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Elvis Presley didnt invent rock and roll.
But rock n roll was here a long time before I came along.
And the sparks that flew from that initial meeting lit a pop-cultural fire that still burns to this day.
Up to and long after his death at the age of 42, Elvis became more symbol than musician.
The problem is finding the man inside of the legend.
Looking and sounding like Elvis helps, of course.
Paul Boensch III and David Scott acquit themselves as Elvis ages 10 and 18, respectively.
The result is a ghoulish assertion of Parkers power over his client from beyond the grave.
This Is Elvisis available to rent/buy onAmazon Prime Video.
20.Don Johnson,Elvis and the Beauty Queen(1981, TV movie)
20.
And thanks to the films icky sexual politics, Thompson (Stephanie Zimbalist) loves it.
But the thing that makesElvis and the Beauty Queentruly dreadful is Don Johnsons dud of a performance.
Elvis and the Beauty Queenis available onDVD.
19.David Keith,Heartbreak Hotel(1988)
19.
There is one fun scene in which Elvis beats up a local tough played by Chris Mulkey, a.k.a.
Hank fromTwin Peaks, even if the blow isnt exactly credible.
Little about this movie is.
Heartbreak Hotelis available onDVD.
18.Peter Dobson,Forrest Gump(1994),Protecting the King(2007)
18.
Decades after the real Elviss death, actor Peter Dobson became Hollywoods go-to guy for Presley-related projection.
Forrest Gumpis streaming onNetflix.Protecting the Kingis available onDVD.
17.Ron Livingston,Shangri-La Suite(2016)
17.
Ron Livingston is probably best known for his starring role in Mike JudgesOffice Space.
Unfortunately, however, sadness is the only note Livingston hits in his performance.
Combined with lackluster lip syncing and a lack of physical resemblance, that shuffles him further down the list.
Shangri-La Suiteis streaming onParamount+.
16.Rob Youngblood,Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story(1993)
16.
Many depictions of Elvis go out of their way to emphasize his southern manners.
(The last thing Elvis says to Parker is I love you.)
Yes, technically Beau Bridges is the star of the movie as the self-serving Colonel.
He does look like the guy, though, even if his physicality is all lip and no hip.
15.Drake Milligan,Sun Records(2017, TV series)
15.
Maybe if the show had been renewed, he would have found his edge.
As it is, well never know.
Sun Recordsis available to buy onAmazon Prime Video.
14.Harvey Keitel,Finding Graceland(1998)
14.
But its an irrefutable fact that Keitel looks nothing like Elvis either in face or in body throw in.
(With apologies to short kings like Keitel, Elvis was famously tall and lanky.)
Finding Gracelandis available onDVD.
The Twilight Zoneis streaming onParamount+.
12.Bruce Campbell,Bubba Ho-Tep(2002)
12.
Like Elvis, Campbell has the confidence of a handsome guy whoknowshes handsome.
But its difficult to make a one-to-one comparison between the men for two reasons.
And nobody stole the spotlight from Elvis.
Bubba Ho-Tepis streaming onPlutoTV.
11.Val Kilmer,True Romance(1993)
11.
True Romanceis streaming onTubi.
10.Michael Shannon, Elvis & Nixon(2016)
10.
Elvis & Nixonis streaming onAmazon Prime Video.
9.Tyler Hilton,Walk the Line(2005)
9.
He also offers Cash chili fries at one point, an exchange that has no historical basis whatsoever butfeelsright.
Walk the Lineis available to rent/buy onAmazon Prime Video.
8.Rick Peters,Elvis Meets Nixon(1997)
8.
Elvis Meets Nixonis streaming onFreevee.
7.Jack White,Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story(2007)
7.
Then theres his low Memphis mumble.
White clearly took this silly role seriously, which is what makes it work.
Walk Hardis streaming onPeacock.
6.Dale Midkiff,Elvis and Me(1988, TV movie)
6.
Midkiffs Elvis is volatile and emotionally abusive with the ability to turn on a dime.
Elvis & Meis available onDVD.
Thats to be expected given that Klush is a professional Elvis impersonator whos won multiple look-alike contests.
Vinylis streaming onHBO Max.What We Do in the Shadowsis streaming onHulu.
4.Austin Butler,Elvis(2022)
4.
But Butler and Luhrmann do relax into the performance asElvisgoes on.
But the most convincing moment in the entire movie is when Butler is singing onstage in Vegas.
Elvis (2022)is now playingin theaters.
3.Michael St. Gerard,Great Balls of Fire!
(1989),Heart of Dixie(1989),Elvis(1990, TV series)
3.
Out of those three films, only Waterss has had much staying power.
But St. Gerard got all that work as Elvis for a reason.
But more so than physical resemblance, what makes St. Gerard a standout is his stage presence.
St. Gerard actually dances like Elvis with the same intuitive looseness and squirrelly energy.
The one thing that threatens to throw everything off is St. Gerards Yankee accent.
Great Balls of Fireis available onBlu-ray/DVD.Heart of Dixieis available onDVD.Elvis(1990) is available onDVD.
2.Jonathan Rhys Meyers,Elvis(2005, TV miniseries)
2.
Meyers doesnt do his own singing in the series, but neither do most Elvii.
Meyers lets Elvis move through him, the way Elvis let the music lead his own movements.
Elvis: The Early Yearsis streaming onFreevee.
1.Kurt Russell,Elvis(1979)
1.
The first TV Elvis is still the best TV Elvis.
Russell hits all the right notes as Elvis.
Most important, he never tries too hard.
It feels like an unplanned, unguarded moment even if it most definitely wasnt.
But its his palpable soulfulness that puts him on top.
Russells Elvis watches James Dean movies alone in the dark, ruminating on his lack of acting talent.
What are you so afraid of?
The real tragedy of it is he doesnt seem to know.
Elvis(1979) is available onBlu-ray.
