The Good: Funny, Quirky, Excellent acting, Sympathetic characters, Direct plot
The Bad: Pacing seemed off the first viewing
The Basics: When Elvis teams up with JFK, they go out to put down a mummy in a funny, yet surprisingly empathetic movie, Bubba Ho-Tep.
[Note: This review was originally written when "Bubba Ho-Tep" was released on DVD. I like the flavor of it, so I retained the original language. Enjoy!]
I'm a person who enjoys a good, twisted plot with real surprises and strange twists that will make me want to rewatch something over and over again. In fact, the only shows I'm looking forward to watching in the next season (2004 - 2005) are NYPD Blue and Alias. Every now and then, they surprise me with something I truly did not see coming and I like it. Sometimes, though, I like things really simple. The key to finding something I like that is simple is it usually has to be quirky, kitschy, different. Enter Bubba Ho-Tep.
I read about Bubba Ho-Tep on the Science Fiction News and it intrigued me. Bruce Campbell was so proud of the film because it had made it into theaters to reach an audience and it had made just enough money that every DVD sale would be profit. I thought, "Good for him!" I looked into it. I then learned that the basic plot of the movie was that Elvis and JFK were alive today in the same nursing home fighting a mummy. I new I had to see this movie.
Elvis Presley, back when life got too big and pretentious, switched places with Sebastian Haff, the best Elvis impersonator there was. Presley took on Haff's persona and began to go around to county fairs impersonating Elvis (well, himself) until one day his hip gave out and he woke up in a nursing home with a growth on his genitals. When people in the rest home begin to die and Elvis finds scarab beetles around, he finds himself in the company of an elderly black man who insists he is JFK. Together, they deduce that the home is under siege by a mummy and they set out to stop it.
Now, the first time I watched Bubba Ho-Tep, I thought that the pace was a bit slow. For almost the first half hour, Elvis does not even get out of bed. It works, however, quite effectively, at establishing the character of Elvis and the mood goes a long way to make him seem sympathetic. Moreover, it makes his sudden life that comes from acting make perfect sense as a character aspect. Subsequent viewings have made it seem much more enjoyable than the first time.
Also, the pacing works because the plot is ridiculously simple. Elvis and Jack take on a mummy. The thing is, the mummy can be thwarted pretty easily, so much of the movie is not spent actually combating the mummy, but rather confirming that a mummy is the villain. And the process by which Elvis and Jack determine they are at the mercy of a soul sucking mummy is funny. Laugh out loud funny. This is a weird movie with an outrageous concept, but it pulls it off expertly.
A great deal of the credibility goes to the actors. The cast is very small (watching the credits is one of the shortest lists I've seen on film) with only three real supporting roles. Ella Joyce gives a wonderful supporting performance as the Nurse. She is funny and subtle as the woman who has to handle "The King" and all of her scenes (save the final one where Elvis yells at her) are funny. There's not a moment in this movie she is not completely credible and fun to watch. Similarly, Bob Ivy, who plays the mummy, is a treat to watch. Unfortunately, in the few deleted scenes the movie has, his out-of-make-up role is not included (which director Don Coscarelli references in the commentary).
Ossie Davis is downright amazing as Jack. It's a bit of a leap from his first appearance in the movie to get the viewer to believe that he is, in fact, JFK. Davis makes it perfectly credible. Everything from his articulation to his proud bearing makes us believe that after Kennedy was shot in Dallas, he was dyed and stuck in the rest home. Ossie is funny, has great body language to convey his emotions and has an amazing presence that makes the viewer believe in his character at least as much as we believe in Elvis.
As for Elvis, many are calling this Bruce Campbell's best role. Campbell is known to horror and science fiction fans for his role as Ash in the Evil Dead movies and for cameos in blockbusters like Spider-man and television like The X-Files. Campbell is fabulous as Elvis. He takes a character that is so imitated and so spoofed and makes him real. I've met Campbell and he's a fit man, yet he never once failed to convince me he was a man as old as he looked here. This proves that genre actors are not actors separated from the great actors who only take on the high drama and meaty comedic roles; they are great actors. Period.
Bubba Ho-Tep is a movie that requires a sense of humor and works best when one wants to watch something completely absurd. But the underlying thing is, it DOES work. DVD extras are enjoyable with two layers of commentary (one is a funny track featuring commentary by the character of Elvis), behind the scenes features, deleted scenes, and previews. This is well worth the money you are likely to shell out on it; it's something you'll want to watch over and over again.
For other works with Daniel Roebuck, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Lost
Flash Of Genius
"Unification, Part II"
"Unification, Part I"
7.5/10
For other film reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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