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Simply Perfect

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Threadbare plot pumped up with Elvis Presley and his rockabilly music, worth sitting through for that reason alone. Delivery boy in a small town is brought on-stage at a community rally to sing by an ambitious female press agent for a country-western band; he's an instant hit, so the gambit is repeated in town after town until the kid becomes a star. The screenplay from Herbert Baker and Hal Kanter, inspired by the magazine story "A Call From Mitch Miller"--as well as Elvis' penchant for shaking up live audiences--doesn't allow for characters; it's just a star-vehicle. Presley's Deke Rivers is haphazardly written: he's a rube, he's polite, he does what he's told, but then it's revealed he has a dark past (and a terrible temper, which flares up unexpectedly). The idea seems to have been to show all sides of Presley's personality (a live-wire on-stage, but modest and trusting in life--until he's pushed too far). Perhaps Deke's personality--a scrubbed-clean boy who doesn't understand the level of excitement in his own performances--but was based on Presley's image, but here it doesn't ring true, especially not with such unsure dialogue and acting. But then, this is nothing more than a fantasy for bobby soxers--a way to utilize Elvis, his moves and his music, that television at the time couldn't do. ** from ****

For his second film Elvis Presley plays a young man who is discovered and becomes a singing idol much like Elvis Presley. His discoverers are publicist Lizabeth Scott and has been country performer Wendell Corey. Elvis's success and his issues as a troubled youth cause a lot of issues between Scott and Corey.Loving You boasts a couple of big mega hits for Presley, the title song and Teddy Bear. It also introduces Dolores Hart who is a country girl like Presley is a country boy and it takes the whole film to find out they're really suited for each other.As for Presley's issues he has a fine scene with Scott as he tells her of his orphan background and how he came to take the name of Deke Rivers. The scene was delivered with a whole of feeling and indicated an acting talent in Presley that later on was never taken advantage of.For Presley fans, Loving You is an absolute must.

"Deke Rivers is a delivery man who is discovered by publicist Glenda Markle and country-western musician Tex Warner who want to promote the talented newcomer to fame and fortune, giving him every break he deserves. Romantic complications arise as Susan, another singer in the group, offers him devoted admiration as Glenda leads him on with promises of a golden future." Pretty decent plot as you can see, and the performances were pretty OK. The chemistry between Elvis and Lizabeth Scott was great, as was the chemistry between Scott and Wendell Corey, who plays Tex. It was a good movie, but it didn't have the excitement or the charisma as "Love Me Tender", the film Elvis made the year before. But I recommend it to any classic film fan.

Elvis Presley’s second film and his first in color has, on the surface of it, a standard ‘road-to-stardom’ plot which probably mirrored The King’s own rise to fame, though obviously given the Hollywood treatment with an older female press agent falling for him, the singer almost giving up his career at the moment of triumph, etc. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this occasionally plays like a lighter version of Elia Kazan’s A FACE IN THE CROWD which was actually released a few days before the Elvis movie…although the success story turning sour bit was more thoroughly dealt with in Elvis’ next outing, JAILHOUSE ROCK (1957)! Of the four new vehicles of his that I’ve watched so far, this is clearly the most satisfactory what with the pleasant Technicolor, the professional Hollywood handling and a solid supporting cast (Lizabeth Scott, Wendell Corey, James Gleason), etc. The underrated Corey excels in his portrayal of a has-been entertainer reduced to headlining a modest traveling rockabilly act until Elvis joins the troupe that is and, unsurprisingly, steals his thunder; Lizabeth Scott takes some time getting used to here as the scheming press agent but she acquits herself fairly well in the long run and lovely Dolores Hart is the singer whom the public merely “tolerates” but whose charm and modesty win over the troubled Elvis.Presley himself is here still full of the raw magnetism which made him a sensation at the time as he belts out one electrifying hit tune after another, from “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” and “Got A Lot O’ Livin’ To Do” to “(Let’s Have A) Party” and the title ballad, of course. Actually, it was while leafing through the first edition of Guinness’ “All-Time Top 1000 Albums” of 1994 that I became interested more than ever before in Elvis’ musical heritage since he had an impressive 8 entries in that list, including this film’s soundtrack album and the subsequent one for KING CREOLE (1958).