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| Kevin Spacey & Michael Shannon - Elvis & Nixon |
On December 21, 1970 Elvis Presley met with President Richard Nixon at the White House. This very cleverly scripted feature film, directed by Liza Johnson, imagines the conversation between these two very famous and famously odd men.
The plotline of the film follows the request from Elvis to meet with President Nixon so that he can propose his appointment as a special 'Federal agent-at-large' to fight drugs and protect America. Nixon is less than interested in having a meeting with the actor/singer ("Whose fxxxxxx idea was this ?) but is brought around to the idea by his advisers who see the public relations value of the meeting. What transpires is at times both bizarre yet believable as the two men discuss their ideas. It's a win-win for both parties - Nixon obtains his PR moment and an autographed picture of Elvis for his daughter and Elvis is sworn-in as an agent-at-large.
Kevin Spacey captures Nixon's style and persona perfectly while Michael Shannon revels in the well documented, yet excruciatingly, polite eccentricities of 'The King'. The supporting cast includes Alex Petty as the long suffering Elvis friend and aide, Jerry Schilling with Colin Hanks and Even Peters as Nixon's advisers, Egil Krogh and Dwight Chapin who form the negotiating team.
Elvis & Nixon is a deftly made, quirky and idiosyncratic film, which captures the essential characteristics of the two men. The film is strongly reliant on the superb performances of Spacey and Shannon without whom, the overall tenor of the film would be flat. The end credits conclude with the most publicly requested image from the US National Archives - the picture of Elvis with Nixon.
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