'Elvis & Nixon' - Thank you...thank you very much!

I've always heard the old adage that fact is often stranger than fiction; in the case of 'Elvis & Nixon' the adage holds very true indeed! In 1970, Elvis apparently thought the country was going in the wrong direction so he decided to do something about it. All he needed was a badge from the DEA and the title of Special Agent At Large (yes, that does exist!) To secure that, he soliciates the President of the United States.  That plan produced one of the most famous pictures in Presidential (and most requested pictures) history, that of Elvis Presley, the King of rock & roll, shaking hands with the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, Richard Nixon.

With such heavyweights as Kevin Spacey in the role of Richard Nixon and Michael Shannon as Elvis, the movie is whimsical and lightweight. Spacey does a spot on impersonation as Nixon while Shannon, capturing the Kings eccentricities well is a little light in the look alike portion. With Shannons lankiness and swimmers build, he seemed more like an Elvis impersonator rather then Elvis himself.

All that being said, the movie is a light and funny piece of history as one would have supposed it happened. There was a little sub-plot involving one of the King's support men that I could have done without, it really didn't feel right and the movie should have stayed focused on the meeting of these two giants. I was a little disappointed that the producers seemed to fail in securing the rights to any Elvis songs! I know of a few that would have been more than appropriate for this!

It's a very small indie film so it may be hard to find. But it is a gem well worth the search! A solid B effort even if you are not a fan of Elvis or Nixon!