MamaGravity
good back-story, and good acting
Odelecol
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
Brennan Camacho
Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
roland_lmt
This is, without a doubt, one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. And I've seen a ridiculous amount of films in my life. Even if you are not a big fan of documentaries, and I'm generally not, this is worth seeing. Even if you are not a fan of Elvis Presley, this film brings a perspective of American history worth a look. Usually, when someone is that famous, and died decades ago, we tend to believe we must know everything there is worth knowing. Two things make this film very different. First, the personal views of those who knew him best, like Priscilla Presley, and those influenced by him, like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, give the film a gravity rarely seen. Second, this is the rare film that neither worships nor belittles him. It approaches Elvis Presley as a human being, much like any other, whose life had an amazing range of ups and downs.I've rated thousands of films on IMDb, but reviewed very few. This one was worth a few minutes to share my thoughts. Well done to all involved.
Matt Greene
I'm not a huge Elvis fan, but the lovingly in-depth, full scope of this 2-part documentary got me closer. I of course knew about much of it (his days at Sun Studios, the unfulfilling Hollywood years, his "larger"-than-life Vegas swan song), but it shined a light on so many things I didn't know. The rock lifestyle didn't get him addicted to pills; the army did. His extreme stage fright after getting back to music. His entire relationship with malicious Tom Parker.
cindypenders-23451
This documentary is mainly about Elvis as an artist and the information about his personal life that is brought up is information that influenced his career. This isn't about Elvis and women, prescription drugs, his marriage, Elvis who gained weight in the end etc., it's about Elvis and his talent, his influences, his dreams, his inspirations, where he came from, his motivation, how life influenced his career, how Colonel Parker influenced his career, how he felt about his career en why career choices were made etc. Elvis was an incredible talent and the first of his kind and this documentary is about all of that that we should remember about Elvis and what Elvis is about. People who actually knew him speak about him and the talented Bruce Springsteen speaks too. Not a second is wasted by showing the people that are being interviewed, you hear their voices over new and old videos and images of Elvis. The documentary itself is very well done. The overall style and the footage filmed at Graceland and atmosphere shots at places he has lived and he has been really give you a feeling of the vibe of the era and time the documentary speaks about.Part 1 is more uplifting, part 2 is darker. The documentary won't give the die hard Elvis fans a lot of new information, but it's still worth watching as I find it the best documentary on Elvis because it's about him as an entertainer and his talent and it tells about his true feelings about his career. It's a documentary that is respectful towards Elvis.
Danny Blankenship
This "HBO" doc called "Elvis Presley: "The Searcher" is long and drawn out as it's really informative and educates all about the life and the making of Elvis from his early life all the way up to death. Really it's a great biography type film to see with classic footage of concerts, interviews, and comings and goings of the one and only "King". Also the film is supported by talk and narration from the late Tom Petty and "The Boss" Springsteen and ex wife Priscilla all talk about his impact on music and culture and all recall the good and bad times.Early you see how the blues and gospel music and being around blacks influenced "Elvis" to be outside the box and mix his music to a blend to be classified as many different styles. Then along the way his journey to "Memphis" and meeting Tom Parker would help shape his music life.Yet a downfall and backslide was Presley's dive into movies and acting which hurt his image and would age him and cause his need to start over with music. However his pressures and stress would lead to drug abuse and a much to early departure. Overall good look at the life and times of the king the one and only "Elvis Presley"!
