Bubba
Ho-Tep (2002)
MGM
Cast:
Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Ella Joyce.
Rating:
R.
Run
time: 95 mins
Genre:
Comedy.
Verdict:
Beautiful
(see rating
system)
This
is definitely a hunka burning movie fun.
A
hilarious comedy-come-horror, it builds on this thought: What
if it was an Elvis impersonator who died in Graceland 1977,
and not The King himself?
That's
the premise of this laugh-out-loud piece of fantasy, which
has an aging Elvis (Bruce Campbell) anonymously living out
his last days in a seniors home in Mud Creek, Texas. Years
earlier, tired of the touring and showbiz lifestyle, Elvis
had changed places with an impersonator — that would
be the guy with the bad heart who ultimately died in Graceland.
(Maybe
that would also explain the bloated Elvis fans saw in the
1970s. Maybe the supermarket tabloids should follow up...)
Actually,
the whole plot reads like one of those weird fictional tabloid
tales: Elvis and fellow nursing home resident Ossie Davis
(who believes he's JFK despite being black) discover a 3,000-year-old
Egyptian mummy (dressed as a cowboy) is killing their fellow
residents so he can get energy from sucking the souls out
of their bodies. Did I mention the home also has The Lone
Ranger?
I
know, I know - it sounds terrible, but you have to see it
to believe it. Five minutes and Bruce Campbell will have you
believing he really is the aged Presley - he's that good.
From muttering out loud about his embarrassing medical condition
and impotence to thinking about the gppd old days with Priscilla,
Campbell's Elvis is a marvellous performance.
With
the mummy closing in for the kill, can The King still "take
care of business"?
Released
theatrically by MGM in 2002, this 2006 DVD special release
features lots of extras and comes in a fun miniature Elvis
jacket package.
It's
one of the best comedy movies of recent years. Thank you .
. . thank you very much!
