# Are any of Elvis Presley's movies any good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2017, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676 "2017-12-16T21:05:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/1 "2017-12-16T21:05:55Z")
TCM is showing Jailhouse Rock next week and I’ve set the TiVo to record it. When I was young, I remember that Elvis movies were often shown on a local independent station. I vaguely remember Blue Hawaii and Viva Las Vegas as being decent enough, although that’s from my teenage years. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/2 "2017-12-16T21:26:44Z")
I’m gonna go with “No”. Haven’t seen them all, but I’ve seen enough. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/3 "2017-12-16T21:37:52Z")
Not really “good,” in any real sense of the word. They can be “fun” to watch, if you’re into the whole 60s pop vibe. _Change of Habit_ though is a bit-heavy handed with its social commentary, and other stuff like _Spinout_ pretty silly (and whatever movie featured “Yoga is as yoga does,” among other “classics”). Mostly they were the Colonel’s effort to sell Elvis records. They were never meant to be high culture. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/4 "2017-12-16T21:39:38Z")
Also going to go with “no.” I probably saw most of them when they were on TV during my childhood because my mother was a huge fan. I haven’t seen them all again as an adult, but have seen a few (half-watching in the background while doing something else) recently, including _Girls! Girls! Girls!_, _Kissin’ Cousins_, and _Clambake_. That random selection was bad. Really bad. Elvis could not act his way out of a wet paper bag. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/5 "2017-12-16T21:45:24Z")
Define “good.” A lot of them are fun. A lot are formulaic. I own most of them on DVD. Personal faves: _King Creole Blue Hawaii Girls! Girls! Girls! Viva Las Vegas Easy Come, Easy Go Spinout_ Elvis might have wanted to be a dramatic actor, but nobody wanted to see him in those rolls. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/6 "2017-12-16T21:52:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Elvis might have wanted to be a dramatic actor, but nobody wanted to see him in those rolls. I always thought he was a well bread young man. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/7 "2017-12-16T21:53:59Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I always thought he was a well bread young man. You’re just buttering him up with that! ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/8 "2017-12-16T21:54:22Z")
Worth watching: _Jailhouse Rock King Creole Fun in Acapulco Viva Las Vegas_ ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/9 "2017-12-16T21:54:28Z")
I’ll define good as being equal or better to A Hard Day’s Night and Help! I’m not expecting The Bridge On The River Kwai from a movie featuring pop stars. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/10 "2017-12-16T21:55:21Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’ll define good as being equal or better to A Hard Day’s Night and Help! I’m not expecting The Bridge On The River Kwai from a movie featuring pop stars. Then…no. Not in the least. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/11 "2017-12-16T21:55:44Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > You’re just buttering him up with that! It’s the yeast I can do. _And he rises to the occasion!_ ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/12 "2017-12-16T21:58:00Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > It’s the yeast I can do. > > _And he rises to the occasion!_ I’m crust fallen because I can’t top that. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/13 "2017-12-16T22:02:59Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > I’m crust fallen because I can’t top that. I’d be a heel if I didn’t give you another chance. I say we blame **silenus** for starting the hijack which I will stop here. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/14 "2017-12-16T22:07:15Z")
If the goal is to watch Elvis for 90 minutes, I bet some of them are good. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/15 "2017-12-16T22:10:10Z")
[Love Me Tender](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Me_Tender_(film))is a pretty good Western. Not the greatest ever made, but way above average. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/16 "2017-12-16T22:10:16Z")
Ann-Margaret’s white shorts in _Viva Las Vegas._. They were gooooooood. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/17 "2017-12-16T22:18:31Z")
It appears that the highest-rated one on the IMDb is _King Creole_ at 7.0. _A Hard Day’s Night_ is rated 7.7. _Help!_ is rated 7.3. _The Bridge on the River Kwai_ is rated 8.2. A 7.0 film is a reasonably good one, I think. So at least one of Elvis’s movies is reasonably good, but none are great or even very good. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/18 "2017-12-16T23:03:52Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I’d be a heel if I didn’t give you another chance. > > I say we blame **silenus** for starting the hijack which I will stop here. Before you all end up in Leavenworth? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/19 "2017-12-16T23:12:13Z")
^ Matzoh fast, **Chefguy**! ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2017, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676/20 "2017-12-17T00:01:06Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > It appears that the highest-rated one on the IMDb is _King Creole_ at 7.0. _A Hard Day’s Night_ is rated 7.7. _Help!_ is rated 7.3. _The Bridge on the River Kwai_ is rated 8.2. A 7.0 film is a reasonably good one, I think. So at least one of Elvis’s movies is reasonably good, but none are great or even very good. According to his acting IMDB page, the lowest rated one is [Harum Scarum](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059255/?ref_=ttls_li_tt) at 4.7. As low as that is, you can find _a lot_ of movies on IMDB that are rated lower. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-elvis-presleys-movies-any-good/804676.md?page=2)