I was completely bored for the first hour of this movie. To be honest, Winkler does very little in the beginning to make the story interesting. The initial interactions between Byron and Elvis seemed one dimensional and uninteresting, and absolutely nothing made Byron Gruman endearing as a character Until well past the first hour. Keitel was, of course, good in his role but Schaech was stiff and the direction was actually quite bad in places. Bridget Fonda plays a somewhat endearing Marilyn Monroe impersonator, only annoying while her character is "in character." Truth be told I was tempted to turn the movie off halfway through it and go on to one of the other titles I had rented for the weekend. I am glad I did not. The movie is entertaining for the last 45 minutes and toward the end Schaech finally reaches down deep to pull off a rather heartwarming performance. This is a multi-faceted story of redemption, with every character eventually finding something they had needed all along. Finding Graceland is most definitely worth the price of a video rental so long as you can stand a long and often boring buildup. In the end the story aptly uses the growing mythology of The King to tell a story that is worth the time it takes to hear it.
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Osiris-1126 September 1999
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Harvey Keitel acting in almost any movie will turn up the heat and his ability to steal scenes playing many various characters is well known. Having just watched this road trip adventure/fantasy film I came away with the feeling that I was glad to have seen Harvey Keitel play the delusional Elivis Presley who to the other characters surprise, Byron Gruman (Johnathon Schaech) this Elvis impersonator seemed to know far too many remote and personal moments of the real Elvis's life.
The first half of the film grabs you and holds you until the end of the film, but the latter half is weak and Elvis's kink in his armor is gradually revealed.
I give this film a passable 5 out of 10 rating. -
A peculiar drifter claiming to be Elvis (Harvey Keitel) catches a ride with a grief-stricken young man (Johnathon Schaech) and they travel from the Southwest to Memphis to make the anniversary of the real Elvis' death, August 16th. Along the way they run into a Marilyn Monroe impersonator (Bridget Fonda).
The best thing about "Finding Graceland" (1998) is the intriguing eccentricity of the 'Elvis' character. It takes Burn (Schaech) a long time to catch a grip with him, as it does the viewer: Does 'Elvis' REALLY believe he's Elvis or is he a con?
If he's a con, why does he throw money on the floor like it's worthless to him? How could he possibly know the minutia about Elvis that he does? If he's a drifter, where does he get the kind of cash he can just throw around at whim? True, he may get gigs as an impersonator, but do they seriously pay enough to have his attitude? The answers are there if you reflect on the data.
In addition, the road trip element is entertaining and Bridget was in her prime at 33-34. But it's the characters and the potent themes of grief, wonder, healing and love that win the day. I can see how some would roll their eyes at the hinted fantasy elements, but I found the film touching and heartwarming.
The movie runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot in Hollywood & Tunica, Mississippi; Memphis, Tennessee; and some spots in the Southwest.
GRADE: B+ -
sarahandelvis7713 May 2004This movie was one of the best movies i have ever seen! When I first rented the movie I thought it was going to be slow and have no plot at all, but as it turns out I realized that this movie was much more than critics said it was. The plot was excellent, the characters were great, especially Harvey Kietel he did a wonderful job playing the King of Rock n' Roll. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes Elvis, or who dislikes Elvis because this movie will most possibly change your mind! The movie also has a lot of values everyone needs to know in life. Not only is this movie about Elvis it is also about the famous Marilyn Monroe. This is one SPECTACULAR movie and I recommend everyone go see it now!!!
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helpless_dancer2 November 2001The King is still with us as his spirit flits around trying to find home and helping others in the process. Strange, bittersweet allegory of loss and regeneration. Whoever wrote this must be a solid Elvis fan. Keitel was all "wrong" as The King of Rock n' Roll, but at the same time he couldn't have been better.
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This is the kind of film you'll be debating a year after you see it. Harvey Keitel at his best.
The film should have been nominated somewhere.
This is a truly adult film with no easy answers, but with fascinating people involved in a plot worth your close attention. -
SnoopyStyle13 February 2014Byron Gruman (Johnathon Schaech) and his 59 Cadillac convertible picks up hitchhiker Elvis (Harvey Keitel) who is looking to go to Graceland. Byron is still suffering from his wife (Gretchen Mol)'s death. Elvis is penniless, unrelentingly delusional, and completely magnetic to the other people. They don't get along but eventually he wins over even Byron. On the way, they encounter Marilyn Monroe impersonator Ashley (Bridget Fonda).
