it's just that
it's not that good either.
The
DVD edition of Elvis Has Left The Building from
Thailand (Region 3) makes for an interesting, if ultimately
flawed viewing.
The
Story: Harmony Jones (Kim Basinger) is a sales rep
for the company, Pink Lady. As a child in the late 50s
in Memphis she knew Elvis and used to drive with him
in his car. However as an adult, travelling in her own
striking pink cadillac, she encounters a string of Elvis
impersonators, who one by one, accidentally die in her
presence.
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Can
her life change when she meets an advertising agency (John
Corbett), a man whose company's biggest account is with a
business called "Surrender"? What ensues is a mildly
amusing romp with the FBI in pursuit and which builds to a
fun-filled climax.
The
film resonates with a "pink" theme (Pink Lady; pink
lipstick; pink Cadillac; pink mobile phone), although by the
film's end the pink has narratively given way to black.
The
Humor: In keeping with the film being a comedy, there
are liberal and valiant attempts at humor. While some come
off, unfortunately many fall flat. Early in the film the splashes
of rib tickling fun are too sporadic to engender real liking
for it, although strong final scenes partially arrest that
disappointment.
One
of the funniest involves the death of a motorcycling Elvis
(Tom Hanks...yes, that Tom Hanks) who bites the dust courtesy
of a flying mailbox, while Return To Sender plays in the background.
Another
amusing
incident has a group of "hunka hunka hunka's" in
the men's room (enough said).
The
film also shows how rumors gather momentum and take on a life
of their own. In fact this theme leads to the final stirring
scenes which see the demise of a large number of Elvii (and
believe me after seeing these Elvii it is a case of justice
personified), clearing our heroine (Basinger) of any wrongdoing,
and revealing the childhood link between her and ad agency
executive, Miles (Corbett).
And
as the producers note in the closing credits: "No Elvis
impersonators were harmed during the making of this film".
The
Cast: Elvis Has Left The Building boasts a very impressive
cast. The main players include Kim Basinger (My Stepmother
Was An Alien); John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Annie
Potts, Denise Richards (Wild Things); Billy Ray Cyrus (Achy
Breaky Heart); Sean Astin (The Lord of The Rings trilogy),
Pat Morita (Happy Days; The Karate Kid), Angie Dickinson (Police
Woman) and a well disguised Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump; Apollo
11; Castaway).
All
players (and the Director, Joel Zwick) try hard but are let
down by a rather flat script.
The
Soundtrack: The film has a very impressive soundtrack
including many tracks from Elvis and others involving covers
or original recordings of Elvis tracks. Among the Elvis sung
songlist are Long Lonely Highway, Hard Headed Woman, No More,
Follow That Dream, Return To Sender, Heartbreak Hotel and
Hound Dog. Other tracks include It's Now Or Never (Babyface),
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams) and a poignant
Love Me Tender that segues into Elvis' own recording of the
song.
Technically
speaking: The video is a crisp, clean print with no perceptible
flaws.
On
the downside, perhaps the biggest drawback with the disc is
its lack of audio-visual synchronisation. While the audio
itself is crystal clear, its lack of synch with the picture
is very, very irritating to say the least. We can only hope
that on the rumored USA releasse of the film this problem
is fixed.
Both
an English and Thai language audio track are offered as are
sub-titles in both languages. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1.
The film runs for 86 minutes.
The
Extras: The region 3 disc viewed by EIN included the movie
trailer and a shoret featurette "Behind The Scenes"
which left us wondering what was going on and why was it included.
Film
Verdict: Elvis Has Left The Building utilises
an interesting premise that falls short in its execution.
It is partially saved by a great soundtrack (available from
BMG Records) and a crowd pleasing finale.
EIN's
Rating: 6 out of 10.
Disc
Verdict: The Region 3 release is a let down because of
the terrible (read "lack of") syncronisation between
the audio and video tracks.
EIN's
Rating: 3 out of 10
(DVD
Review, Source: EIN)
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