Almost two years after quiet from Austin Butler, he finally took the screen June 24th as he premiered as young Elvis Aaron Presley. All a handsome young Presley has to do is belt that voice and shake his legs and suddenly every girl can’t get enough, and neither can he. Presley takes us through his small town in Tupelo, Mississippi and we follow him to the International Hotel in Las Vegas Butler where we learn the trials and tribulations of stardom and keeping the Elvis fandom alive. 

It’s no wonder Butler encompasses this role so well: after Covid-19 shut down the initial launch of filming in 2020, Butler was forced to marinate in Elvis’s everyday lifestyle. As filming stopped, Butler focused on all things Elvis. Resulting in a performance almost as good as his (Elvis’) last performance. Hard work seemed to pay off for this role, Butler, along with his other cast mates, were able to keep the audience smiley with Presley’s innocence and oblivion to a rock star lifestyle while keeping that momentum all the way up to the very last piano key played buy and old, fat, sweaty Elvis.

While this film took its time to make, it certainly met its mark with casting, filled with Tom Hanks, Dacre Montgomery and Olivia DeJonge. Thoughtful filmography pairs with music from  Doja Cat, Stevie Nicks, Eminem and the amazing Shonka Dukureh, helping to emphasize this old town Mississippi. This movie wouldn’t stop until every age group, genre and style were included in this film so everyone can relate to a different aspect, whether that is Elvis’s blinged-out flare pants or a happy tune sung by Les Greene.