There are so many problems with this movie. Harvey Keitel gives a fascinating performance. However I just don't understand why Byron didn't throw Elvis out of the car after the diner. Byron is so angry and bitter that it's unreasonable that he would suffer through Elvis' antics. Elvis has to give a reason to the audience for Byron to keep him around.
Again Harvey Keitel is a superior actor. Johnathon Schaech does his best, but the duo have no chemistry due mostly to their characters. The first third of the movie just grinds along slowly. When Bridget Fonda comes in, at least there's a change in chemistry. Her impersonation of Marilyn is laughable, but she does well otherwise. The movie gets better in the last act. Keitel has some good scenes. It's compelling. But it comes too little too late. -
roaddreamin21 April 2006"Finding Graceland" is a sweet, fascinating movie that will take you through a whole landscape of unlikely characters who show up unexpectedly and manage to leave their perfect gifts behind. It is a road movie in which the adventures are spiritual. When Keitel announces that he is Elvis, you suspect that he is delusional but, before the movie ends he will convince you that what you think you know is not necessarily the way things are. Keitel is wonderful at playing tough guys but I think he really shines as an actor in his smaller and more low-key movies like this one and Smoke. The cast is excellent - some playing celebrity impersonators who are real, complex human beings with personalities of their own. Bridget Fonda as a tender, almost motherly, Marilyn Monroe is great fun to watch. I've seen this movie several times and it holds up well, always revealing new layers of story and message. Wonderful scenery, a classy car, excellent performances, and a quirky plot make this a worthwhile movie to watch. Maybe even to watch over and over. I hope you like it as much as I do.
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usajdfields-536-89405914 January 2014Finding Graceland starts out as a potentially insightful character study but seems to be caught in a limbo between much better films it aspires to emulate. Even though the narrative is simple; Byron Gruman (Johnathon Schaech) stumbles across a drifting Elvis impersonator (Harvey Keitel) and the two take a ride off to Graceland/Vegas or some such destination. This would have been sufficient if the characters were clearly drawn, think "Goodbye Solo". Even though the performances aren't awful, the screenplay is awfully weak. It tries to steer into the territory of suspended disbelief like 'Moonstruck' or comedic excess like 'Honeymoon in Vegas' but unfortunately all four tires are flat and the motor is in dire need of an overhaul. Better steer clear of this 1 1/2 star 'flick' and look elsewhere for the real Elvis.
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rbrb18 March 2001This really is a "gem" of a film...American movie-making at its best....the script, directing and acting are all approaching if not at genius level..and all the actors give superb performances especially the actor playing "Elvis"...the scenes where he sings and later cries are guaranteed to bring tears to the eye..... The beauty of the film is that it explores the depth of human grief interwoven with the wish or myth that 'Elvis Lives'..... And once again this movie proves that you don't need to have violence to produce a brilliant work of art.....Well Done to the film makers!!
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dreamindevallee10 July 2002(There's a small spoiler in my review but it won't give away the movie)This movie has been out for awhile and I'm wondering what took me so long to rent it. It's a great movie that should have gotten more press at release time. Lots of clues for those of you who are looking and for those of you who aren't just a lot of fun. I've watched it two times and will most likely purchase it as soon as I can find a copy to have in my personal library. One might take notice of the name of the person in the newspaper article and also check out who the executive producer is. Harvey Kietel is great, he's totally believable. This is one of those movies that will leave you feeling good about what you've just seen.
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knm529 December 2005I found this on the shelf while housesitting and bored. How can people possibly give this a 10? It's not just that it's supposed to be a feel-good redemption film (I think), because it doesn't work on that level either. Weak plot, bad dialogue, terrible acting; there's just nothing there. Harvey Keitel is decent, but has nothing to work with, and Bridget Fonda and especially Johnathon Schaech are just terrible. The plot progression (especially the relationship between Byron and Ashley) makes no sense. It seems like the writers wanted the plot to go a certain way and made it, without actually writing in the necessary bits to make it flow. It's only an hour and a half, but that's 90 minutes of your life you'll never get back.
