{"id":222512,"date":"2022-07-21T16:56:43","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T21:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=222512"},"modified":"2022-07-26T14:08:26","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T19:08:26","slug":"elvis-impersonators-review-elvis-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/elvis-impersonators-review-elvis-movie\/","title":{"rendered":"Las Vegas Elvis Impersonators Sing Praises For New ‘Elvis’ Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"

Baz Luhrmann\u2019s new Elvis <\/em>movie recently hit the big screen. Does the film stand up to the biggest experts: Elvis impersonators?<\/p>\n

\"Travis
Travis Allen performs as Elvis Presley in \u201cAll Shook Up,” above, at the Alexis Park Resort in Las Vegas. Allen recently spoke to Casino.org<\/em> about the new Elvis<\/em> movie and the future of the impersonation biz. (Image: Travis Allen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The movie follows Presley’s (Austin Butler) career through the eyes of his manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The story covers nearly 20 years of Presley and Parker’s partnership, including Presley’s rise to fame. It doesn’t shy away from some of the more controversial aspects of The King’s career and the changing American landscape.<\/p>\n

The movie has received mixed reviews from critics, however. Some have called it “flat” and chalk it up to another biopic. It currently has a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 64% on Metacritic.<\/p>\n

But some prominent Elvis impersonators are singing the praises for the film. Casino.org<\/em> talked to a few of these professional kings to hear their take.<\/p>\n

I thought Austin had his mannerisms and the inflections in his voice down,\u201d<\/strong> Ron DeCar, who has been marrying couples as Elvis at the Viva Las Vegas Chapel since 1999, told Casino.org<\/em>. He has also impersonated the King in musical revues at the Las Vegas Hilton, Flamingo Hilton and Tropicana.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI know that in the movie, Austin didn\u2019t sing everything,\u201d DeCar said. \u201cI know they blended his voice with the real Elvis. But I saw a couple video clips of Austin doing his screen test and he was very, very good.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeCar was also impressed by Butler\u2019s look, so much so that it inspired him to order a new Elvis costume from B&K Enterprises, which manufactured 33 replica costumes for the movie. (It\u2019s Elvis\u2019 black-and-silver \u201crain suit,\u201d circa 1972.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey definitely picked the right guy for the movie,\u201d<\/strong> DeCar said.<\/p>\n

Less Burning Love<\/h2>\n

Travis Allen, who reanimates the king seven nights a week in \u201cAll Shook Up\u201d at the Alexis Park Resort, said he thought Butler did \u201ca fantastic job for what he had.\u201d When asked to clarify, he replied: \u201cKeep in mind, I’ve been doing what I do for almost 15 years, and I’m still learning. He\u2019s only had two. You know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, Elvis impersonator Pete Willcox said that, in his prime, he would have looked and sounded more like Elvis than Butler did.<\/p>\n

Forty years ago, I would have given Austin a real challenge,\u201d<\/strong> the 79-year-old, who hung up his Elvis cape 10 years ago, told Casino.org<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, Willcox admits he could never have beaten Butler\u2019s acting job.<\/p>\n

\u201cAustin was so true and so dedicated to capturing his essence,\u201d Willcox said. \u201cHe’s an actor and he approached the film as an actor. It\u2019s like he was playing JFK Jr. It didn’t matter that it was Elvis. He just embodied the character in every scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

All three faux Elvi said they enjoyed the film immensely, even the parts they knew weren\u2019t true. (For example, Elvis never fired his manager, Col. Tom Parker, from the stage mid-concert.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the spirit of the King that it captures is 100% true,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n

The Future of Elvis Impersonating<\/h2>\n

While we had three Elvis impersonators on the line, we asked about the future of Elvis impersonating in light of the cease-and-desist letters issued by Authentic Brands Group (ABG), licensor of Elvis’ image, to several Las Vegas chapels, as reported in May by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.<\/em> None were all shook up by the news.<\/p>\n

In my honest opinion, that was for publicity for the movie, and it worked,\u201d DeCar said. \u201cEvery news network across the world carried that story, and they carried it for free. All these brides and grooms called us, worried that we would cancel their weddings. But it all blew over.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to DeCar, the company has since decided to work with chapels that employ Elvis impersonators. They are now licensing his likeness for \u201cvery little money compared to what they asked for originally.\u201d<\/p>\n

The future also looks bright for Pete Willcox, who reports that he may get to return to the Vegas stage as the King. He said he\u2019s currently negotiating to star in a new show featuring Presley at all ages, including the elderly man he never got to become.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very exciting time to be Elvis again,\u201d<\/strong> Willcox said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baz Luhrmann\u2019s new Elvis movie recently hit the big screen. Does the film stand up to the biggest experts: Elvis impersonators? The movie follows Presley’s (Austin Butler) career through the eyes of his manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The story covers nearly 20 years of Presley and Parker’s partnership, including Presley’s rise to fame. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":222519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3313,81886],"tags":[81935,81936,81933,81937,81934],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLas Vegas Elvis Impersonators Sing Praises For New 'Elvis' Movie - Casino.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Baz Luhrmann\u2019s new Elvis movie recently hit the big screen. Does the film stand up to the biggest experts: Elvis impersonators? 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