A picture is worth a thousand words.
Or however many words it takes to fill the 100 minute running time of “Elvis & Nixon.”
It may be the only movie inspired by a single photograph, that of the titular personalities during what was likely an awkward encounter in 1970.
It occurred four years before President Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace, two years after Elvis Presley’s ‘comeback special’ and seven years before Presley died from an overdose in his Graceland bathroom.
The speculative film version of their meeting will be released Friday on the 22nd anniversary of Nixon’s death.
Presley collected law enforcement badges and showed up at the White House unannounced to pressure Nixon for one from the FBI. Nixon, an unpopular president dealing with an unpopular war, agreed – if Presley would pose for a photograph.
That photo, of a grinning Nixon and a caped Presley wearing a WWE championship sized belt buckle, is the most requested photo in the National Archives.
Jerry Schilling a member of Elvis’ entourage, recounted the meeting in his memoir. Schilling is an executive producer of the film and is portrayed in it by Alex Pettyfer.
Perhaps because of his participation Presley, played by Michael Shannon, is portrayed sympathetically and with a degree of self awareness. But while he bemoans his celebrity, as a “thing” marketed like a can of Coke, he uses fame to do whatever the hell he wants. He and Nixon were self-made men surrounded by overprotective sycophants who enable their delusions.
Presley’s delusion meant telling Nixon, played by Kevin Spacey, that groups like the Beatles were communists and that he wanted to infiltrate radical groups like the Black Panthers. But some speculate his goal was to use the badge as a get out of jail card from drug prosecution.
Tellingly, his prescription drug use is not portrayed. Nor is his music played on the film’s soundtrack.
But his fondness for firearms is recounted and at one point Presley shoots out a television showing anti-war protestors (in reality he shot out a TV showing Robert Goulet) and tries to bring two pistols in a shoulder holster and one on his ankle into the White House. He even gives Nixon a pistol as a gift.
Both actors give pretty good impressions of their characters; Shannon in mutton chop sideburns moving with erratic flamboyance, needle-nosed Spacey foul mouthed and snappish. (Spacey plays Pres. Frank Underwood on Netflix’s “House of Cards.” The film is released by its streaming competitor Amazon.)
There is considerable filler, such as when Nixon’s team, played by Colin Hanks and Evan Peters, whose characters later went to jail, and Schiller negotiate the meeting in a parking garage, ala Deep Throat.
But in the end “Elvis & Nixon” as absurd and amusing as the incident itself
*** Three stars
With Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Colin Hanks, Alex Pettyfr, Johnny Knoxville, Evan Peters, Tracy Letts, Tate Donovan.
Produced by Holly Wiersma, Cassian Elwes. Written by Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal, Cary Elwes.
Directed by Liza Johnson.
Approximate running time: 86 minutes. Rated R: language.
Tags: Elvis, Nixon, Shannon, Spacey Posted by