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zojo7jp11 April 2004This film is based on creative ideas. The acting is fresh. Overall the movie has two levels, one the uplifting plot of a human soul celebrating his love for mankind and spreading it through example; two an edgy undertone suggests that the whole thing may blow up into a dark side shocker for reasons that are never quite revealed. Maybe it's just that amazing Harvey K. It is a brilliant film in concept and execution. Rare.
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Sorcerer20018 March 2001Warning! Don't try to watch this movie without an IQ in excess of 100 and don't try to watch it with your brain... watch it with your heart.
It's clear why this movie didn't appeal to many audiences. It uses uncertainty and ambiguity like a craftsman. It raises more questions than answers. It suggest that a side of life exists that most people rarely suspect much less see.
Harvey Keitel is an unlikely angel hitching his way back to Graceland. The movie illustrates our unwillingness to accept the fact that our world is what we say it is and what we say it isn't.
Hidden in this predictably country and western-flavored, womanizing, motel tour across the southern countryside is an Elvis look-alike that doesn't look like Elvis, but knows things that only Elvis knows, and even wears the same shoe size as Elvis.
And the bottom line... the road less traveled that Elvis clearly steers for each person he encounters is redemption... personal transformation. But then, angels really don't make good entertainment, do they? -
ltmetom7 August 2000This movie will make you laugh and break your heart at the same time. Bridget and Harvey are at their absolute best. You don't have to be an Elvis fan to love this movie. If you have ever loved & lost, this show will make you want to keep living. I rented it because I think Bridget Fonda is sexy. I got more than I was looking for.I am a 38 year old man that cried with joy after seeing it. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would like to give it 100. Their are not many gems like this one!!!
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flyingscot17 May 2002I great film that will kept your attention far past the credits. Harvey Keitel is a master of the art and adds to his already lengthy credentials with an outstanding performance as the King. Anyone who has doubted their memories or the reality of another's life, should watch and enjoy.
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billybrown414 September 2001Yesterday, I was flipping channels and came across this little gem. As soon as I saw Harvey Keitel, I laid the tv remote down. I caught it during the opening credits and I had no clue what to expect. I wasn't too concerned though. Any film involving Keitel usually has its rewards. The story follows a young man who was widowed a year ago. He's taking a road trip when he picks up a drifter who claims to be Elvis, but looks nothing like the king.
This is the kind of feel-good drama that I haven't seen in a long time. Perhaps what suprised me the most, was that this is the kind of flick that the whole family can enjoy. The prfanity is very light and there is one mild scene of sexuality. Harvey Keitel delivers a knockout performance as Elvis and Bridget Fonda was also quite good in a barely recognizable role as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. It was only when she took off the make-up that I recognized her. This one is well worth seeing. -
jayraskin117 January 2010I was not a big Elvis Presley fan, but after seeing his first T.V. appearances on the Dorsey Brothers show on youtube a few weeks back, I have been reconsidering him. I have started watching his old movies and reading more about him.
I was born in 1953, so I essentially missed his excellent early movies and only saw one of his less than stellar later ones growing up. I think it was "Roustabout" and I wasn't too impressed. I liked his singing, but I really was more of the Dylan-Beatles generation.
I was expecting the film to be like "Elvis has Left the Building" just a comedy making fun of Elvis impersonators. It is not like that at all. It was a bitter-sweet romantic road tale. See "Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins" "Easy Rider" "The Last Detail" or "Trains,Plains and Automobiles" for other examples. Basically the formula is incompatibles find themselves traveling together to a common destination and having adventures along the way that bring them together.
Harvey Keitel is not a great Elvis impersonator and Bridget Fonda is not a great Marilyn Monroe impersonator. This is a weakness in the film, but on the other hand, they do build sincere, believable, and likable characters. Keitel and Fonda are wonderful actors and this film does give them some room to work and show off their craft.
The film is pleasant to watch and has a few nice comedy moments. Most of these have to do with Keitel trying to cheer up melancholy Johnathon Schaech. However, I think the film gets more soulful and touching towards the end when the characters do make it to Memphis. The scenes inside and outside of "Graceland" are fascinating.
The film basically says that Elvis Presley was a wonderful singer and a nice guy and we miss him like we miss all dead people in our lives that we loved. It is sweet and respectful of Elvis. You get the feeling that it is exactly the type of film he would have made if he had knowingly chosen to make a last film.
