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Elvis (TV) More at IMDbPro »

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31 out of 35 people found the following review useful:

One of the best biographies ever. Ellvis lives on!

Author: John Wayne Peel (jwpeel@tiac.net) from United States
11 May 2005

I have seen every movie made about Elvis with the exception of a regional drive-in movie that was fictitious called "The Legend" I believe, and not since Kurt Russell's phenomenal impersonation in the 1970s TV Movie have I seen such an amazing job of acting as done by this young kid from Ireland. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was so stunningly accurate even though the combed back hair made his forehead look a little too prominent. Still, I did not work against his extremely effective portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll. Okay, I know I'm being picky here, but having been a portrait artist for 48 years, it's hard not to notice such physical details.

What made this film all the more watchable were the acting of Camryn Manheim as Mama Presley and Randy Quaid as The Colonel. In both cases, the actors added so many shades to their characters and, despite the stories we Elvis die-hard fans know inside out, the script was put together in a way that made it all unfold as though we were there. And after not quite lookalike actors like Don Johnson with a voice that sounded more like one of David Seville's Chipmunks than Elvis, and Dale Midkiff who lacked the charisma with his slight resemblance to the man in the miniseries "Elvis And Me") this time, we had a guy we could believe was the real thing. And then there was the guy from the TV show who also played Elvis Michael St. Gerard who had such an uncanny resemblance to Elvis though with nothing close to the voice (except for the time he briefly played Elvis in "Great Balls Of Fire" and for one scene tells Dennis Quaid's Jerry Lee Lewis "Take it! Take it awwlll!") he was okay in the acting department but only okay. This guy Jonathon Rhys-Meyers has some serious acting chops. I loved his work in this one and will keep an eye out for him in the future. (And isn't it ironic how both Quaids have gotten to be connected somehow to the Elvis legend?)

So to all the Elvis haters and those who tore this film down, you don't have a clue. This was a great movie and for TV was a bloody masterpiece.

I can't wait until this sucker is on DVD or video and I can buy a copy for my personal collection. Thank you CBS for this great present.

24 out of 29 people found the following review useful:

Riveting!

Author: drclifton from United States
10 May 2005

Riveting. Elvis is portrayed as a real human being with all the trials, tribulations, and temptations we all face. This movie shows what so many of us suspected all along: Elvis was misguided and mismanaged by the Colonel who kept Elvis from reaching his full singing and acting potential. We may never know the real genius of the King of Rock n' Roll. Sad, sad indeed! The character of Elvis comes through loud and clear. He pledged loyalty to the Colonel and maintained that loyalty at his own expense. This is the best Elvis movie since the Kurt Russell flick which was simply excellent.

Rev. James W. Clifton

27 out of 35 people found the following review useful:

Pleasantly Surprised

Author: cuemypulse from Tampa, Florida
9 May 2005

I Watched Part 1 of Elvis last night, and was BLOWN away. Jonathan Rhys Meyers did an EXCELLENT job portraying The King. Everything down to his lip curl and southern drawl was displayed perfectly. Surprisingly, because JRM is Irish-born and didn't know much about Elvis in the first place.

The appearance is what got me at first. Sometimes I would look up at the TV screen and actually believe that Elvis himself was grinning back at me. They have really chosen a great actor to play him this time. Rhys Meyers' face, smile, hair, voice and demeanor all SCREAM OUT Elvis to me.

Both my mom and I were googly eyed during most of the 2 hours, and we were begging for more by the time 11 p.m. rolled around. I give this mini-series BOTH OF MY THUMBS UP and I can't wait, (and have no doubt) that Part 2 will be as intriguing as the first.

29 out of 41 people found the following review useful:

Excellent! Best Elvis ever!

Author: tomligon from New York City
8 May 2005

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is without doubt the most convincing Elvis since, well, the King himself. He looks like him, sounds like him (swell accent and Elvis's singing he lip-syncs flawlessly), and m-o-v-e-s like him! Simply fantastic work. Gorgeous raw talent at first blossoms before our eyes into the one and only Elvis. Rhys-Meyers is the first actor with the charisma to pull this off--it's a total, tour-de-force performance. Hope we see it on DVD! The brilliant script for this mini-series by Patrick Sheane Duncan and James Steven Sadwith (and directed by Sadwith) tells a spellbinding story, even the most extraordinary and outrageous aspects of the King's discovery are completely believable. John Lennon said it, "before Elvis there was nothing." This is the first time since Elvis himself we get to see what Lennon meant.

