A Biopic That Tells Us Absolutely Nothing

From his bejeweled jumpsuits and pompadour hairstyle to his powerful baritone and wiggling hips, Elvis Presley is undoubtedly one of the most iconic figures in American pop culture. The musician has been the subject of numerous films, but Sophia Coppola’s Priscilla aims at providing a different perspective.

Based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 biography, Elvis and Me, Priscilla attempts to provide a much more sinister glimpse into the King’s tumultuous five-year marriage. While the film is a visual feast, it’s ultimately another superficial biopic with nothing important to say.

The narrative starts in 1959 when 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) meets 24-year-old Elvis (Jacob Elordi) at a party in Germany. The two begin a romantic relationship and continue to keep in touch after Elvis completes his military service. Priscilla eventually moves to Graceland where she transforms from a shy school girl to a glamorous beauty queen. 

Unlike Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, Coppola highlights the more unsavory qualities of the marriage. The uncomfortable age gap, the infidelity, the drugs, and Elvis’s emotional and physical abuse are on full display. However, audiences are never shown why exactly Elvis and Priscilla were supposedly in love. When the two aren’t fighting, they’re spending time together in montages that reveal very little about their relationship. And most of their conversations consist of Elvis talking about himself to Priscilla who occasionally says a word, maybe two.

Elordi’s performance is impressive, but Spaeny is unfortunately not given much to do. The actress is clearly talented, but with the lack of compelling dialogue for her, it seems as though most of the attention is still directed towards Elvis.

Coppola does a fine job depicting the power imbalance in the relationship, but Priscilla remains passive until the last ten minutes of the film. Even after she leaves Elvis, she’s still a blank slate with seemingly no personality or motivations. Viewers learn nothing about Priscilla outside of her marriage to Elvis which sabotages Coppola’s attempt at female empowerment. Priscilla is R-rated with a runtime of 110 minutes. It’s currently playing at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Violet Crown, and Regal in Stonefield.

Cailee Spaeny in Priscilla. Photo courtesy of Sabrina Lantos/A24