Elvis & Nixon (2016) Michael Shannon – Movie Reviews

In this semi-fictional yarn, the impetus for Elvis wanting to meet with either J. Edgar Hoover or Nixon is born from his growing discontent at seeing where America has been headed, particularly in the growing cultural unrest among its people, from the hippie movement, to the pot smokers, to the war protestors, to the Black Panthers. The King decides that he can actually help the country if he can be made a Federal Agent. Joined by his “Memphis Mafia” friends Jerry Schilling from Hollywood and bodyguard Sonny West, Elvis travels to the White House in order to have an impromptu meeting with the President, hoping to convince him to get the badge he will need to carry out his “agent at large” duties. The road seems at an impasse, but Nixon’s aides, sensing that a photograph of the two together could endear him come re-election time to large swaths of Elvis fans, particularly in the South, try to make it happen, despite Nixon’s initial protests.