Priscilla

Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Ari Cohen, Dagmara Domińczyk, Tim Post, Lynne Griffin, Daniel Beirne, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Dan Abramovici, R. Austin Ball, Stephanie Moore
Running Time: 114 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Going into Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, there's an immediate temptation to pit it against 2022's more bombastic Elvis. And while Priscilla Presley was brushed aside in it, concerns remained this effort could still be redundant, covering much of the same ground despite its shift in focus. But what Coppola serves up instead is a more subdued, contemplative approach that's miles removed from Baz Luhrmann's flashy extravaganza. It's no better or worse an approach, just entirely different, which is probably for the best.

Less about Elvis's rise to fame and legendary career than Priscilla's challenges in living with him, this look at their complicated, volatile relationship is the first to heavily emphasize that controversial age gap, going so far as to paint The King as an abusive child groomer capable of flying off the handle at a moment's notice. And yet he manages to disarm everyone he meets, initially obscuring his worst qualities from the smitten, impressionable teen. While their union may not pass the legal or ethical sniff test, Coppola succeeds in believably showing its effects on the future and former Mrs. Presley, who silently ached to escape her husband's shadow.  

It's 1959 and 14 year-old Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) lives with her family in West Germany, where her stepfather, Captain Beaulieu (Ari Cohen) is stationed in the military. At a party on the base, Priscilla is introduced to the recently drafted 24-year-old world famous singer Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi), who takes an immediate liking to her. Flustered by his affections, they begin dating, and after some early resistance from Priscilla's parents, it isn't long before they're also won over by Elvis's manners and charm. 

Following Elvis's tour of duty, Priscilla moves to his Graceland estate in Memphis and enrolls at the local Catholic high school, where she faces increased scrutiny. Behind closed doors, he exerts control over every aspect of her life, getting hooked on prescription drugs while rumors of his alleged infidelity swirl in the tabloids. Prone to wild mood swings, his verbally and physically abusive behavior lead to Priscilla being bought off with gifts and hollow apologies. Amidst his worsening addictions, the relationship deteriorates, while she quietly yearns for a fresh start.  

That Spaeny and Elordi don't physically resemble Priscilla and Elvis in the slightest actually helps Coppola's cause since neither come across as attempting an impersonation of any sort. You even have to occasionally remind yourself who they're playing since this couple is often more intriguing than the genuine article, who always seemed just out of our reach, their true selves obscured by the media frenzy surrounding them. 

This feels like a deeper, more intelligent look at who they were as people, with an increased emphasis on Priscilla's doe eyed innocence and naivety, as Spaeny believably transforms from teen to late twenties woman over the course of the film. A relative unknown, she's a revelation in the role, conveying all the excitement, trepidation and fear that might accompany this girl's relationship with the biggest celebrity on the planet.

As recently demonstrated in Saltburn, Elordi's magnetic screen presence makes him an inspired choice for Elvis, and despite not looking like him and towering over a diminutive Spaeny, this works. If anything, it highlights the distance between them and an obviously uneven power dynamic that will only grow larger as the film progresses. And Coppola's wise enough not to have Elordi emulate Austin Butler's portrayal, tailoring this different take to the actor's specific strengths. There's also no Colonel Parker to be found in a movie where he wouldn't quite fit, his involvement limited to a briefly overheard phone call and a few passing mentions.

Elvis effortlessly impresses Priscilla's pushover parents by appealing to her father's sense of duty and respect. After dismissing everything their daughter says, one visit from him and they're completely on board with her moving to Graceland. And as much as Priscilla's vulnerability stands out against the older, experienced Elvis, his superstar status has given him a free pass to get away with a lot, and he definitely uses it.  

Leaving her small town existence behind brings a new series of challenges for Priscilla that few of any age could handle. Just as Elvis's tantrums seem to reach their crescendo, the realization hits that they're not even married yet, nor has she given birth to Lisa Marie. In other words, it'll get far worse, and while his extended absences feel like a respite, she still clings to him while struggling to craft her own separate identity. 

If Coppola's previously been accused of sacrificing substance for style, the atmosphere she, cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd, production designer Tamara Deverell create with Graceland feels like an ideal balance of the two, with Priscilla hauled up in a palace of superficial beauty that doubles as her penitentiary, not unlike the setting that plagued Princess Diana in 2021's Spencer. And similarly, it isn't a single event, but rather slow, steady stream of them that break her, leading to the eventual epiphany.

Impeccably made and anchored by a tremendous star-making performance from Spaeney, Coppola again explores her go-to theme of isolated women emotionally imprisoned by the trappings of wealth and fame. But there's something that feels more coldly detached about this, zeroing in on all the right parts of Priscilla's 1985 memoir and filling the gaps with smaller, slice-of-life moments absent from other Elvis-related projects. If it's sometimes easy to agree with biopic skeptics who think we never need another take on anyone, this shows there's usually room for a new perspective that challenges those preconceived notions.