Retro Film Review: Elvis Has Left the Building (2004)

Hollywood seems to be running out of interesting or original ideas. This is sad, but even sadder thing happens when Hollywood does find interesting idea only to have it wasted. One of such examples is Elvis Has Left the Building, a 2004 black comedy directed by Joel Zwick.

The protagonist of the film is Harmony Jones (played by Kim Basinger), a woman whose life revolves around travelling and trying to convince women to buy Pink Lady cosmetic products. Two things are going to change her life. First is encounter with Miles Taylor (played by John Corbett), a bored and soon-to-be-divorced ad executive who falls in love with her. The other is a tendency of Elvis impersonators to accidentally die in her presence. Harmony now has to run, while the deaths are investigated by FBI.

Elvis Has Left the Building probably looked very good on paper. Although this isn't the first Hollywood movie to exploit Elvis mythology, few had such a quirky premise. The talent involved was also promising - director Joel Zwick made a huge hit with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, while the cast included the likes of Kim Basinger and Angie Dickinson. Basinger is actually very good in the film, using one of the rare opportunities to show comedic abilities. Unfortunately, she is the only one to provide some humour in the film. The script by Michell Ganem and Adam-Michael Garber is simply terrible - it provides many talented actors with atrocious dialogues and utterly unfunny jokes. A good example is the writer's apparent opinion that the sight of Denise Richards as Elvis impersonator is enough for the audience to roll on the floor laughing. What is even worse is Zwick's inability to comprehend these problems; his direction is inept, making the film looking cheaper than it actually is. When it comes to Hollywood's ability to pay homage to one of the world's greatest icons, Elvis has really left the building.

RATING: 3/10 (+)

(Note: Original version of the review is available here.)

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