Mini-spoilers within...
This is an Elvis movie that I always thought was undeservedly overlooked and a cut above most of his others. On present viewing I can see that it's a little bit soapier than I remember -- some of the incidental music doesn't help there -- but it's still a rewarding film to watch. Besides, it's Elvis, dude, and he's cool and complete with the sideburns that he'd abandoned between 1958 and 1968. Shot in the spring of 1969, "Change Of Habit" was Elvis' last scripted film. It's a definite change. His roles had been quite different than the typical 1960s 'travelogues' since 1968's "Stay Away, Joe" (a film with potential that missed the mark, for the most part) and this one includes such atypical fare as an attempted rape, a man punching a woman, mild bad language and racist epithets, brutal violence, and talk of drugs. It's the most socially-conscious Elvis film since 1960's excellent "Flaming Star."
Elvis' acting is good throughout, for the most part, though sometimes I get the feeling that he's relieved to be almost free of the movie contracts. Still, he proves once again that he had what it took to be a very good actor. Less than a month before work began on this film, Elvis completed a set of legendary recording sessions in Memphis that eventually resulted in a host of gold records ("Suspicious Minds,") that tore up the charts, and even topped them, and a bunch of other songs that remain lesser-known but among the best that Elvis ever recorded. The sessions presented him with a new challenge and he more than rose to it. On July 31 he rose to the next challenge when he opened in Las Vegas, beginning his first real live performances since three 1961 charity concerts and eventually leading to him resuming touring. This film project paled by comparison. Still, the result's worthwhile. Some of Elvis' dialogue isn't all that convincing but he was always good at saying a lot with a look and he does so in this movie many times. He also was always thoroughly capable of being convincing in moments of anger and he gets to show that off in this film, too. Then there are the moments of pure Elvis, spoken and not, some of which may be ad-libbed and some of which you'll see in documentary footage of the man, unscripted. "Weirdos, man. Weirdos" is just one.
Elvis plays a doctor from Shelby County, Tennessee (i.e., Memphis) relocated to the bad neighborhoods of New York as the head of a free clinic. Some scoff at the premise but, hey, why not? It's possible. He's got the bedside manner, for sure, and is very effective in the 'rage reduction' scene in which he and Mary Tyler Moore's character successfully returned a young girl from autism. A group of psychiatrists checked this film out before release so the details are supposedly pretty accurate.
Did I mention that Elvis looked cool? Well, he couldn't really help it, because he really WAS cool. He wears 'normal' clothes for one of the very few times in his movie career and it's actually kind of surreal to witness. It's a 'natural' Elvis, though I'm not sure how natural that was for him.
Mary Tyler Moore, as Sister Michelle, is definitely a departure from the usual leading lady in an Elvis movie and the chemistry between the two is not totally convincing, though we probably all know of some pretty offbeat pairings in real life. When she revealed her nun-ness to Elvis (nice reaction from Elvis, by the way), and said that she was with the Little Sisters of Mercy, I half expected Elvis to rip into his 1961 classic, "Little Sister."
Ed Asner has a small role as a policeman and does a great job with it, particularly during the showdown with Sister Barbara (Jane Elliot, who later starred in several soap-opera series) at the Ajax Market. A year later he'd reunite with Mary Tyler Moore for her long-running TV show. Barbara McNair is also good as a black nun who's basically back in the kind of setting from which she once escaped and has a couple of wannabe-Panthers remind her of what they see as her obligation to her race. Keep an eye out for Darlene Love (with her group, the Blossoms), in the "Rubberneckin'" and "Let Us Pray" scenes -- she played Danny Glover's wife in the "Lethal Weapon" movies but in 1968 the Blossoms were backup vocalists on Elvis' 'comeback' TV special (she was also reportedly romantically involved with Elvis).
This isn't a song-dense movie. The title track, played over the opening, is one that's not been widely released and it's a pity that more people haven't heard it because it includes great lyrics and is a catchy and strong tune. The next song is "Rubberneckin'," a partly-undubbed version of the master take recorded earlier in Memphis (not for this film -- I haven't yet read of how Universal managed to negotiate its inclusion), and here we see snippets of Elvis playing this great song. Later in the movie Elvis does a simple, children's song called "Have A Happy" and he closes the film with a rather nice pop-gospel song, "Let Us Pray." Elvis also taunts us with a version of "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (one of the coolest songs that he ever did) but all he does is show off his piano playing and hum it a bit (he also whistles it earlier in the film). Darn.
The ending, with Sister Michelle waffling between choosing Jesus or Elvis (complete with cuts between Elvis' face and that of the crucified Messiah), is just a tad awkward and we're left with the question unresolved. Make up your own ending, I guess. Then again, Elvis' character is named John Carpenter. JC. And we all know what Jesus was supposed to have done for a living before he began preaching. Carpenter, right?
