4/30/2016 - Elvis & Nixon (2016) - 6-/10

Admittedly not the heftiest or technically marvelous film you’ll see this year, it is undeniably fun and pleasing to watch. With sly performances and a veracity of realness in this puzzlingly wild tale, it is hard not to smile while watching, even if you aren’t blown away.

Shannon isn’t Elvis, but he is a fabulous spiritual doppelganger for the King. Spacey uses his nurtured presidentiality to put on a good Nixon, full of condescension and frailty. The aides are entertaining and solid. The side story is weak, as is the whole plot frankly, but there are fun zeitgeist explorations and depths in the core story that the side audience surrogate’s lacks.
Quite enjoyable, with moments of real fun, mostly in being and not put-upon jokes. Shannon owns this film, and if you buy into the performance, you will be magnetized by him and the rest of the film, just like “the King” he was portraying.