16 out of 20 people found the following review useful:

Johnny is Elvis

Author: kimbo812 from United States
11 May 2005

This guy is the best Elvis impersonator I have ever seen, I realize that he did not sing the songs, but he had the moves the actions, he looked like a young Elvis, I had the chance to see King Creole Sunday Morning on AMC and this boy looked just like Elvis did when that movie was made. CBS thanks for reminding us of how great a superstar Elvis Presley was , I was just a kid when he died , but I can remember watching the specials and I cried when he died. My mom got to see him at the Hayride, and tells me about her memories often. We need more movies like these, someone said it did not last long enough really fast while were watching it we could of watched all night.

14 out of 17 people found the following review useful:

Major Surprise TV movie

Author: glentom1 from United States
11 May 2005

Randy Quaid almost steals the show as the Colonel, his acting should be award-winning. I don't know how realistic the role was, but the real Colonel could have only hoped to be such a dynamic character.

Overall it was a pleasantly surprising TV movie, and Rhys-Meyers did a terrific job as Elvis. I wish he could have been 2 inches taller, but his voice impersonation was very believable.

Robert Patrick and Camryn Manheim both did excellent acting jobs. Except for Rose McGowan as Ann-Margret, the casting was excellent.

Very easy and fun to watch, I gave it a 9/10 because it is made for TV, and it is surprising that they put so much effort into it.

14 out of 18 people found the following review useful:

Great job but somewhat depressing

Author: vchimpanzee from North Carolina
17 May 2005

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers did as good a job as I've ever seen portraying the King of Rock and Roll. Although Elvis cursed more than he ever has in any version of his life I've seen, and he was often abusive to those he was close to, he was an appealing character overall, especially at the beginning of his career. And he really cared about his fans.

Something I wasn't aware of: Elvis cared about the quality of his movies as much as he cared about good music, but he didn't have as much control over his acting as his singing.

I can't recall Elvis' relationship to his mother being shown in such detail. Camryn Manheim did an outstanding job, and I noticed in the documentary airing later in the week on CBS how much the real Gladys Presley resembled Manheim.

Randy Quaid also impressed as Colonel Parker. He was very convincing as an aging man, and he was shown as quite a schemer, but he was not overdone.

There were many other good acting performances. Tim Guinee as Sam Phillips should be mentioned, and Rose McGowan made a sultry Ann-Margret. And I have to mention the black woman at the Cadillac dealership. A brief performance, but very effective.

Like Parker, I'm more of a Lawrence Welk man, but Elvis is something special. And the musical performances were great.

The first part was the most enjoyable, when Elvis was just a young kid getting his career started, when the talent came through and was not overshadowed by fame.

Overall, it was a worthy effort.

14 out of 18 people found the following review useful:

Did not plan on watching... I could not leave the room!

Author: Bruce_bkjm from United States
9 May 2005

I did not plan on watching this movie, but it happened to be on the television as I watched through the room. After watching for a few minutes I was hooked. When I saw the add for this movie I honestly did not think that someone from a different country could pull off a GOOD Elvis....But Johnathan Ryhs-Meyers does a great job. He has the accent, the moves and the lip syncing down. I did find the actress who plays Priscilla not to be as convincing. Priscilla is a very attractive women, and I found Antonia Bernath to be pretty but quite as striking. If the first part of this series airs again, it is certainly worth watching, if not for the good acting at least for the good music.

17 out of 25 people found the following review useful:

It will knock your blue suede shoes off!

Author: carolina-26 from United States
8 May 2005

A true Elvis fan will appreciate the solid and outstanding effort by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He was a natural choice for this project. Aside from the strong resemblance, he also found a way to speak and move like him. He doesn't over-do the accent or the moves. The supporting cast deserves a lot of credit as well, especially Camryn's portrayal of Gladys Presley. The story is very well written and flows nicely. Most fans will enjoy learning more details about the events in his life. The music is exciting too. You will hear the original master recordings as Jonathan performs and he stays true to the tone of the song. Without a doubt this mini-series will keep you captivated.

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:

Elvis The Miniseries Rocks!

Author: donald-mclean from United States
1 April 2008

This is one of the best Elvis biopics I have ever seen. Its gives a lot of great insight to things that Elvis was going through in his life that others may have not known about or had little knowledge on. I like how the movie starts and ends at the same time, with the middle telling the story how he got there. This film is like a movie and I think should have been released at theaters it is so good. It is better than normal made for TV movies. I've seen this movie so many times I just watch it whenever I get the chance. Anybody that has even a small interest in knowing about Elvis should buy this today, even if you're a longtime fan you'll enjoy it too. Jonathan Rhys Meyers did a better job than a lot of people give him credit for and the other characters were almost spot on. Great MOVIE! 10 out of 10!

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