Time: 113 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Drug use & offensive language
Cast:
Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley
Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley
Dagmara Domińczyk as Ann Beaulieu
Director: Sofia Coppola

A movie about Priscilla Presley releasing the year after the Elvis Presley biopic from Baz Luhrmann was certainly an interesting choice. Admittedly, I wasn’t a fan of the one movie I saw from director Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation), so I wasn’t sure that her latest movie would be my thing. However, there was one major reason I was interested in the movie: the fact that pretty much everyone in Elvis’s family and Elvis’s estate were opposed to this movie, except for Priscilla Presley herself, who approved it. It turned out to be one of the year’s best.

One thing that the Elvis Presley biopic really glossed over was the fact that the central romance with Priscilla involved grooming her when she was a teenager (that movie probably wouldn’t have been approved if it didn’t). With Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla however, Coppola really portrays the life of a girl who was groomed, it really is a portrait of a victim in an abusive relationship. While this is a tough topic to tackle, it is told with a lot of empathy and the subject matter is approached with delicacy and sensitivity, while not shying away from it. Everything is shown from Priscilla’s perspective, and the movie really conveys how alone she felt. The actual use of Elvis was appropriate. The biggest potential problem with an idea like this is that he could overshadow the story (that being Priscilla’s story), but it doesn’t, he’s in as many scenes as necessary. The pacing might put some people off, it has a slow approach but it worked for me, and it fitted the movie. After the first half, it didn’t seem to be building to anything, but that was largely okay with me because of what the movie is trying to convey. At the point that these Elvis and Priscilla are married, the movie seems to jump through time periods really quickly, showing how fast the former’s life went, so while it was jarring and skips over some events, I understand the reason behind it. That said, the third act is a bit too rushed, it almost felt like an extended montage. Priscilla was already under 2 hours and I feel like the movie would’ve been better if it was a bit longer, especially if there was at least 10 minutes more in the third act. The otherwise effective ending would’ve worked a bit better if we spent a bit more time in that time period beforehand.

As Priscilla Presley, Cailee Spaeny gives one of the best performances of the year. She does such a convincing job portraying her from teenage years to adulthood, showing her innocence and naivety, to her growing maturity over the course of the movie. She conveys her feelings and emotions in a subtle yet incredibly convincing manner. Elvis Presley is portrayed by Jacob Elordi this time, and he is great. To debate about whether his Elvis is better than Austin Butler’s Elvis from the previous year’s biopic would definitely be missing the point. I can say that it’s definitely a different performance, not as showy and a little more subdued, which works for Coppola’s movie and the story it’s going for. As Elvis, Elordi shows his charm and manipulation, and the sudden bursts of aggression hit hard and feel convincing. While it doesn’t hold back what he did and what he is, he’s still very much presented as being human. The chemistry between Spaeny and Elordi really works, and the changes in the relationship feel very convincing and human. It has been commented on before, but the fact that Coppola cast a short woman as Priscilla and a tall man as Elvis was a good visual choice, as it highlights the age difference and clear power imbalance between the two.

Sofia Coppola’s direction here is top notch. It is a stunning looking movie with this dreamy vintage look, and beautiful imagery. The cinematography helps to really invoke the mood and feeling, even the simple shots of Priscilla alone in Graceland are so isolating and oppressive, in a subtle yet effective way. The hair and makeup are also stellar, showing how both Priscilla and Elvis changed over the years, especially Priscilla. The choice of music was also good, adding to the dreamlike nature and vibe. You don’t hear Elvis’s songs throughout the movie, no doubt because Coppola wasn’t allowed to use them. However, the lack of his music really benefited the movie in the long run.

Priscilla is an unflinching, complex and layered character piece, sensitively written, incredibly directed, and with an excellent lead performance from Cailee Spaeny. It’s one of 2023’s best, and is well worth watching.