Viva Las Vegas
Race car driver Lucky Jackson goes to Las Vegas to earn money to pay for a new engine for his motor car. Working as a waiter, he still finds the time to court young Rusty Martin.
Member Reviews
Squish is Full of It - neutrahouse
The previous reviewer "Squish" says "he's never seen an Elvis movie", but then goes on to describe Elvis as "a pretty awesome guy" overall. I don't know how anyone could form that opinion without having seen an Elvis movie.
"Squish" is film critic snobbery at it's worst. Nobody watches an Elvis movie in search of quality writing, direction or acting. You take an Elvis movie as it is: a calculated effort lorded over by Colonel Parker designed to keep Elvis in the limelight and portray him in the cleanest way possible. If you go in expecting any more, you are bound to be disappointed. Criticizing this movie is like like saying the Pope is a Catholic.Here the formula works - Superdave
The Elvis formula was simple: Elvis character was always someone dashing (in this case a race driver) who meets a great girl (Ann-Margret here) who initially rebuffs his roguish charm, but he wins her over with several swinging song and dance numbers. But this one works and so many later ones did not, and there are several reasons. Las Vegas itself is better used than so many other settings, creating a more believable and enjoyable travelogue experience; the songs are almost uniformly excellent, a rare thing in so many of Elvis' later MGM quickies; and Ann-Margret is so sensationally talented and has such good chemistry with Elvis as to throw many of his other co-stars into the shade. The story still comes off as predictable and formulaic, but the formula was pretty fresh at this point. It also does not hurt that this one was helmed by George Sidney, an old pro craftsman of earlier old Hollywood musicals such as The Harvey Girls and Til The Clouds Roll By. The movie has a great look to it, with polished camerawork and nice looking sets that would be used to give the period look of the soda pop early 60s.
If you have not seen too many Elvis movies already, watch this one and see Elvis arguably at his best.Lost Out In Vegas - Squish
I've never seen an Elvis movie, and now I understand why.
Ann-Margaret, in this film, has all the makings of what is fakest in a person and is a huge historic red flag for what our Hollywood-influenced society was to become. From hair and clothes that scream 'accept me' to her set of capped teeth so glaringly obvious that I couldn't get the walrus images out of my head. I understand that people danced a particular way in the 60s that might not be considered... attractive... today, but for God's sake don't add seizure-face to the electrocution dance. Poor Ann-Margaret would routinely open her mouth and widen her eyes as she gyrated, but it look nothing like the ‘seductive’ it was trying to be.
As for the tale itself: realism out the window, big empty holes between character arc development, writing that assumed so much all the time and did nothing more than shove plot down a creepy rabbit hole of mayhem. The plot didn't even begin to pretend that it was anything but time filler for the mediocre songs being sung. As for the songs themselves? Yeah I know the title song, "Viva Las Vegas" was great and all, but three times? Opening credits, climax and end credits? Seriously, there's such thing as overkill.
All in all, a really bad, awkward, uncomfortable experience with Elvis, a guy who's pretty awesome overall.
I think I'll hate the director more than Elvis. He could have stopped so much of this stuff from happening.
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Squish is Full of It - neutrahouse
The previous reviewer "Squish" says "he's never seen an Elvis movie", but then goes on to describe Elvis as "a pretty awesome guy" overall. I don't know how anyone could form that opinion without having seen an Elvis movie.
"Squish" is film critic snobbery ...Here the formula works - Superdave
The Elvis formula was simple: Elvis character was always someone dashing (in this case a race driver) who meets a great girl (Ann-Margret here) who initially rebuffs his roguish charm, but he wins her over with several swinging song and dance numbers. But ...Lost Out In Vegas - Squish
I've never seen an Elvis movie, and now I understand why.
Ann-Margaret, in this film, has all the makings of what is fakest in a person and is a huge historic red flag for what our Hollywood-influenced society was to become. From hair and clothes that ...