The writer-director David Winkler hasn't done anything this nice and personal since. Hopefully, he will get to make another movie in this genre. -
tejohr9 June 2005This probably won't be anyone's best movie, or even one of the favorites but you will remember it for sure. You'll remember it cause of 2 things. First is that King is back in this one and second is that it's very original movie. At the beginning I wanted to switch TV program, but try to stay with it until end and you'll see it have interesting story.
Harvey Keitel is very good as Elvis. No he doesn't walk, he doesn't talk like he did/do but cause as movie goes you'll start to think more and more that he could be him. That's the thing what's good in this movie: it will keep you in front of your TV cause you will won't to find out if he's Elvis or one of many imitators.
The rest of actors are solid, nothing special but you'll believe in the story they tell you and that's the most important part.
If you like Elvis I strongly recommend you to see this one and if you don't you may still see this movie cause as I said, you won't see movie like this again. -
trgusa18 September 2002Pure enchantment and intrigue... enter this movie to witness Harvey Keitel stand up for the spirit, if not the flesh, of Elvis. Johnathon Schaech (as Byron Gruman) portrays a grieving husband traveling east who picks up the hitch-hiking Keitel, who claims to be Elvis making his way back to Graceland to reveal his 20-year plot to disappear. Little known to Byron, Elvis has a hidden agenda, and at every turn produces magic from all those who surround him. His true identity and intentions drag you into the plot and you teeter on not believing, and wanting to believe. Bridget Fonda enters as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, and she and Byron both pursue the enigma of Elvis, all the way to the real Graceland. In the end, it is the journey, not the destination that matters, and Keitel produces an unforgettable character true to our images of the real Elvis... and yet... this movie is not about Elvis, it is about the heart, and dreams, and hope. The charm of this movie will linger with you (however improbable), as in "Local Hero", "Cinema Paradiso", or "The Swimmer" (Burt Lancaster), or even "One Special Christmas", or "Field of Dreams". Don't miss this performance, it's on my list of "must see at least once".
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tilloscfc22 July 2015What a beautiful film. A beautiful idea, if only it were true. Harvey Keitel plays "Elvis" who faked his death in 1977 when the pressures of fame grew too strong...now, after 20 years he wants to return to Graceland for the August 16th candlelit vigil. His companion on the journey from Texas to Memphis is a young man Byron (played by Johnathon Schaech) who is on the brink of suicide a year after his beloved young wife Beatrice has been killed in a car crash in which he was driving. While driving aimlessly around without a care or goal, he stumbles across the hitchhiking "Elvis". Naturally, Byron doesn't believe Harvey Keitel is Elvis, but a series of events leave him wondering...what if? He knows Elvis' shoe size, reasons for having his Cadillac sprayed purple, his Army Number all instantly when Byron quizzes him from a book. Then they are pulled over by a traffic cop, and after Elvis recognises him as his Tupelo Mississippi best friend and they even share memories nobody else could have known, the Cop is naturally flabbergasted and emotional, letting his old friend and Byron get away with nothing more than a ticking off... When Byron's battered old 1950's Cadillac won't start after that brush with the law, "Elvis" has it taken to a local Mississippi garage he's familiar with for repairs, but they are forced to spend the night in a Hotel/Casino which coincides with a "Legends" Concert in which the organiser and participants are all familiar with Elvis' act from the past. That night, Byron is bowled over by a nervous Elvis' stunning rendition of "Suspicious Minds" that has the 2,000 plus crowd on it's feet in raptures. (Elvis fans might find Keitel's act rather unconvincing and amusing. Keitel is great as a 62 year old Elvis and does have the look of an older Elvis, but he didn't look at all comfortable or convincing in his performance of "Suspicious Minds" and the choreographer could almost surely have done a better job. Maybe neither were Elvis fans, simple as that.) After almost suffering a heart attack after his performance, Byron rushes to the dressing room to gather Elvis' belongings where he finds a newspaper clipping reporting Elvis' death the day after it happened...on the reverse page, a report of the death of a man and his wife and young daughter on the same day - with the man a huge Elvis fan renowned for his excellent impersonations of The King. Does that explain the faceless woman and female child in the King's regular nightmares he'd explained to Byron? The next morning Elvis and Byron collect the repaired Cadillac...which has also been given the full once over to get it looking brand new, to Byron's amazement. Byron has befriended a Marilyn Monroe impersonator from the Legends Concert (Bridget Fonda) who agrees to check up on the newspaper clipping for the man's surviving family, as Elvis and Byron continue their