This is an Elvis movie that I always thought was undeservedly overlooked and a cut above most of his others. On present viewing I can see that it's a little bit soapier than I remember -- some of the incidental music doesn't help there -- but it's still a rewarding film to watch. Besides, it's Elvis, dude, and he's cool and complete with the sideburns that he'd abandoned between 1958 and 1968. Shot in the spring of 1969, "Change Of Habit" was Elvis' last scripted film. It's a definite change. His roles had been quite different than the typical 1960s 'travelogues' since 1968's "Stay Away, Joe" (a film with potential that missed the mark, for the most part) and this one includes such atypical fare as an attempted rape, a man punching a woman, mild bad language and racist epithets, brutal violence, and talk of drugs. It's the most socially-conscious Elvis film since 1960's excellent "Flaming Star."
Elvis' acting is good throughout, for the most part, though sometimes I get the feeling that he's relieved to be almost free of the movie contracts. Still, he proves once again that he had what it took to be a very good actor. Less than a month before work began on this film, Elvis completed a set of legendary recording sessions in Memphis that eventually resulted in a host of gold records ("Suspicious Minds,") that tore up the charts, and even topped them, and a bunch of other songs that remain lesser-known but among the best that Elvis ever recorded. The sessions presented him with a new challenge and he more than rose to it. On July 31 he rose to the next challenge when he opened in Las Vegas, beginning his first real live performances since three 1961 charity concerts and eventually leading to him resuming touring. This film project paled by comparison. Still, the result's worthwhile. Some of Elvis' dialogue isn't all that convincing but he was always good at saying a lot with a look and he does so in this movie many times. He also was always thoroughly capable of being convincing in moments of anger and he gets to show that off in this film, too. Then there are the moments of pure Elvis, spoken and not, some of which may be ad-libbed and some of which you'll see in documentary footage of the man, unscripted. "Weirdos, man. Weirdos" is just one.
Elvis plays a doctor from Shelby County, Tennessee (i.e., Memphis) relocated to the bad neighborhoods of New York as the head of a free clinic. Some scoff at the premise but, hey, why not? It's possible. He's got the bedside manner, for sure, and is very effective in the 'rage reduction' scene in which he and Mary Tyler Moore's character successfully returned a young girl from autism. A group of psychiatrists checked this film out before release so the details are supposedly pretty accurate.
Did I mention that Elvis looked cool? Well, he couldn't really help it, because he really WAS cool. He wears 'normal' clothes for one of the very few times in his movie career and it's actually kind of surreal to witness. It's a 'natural' Elvis, though I'm not sure how natural that was for him.
Mary Tyler Moore, as Sister Michelle, is definitely a departure from the usual leading lady in an Elvis movie and the chemistry between the two is not totally convincing, though we probably all know of some pretty offbeat pairings in real life. When she revealed her nun-ness to Elvis (nice reaction from Elvis, by the way), and said that she was with the Little Sisters of Mercy, I half expected Elvis to rip into his 1961 classic, "Little Sister."
Ed Asner has a small role as a policeman and does a great job with it, particularly during the showdown with Sister Barbara (Jane Elliot, who later starred in several soap-opera series) at the Ajax Market. A year later he'd reunite with Mary Tyler Moore for her long-running TV show. Barbara McNair is also good as a black nun who's basically back in the kind of setting from which she once escaped and has a couple of wannabe-Panthers remind her of what they see as her obligation to her race. Keep an eye out for Darlene Love (with her group, the Blossoms), in the "Rubberneckin'" and "Let Us Pray" scenes -- she played Danny Glover's wife in the "Lethal Weapon" movies but in 1968 the Blossoms were backup vocalists on Elvis' 'comeback' TV special (she was also reportedly romantically involved with Elvis).
This isn't a song-dense movie. The title track, played over the opening, is one that's not been widely released and it's a pity that more people haven't heard it because it includes great lyrics and is a catchy and strong tune. The next song is "Rubberneckin'," a partly-undubbed version of the master take recorded earlier in Memphis (not for this film -- I haven't yet read of how Universal managed to negotiate its inclusion), and here we see snippets of Elvis playing this great song. Later in the movie Elvis does a simple, children's song called "Have A Happy" and he closes the film with a rather nice pop-gospel song, "Let Us Pray." Elvis also taunts us with a version of "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (one of the coolest songs that he ever did) but all he does is show off his piano playing and hum it a bit (he also whistles it earlier in the film). Darn.
The ending, with Sister Michelle waffling between choosing Jesus or Elvis (complete with cuts between Elvis' face and that of the crucified Messiah), is just a tad awkward and we're left with the question unresolved. Make up your own ending, I guess. Then again, Elvis' character is named John Carpenter. JC. And we all know what Jesus was supposed to have done for a living before he began preaching. Carpenter, right?