Nothing excites me more than a great ensemble coming together to make something extraordinary. Anything Kevin Spacey does you can sign me up for (even that cat movie he's doing, which I still can't seem to figure out), let alone Michael Shannon, Colin Hanks, and director Liza Johnson. Add creating a historical fiction from the most requested photo from the National Archives, one of the most bizarre photos ever captured (which has been the butt of a really bad 80s movie), you've got a recipe for success. Though is this film as great as it is hyped up to be?
This film is a tight 90 minutes; it never wanders or gets lost in trying to get deep into this scenario because it'd probably get as preposterous as the photo itself. It just cuts right to the chase: Nixon watching various news channels in the opening shot before shooting out the screens, a visual hint that he's not thrilled with whats going on in the United States. That's when he springs into action. Michael Shannon, who plays the King himself, begins his journey from his historic Graceland to the front door of the White House. From when he shoots his screen to actually meeting the President, it totals 36 hours. Which seems really crazy, and it is. It seems like a flash in the pan, but it really could have been one.
What I greatly appreciate about this film is the direction of Johnson and acting from Shannon and Spacey. They don't try to impersonate the two legends in their stereotypical form (which is made fun of by the cameo of Joe Sagal in the airport scene), but rather embrace their mannerisms. It was very natural and never drew attention to itself, which to me, is A+ directing and acting. Leave it to two legends of the craft to be able to take two of the most imitable figures of pop culture and give it a fresh and original look. The supporting cast, too like Colin Hanks, give this air of naturalism and hold their own toe to toe with the leads. Never once did I feel like I wasn't in the 1970s watching these odd events turn out, so kudos to Johnson, cinematographer Terry Stacey and Production Designer Mara LePere-Schloop for helping create that world. We do get some great shots, though I wish we had more establishing shots filmed in camera. They show us the 1970s through 2nd unit photography of B Roll of the 19070s- grain and all. It looks crazily out of place, and in my opinion, an incredibly poor aesthetic choice. Though I get why they did it, it's just plain weird to do direct cuts from old grainy footage to beautiful crisp digital footage as if it was part of the film all along.
While the film is very good, something about it doesn't feel like a film. It's certainly an actor's film, letting the actors dominate over their personas and ultimately control the ebb and flow of the film. But as I was talking to one of my colleagues about the film who hadn't seen it, he immediately thought it should have been performed on a stage. And then it hit me. A solid 70 percent of the film takes place within the Oval Office, the actors take charge, and the overall premise of the film seems to miss the mark. This is a film that really belonged on a stage. It wouldn't diminish the quality of the piece but instead, would have probably enhanced it. From the blocking of the scenes to the little personal sidebars Elvis takes when he is alone, this at some point had to have been thought of as a stage play and along the way forgot to take that element of the film out.
In any case, that doesn't mean you shouldn't see this film. It's filled with fast paced wit, incredible performances, and some of the most memorable performances of the two infamous icons of pop culture. In a market filled with over the top spectacle, the spectacle is where it should always be: not the special effects and ridiculous action set pieces, but in its acting, direction, and the plot that drives us to the end. "Elvis & Nixon" does that very thing with flying colors.