final journey into Memphis... After initially being refused entry into Graceland when the guard on the gate refuses to accept Keitel is Elvis (Why would you!?) the two men scale the wall and enter the beautiful mansion, where Elvis believes he'll be greeted by his Memphis Mafia entourage and his loving wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa-Marie...only to be left devastated when he discovers the house is empty. Nobody is there waiting for his return. The scenes of Byron and Keitel walking around Graceland's foyer, living room, music room and kitchen are haunting. I believe it's the only movie allowed to have been filmed within Graceland, they did well to get that privilege. After leaving, Elvis insists that he is still who he claims and that the newspaper clipping was something he had created years ago to allude suspicion should he ever get into a pickle and need to hide his identity...is he Elvis? Or isn't he? It's up for you the audience to decide really. Elvis does, however, convince Byron to face up to his demons and visit the Memphis grave of his wife for the first time since her death where he admits it was her who was driving, not him, and he'd blamed himself so much for distracting her while she was driving he'd virtually convinced himself that he was at the wheel. After another heart to heart between the two men about losing that special someone and feeling that low (Elvis talks about the death of his beloved mother Gladys but the joys of meeting Priscilla) Byron says he plans to move forward with the rest of his life. The two return to Graceland for the candle light vigil, where Bridget Fonda meets them. She and Byron are heading to Las Vegas for her next Marilyn Monroe engagement, but not before she tells Byron, there was no evidence on the existence of the man from the newspaper clipping...was he really The King? In the final scene, Elvis comes across a down and outer stowed in the carriage of a freight train. "Let me introduce myself...my name's Elvis..." The film ends with two OUTSTANDING Elvis songs, "Long Black Limousine" and the unbeatable "If I Can Dream." I think you'd have to be an Elvis fan to fully appreciate this film. I am and I thought it was fabulous, and moving with great performances from both Harvey Keitel and Johnathon Schaech.
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nuntukamen-118 February 2008Anyone reading these viewer comments will note there are only two real complaining reviews, and they both hedge at the end and urge one to watch this film. Unusual plot, unusual acting, unusual theme in spirit. I guess you could say this is an unusual film. I accept that the Harvey Keitel character is really Elvis, a sort of channeled sub-personality, because there is no other possible intended meaning in the scene with Elvis's childhood buddy who has become a County Sheriff, Haynes. All actors have performances that are memorable, but Gretchen Mol as Beatrice, the train wreck victim, is hauntingly beautiful in her short, but major, role. The bum on the train at the end, is nameless in the credits, even though everyone else has their names listed, but I do not think it is Elvis, as has been stated in the book Elvis Undercover, and by another reviewer. The scene where Keitel actually sings an Elvis song is worth the price of admission, purchase, or rental. Several mention that Priscilla Presley originally was standoffish to the film, but after reading it opened the doors to Graceland for filming, and the rest is Hollywood magic and history.
This film is just an artistic wonder. Magic and then some. -
Damn fine movie. Will keep you guessing all the way till the end, and perhaps you'll choose not to believe anyways. I was glued to this movie from start to finish, the King will always live on in peoples memories won't he.
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zakariaa_laboudi8 December 2005that is certainly a good movie to see, there might be some confusions during the story but at the end you just wish that the movie never ends because it really makes you live the story and pop up into the scene and be a part of the story...Good job! **that is certainly a good movie to see, there might be some confusions during the story but at the end you just wish that the movie never ends because it really makes you live the story and pop up into the scene and be a part of the story...Good job!** ***that is certainly a good movie to see, there might be some confusions during the story but at the end you just wish that the movie never ends because it really makes you live the story and pop up into the scene and be a part of the story...Good job!&&
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Mr.Movie11 August 1999I recently viewed "Finding Graceland", and I must say I was highly impressed. This excellent film features some of the best acting of the year, including terrific performances from Jonathan Schaech, Harvey Keitel, and Bridget Fonda. The story is very intriguing, but still manages to not take the downtrodden approach done by many other films like this. As of the posting of this message, "Finding Graceland" is the third best film I've seen this year. Gotta love Keitel belting out "Suspicious Minds" in a Mississippi casino...and that pink jacket looked great on him, you've got to admit.