The Elvis movie that made Roger Ebert “miserable”
Elvis Presley, the iconic King of Rock’ n’ Roll, also carved a niche for himself in Hollywood’s golden era. With hits like Jailhouse Rock, Blue Hawaii, and Viva Las Vegas, his magnetism transcended from the stage to the silver screen effortlessly. Yet, in the vast landscape of his cinematic journey, not every venture was met with universal acclaim. One film, in particular, caught the critical ire of the legendary critic Roger Ebert.
In the realm of film criticism, few names were as influential as Ebert. His reviews, insightful and poignant, were often revered for their ability to dissect a film’s essence. Ebert, however, with his acute understanding of cinema, was not one to shy away from expressing his unabridged thoughts on a movie – great or terrible. Despite his vast appreciation for a myriad of genres, there was one film of the King’s that he found decidedly less than royal.
In his 1967 review on RogerEbert.com of Easy Come, Easy Go, Ebert went beyond mere critique. The Elvis vehicle, directed by John Rich and produced by the legendary Hal B Wallis for Paramount, featured the singer as a Navy officer, Ted Jackson, in pursuit of Spanish gold. After putting a viewing off, Ebert revealed that eventually, he “went to my neighbourhood theatre, and I went inside for the Saturday matinee, and I sat down with the kids and the teenage couples, and I saw the movie.” However, the anticipation ended there.
“And if you think this has all been an elaborate buildup for some unexpected surprise like I liked it, you’re wrong. I was miserable from beginning to end.” He compared it unfavourably to Singin’ in the Rain and West Side Story, praising these as examples of good movie musicals. He even mentioned A Hard Day’s Night which, in his words, “slipped up and became great instead of merely good.”
Yet, when discussing Easy Come, Easy Go, he lamented its lack of care, a film created with “the sole purpose of contriving a plot, any plot, to fill in between when Elvis sings.” Even the plot, involving Elvis’ character discovering treasure, Ebert felt he didn’t want to spoil – perhaps hinting at its predictability or simply not wanting to waste any more words on what he thought was a pointless movie.
Interestingly, the film’s soundtrack mirrored its lukewarm reception, with songs like ‘You Gotta Love’ and ‘The Love Machine’ not making a mark on the charts. However, 1967 was just a brief eclipse for Elvis, who would soon shine again with his ’68 Comeback Special and chartbusters like ‘Guitar Man’ and ‘If I Can Dream’.
Now, we’re more than willing to concede that Ebert wasn’t always the arbiter of quality cinema one hundred per cent of the time. He’s panned some classics that, in his own words, he felt “silly” later for judging so harshly – however, based on the trailer and synopsis, we have a feeling Easy Come, Easy Go isn’t one of them.
