FINDING GRACELAND (United States)
A review by Mark R. Leeper in bullet-list form
from the Toronto Internation Film Festival
CAPSULE: In a current-day cross-country trip a man picks up a hitchhiker who claims to be Elvis Presley. Harvey Keitel, Johnathon Schaech, and Bridget Fonda star. David Winkler directs the film with a lot of heart. Rating: 7 (0 to 10), 2 (-4 to +4)
- A man haunted by the death of his wife a year earlier picks up a hitchhiker who is more trouble than he is worth. He is a freeloader without money and though he does not look the part he claims to be Elvis Presley. This is a warm film along the lines of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET. It toys with (without endorsing) the para-religious cult of worshipers of Elvis. - Not much resemblance to Presley, but perhaps that works. - That Keitel is good will come as little surprise. Bridget Fonda pulls off a real tour de force as a Marilyn Monroe impressionist, even doing her own singing impression of Monroe. Johnathon Schaech, a Peter Gallagher look-alike, holds his own as the main character. - Priscilla Presley is executive producer, though her contribution was mostly after production started. She checked the script for accuracy and arranged for shooting at Graceland. - Nice regional photography. - It seems unlikely that main character would let anyone else drive his classic car. - Keitel does not do his own singing. - Definitely an enjoyable film even for people who are not Elvis fans (which includes me). - It is not clear if there is supposed to be a surprise twist involving the car accident. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure it out. Yet the script makes it seem like something kept secret.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@lucent.com
Copyright 1998 Mark R. Leeper
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