User Reviews

First off, don't expect anything super authentic. This is an imagining of what Elvis might have done on his way to meet Nixon.

The actor that plays Elvis doesn't do the best imitation that I've seen by any stretch of the imagination, but he captures the narcissism, and swagger of Presley very well. It's fun to watch him interact with normal people without his handlers around. I liked the scenes that stressed how far removed from the reality of the sixties that Elvis was, being that he hated the hippies, the Viet Nam protesters, and the Beatles (who stole his thunder).

A good laugh is also when you get to see Nixon's enemies list. Definitely give it a go if you see it aired, I've seen it twice, and it really has a charm to it.

This is a tongue in cheek look at an actual meeting between Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon. On December 21, 1970, Elvis, armed with a gun and chemically enhanced, met in the Oval Office with President Nixon. The reason for the meeting was Elvis' request for a badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, thus making him an agent-at-large of the DEA. Hard to believe, but true...the visit was a success.

Rick Peters does an over the top parody of Presley. Bob Gunton is a very laughable President Nixon. Also in the cast are: Curtis Armstrong, Alyson Court and Denny Doherty.

Quite a bizzarre event and in retrospect you see the hypocrisy and contrasting truth to be pretty silly.

This satiric and somewhat surreal Showtime comedy details Elvis Presley's historic meeting with Richard Nixon not long before Watergate and while the Vietnam War was still raging, and does so in an oddly affectionate manner. Rick Peters portrays the drug-taking, purple cape-wearing, Vegas-playing Elvis who had long ago been eclipsed by the Beatles. Elvis sadly finds out how far over the hill he is when he finds his albums in the oldies section of an L.A. record shop. Nixon of course was the paranoid, vindictive, petty tyrant we knew and hated, particularly bitter about the protests taking place over a war he tells everyone he didn't start. Bob Gunton, a wonderful character actor best known as the chief villain in THE GLIMMER MAN, nails Nixon cold. In fact, the entire cast, right down to the White House security guards, are spot-on. For instance, Richard Beymer playing H.R. Haldemann will give those who remember the real deal absolute chills. And keep a close eye on the very talented Canadian actor Gabriel Hogan as Bobby, Elvis' right-hand man. Some real-life folks, including Wayne Newton and Tony Curtis, whimsically portray themselves as they help narrate the story. In the end, this is a movie about two extraordinary and ill-fated men, each fighting his own particular demons, thrown together under highly unusual circumstances. Director Arkush does an exceptional job.

This film is absolutely terrific!..so good, in fact, that I bought several copies when it came out on VHS. I watch it all the time and recommend it to other Elvis fans. A lot of them haven't even heard of it. Thanks to the Director..who is always the 'Captain of the Ship"..for a wonderful presentation of an amazing story. There are a few moments in the film that I was uneasy with..particularly, when Elvis is alone in his hotel room and becomes morose..we cannot try and imagine what his private moments were and it is unfair to him. Other than that, I was riveted. Rick Peters did an outstanding job..the best of anyone who has tried to portray our hero. I wish Rick had been offered the job in the recent mini-series, "Elvis", because the only flaw in that film was the actor portraying him..(and he won a Golden Globe award?). This film had lots of humor and it truly gives new generations of Elvis fans a glimpse into the man himself..his love of laughter and his generosity and tenderheartedness. Elvis 'took off' a couple of times in his youth. He was only 6 years old when he tried to hitchhike from East Tupelo to Tupelo Proper..he was looking for his hero, Mississippi Slim. Another time, he reached the Fairgrounds..at the tender age of 11 and sang in a contest there..he was quoted as saying that he."came in 5th place, not 2nd as has been said". I believe there was another time, when he entered a contest in Mississippi..country music singing..and actually won!. I think he loved the adventure of doing something totally impulsive and secretive. His adventures in Washington D.C. are just a part of that. Yes, he would have made a great policeman or detective but, I'm glad he chose to entertain us instead. There will never be another like him. Too bad, because we need another Elvis.

It was perhaps THE most surreal and weird time of Elvis' life, a life marked by more than a few such times. How can an entire film revolve around the December 21, 1970 meeting of Elvis Presley with President Nixon? As it turns out, quite effectively. We're talking the moment in time when the path of history's most phenomenal entertainer intersected with that of the most notorious US President yet. Before Nixon's Vietnamization policy wound down a war that irrevocably fractured a nation. After a decade of civil-rights unrest influenced in no small way by the race-barrier bridge that was Elvis Presley. Before the revelations of Watergate and the end of Nixon's Imperial Presidency in August, 1974. Before Elvis' untimely death at 42, almost exactly three years later. The film raises an interesting point at its outset, in the parallels between the two men's lives and their professional fortunes. By late 1970, each was secure at the top after a stunning comeback, but neither was fulfilled or truly happy. Elvis, tired of being Elvis Presley and feeling as if he'd done it all, grew increasingly bored and restless. The triumphs and excitement of his first seasons in Vegas and his first touring schedules since 1957 gave way to interminable nights spent watching movies and breaking speed limits with his hangers-on, the Memphis Mafia. Nixon, despite working political wonders and demonstrating considerable prowess in foreign affairs, was the target of millions who protested the conflict in Vietnam and his growing personal paranoia did nothing to alleviate that weight.

This is the backdrop against which this Showtime movie was set. It's an entertaining film - one I can watch repeatedly - though it has some factual flaws. Elvis did not hate the Beatles. He may have objected to their comments regarding drug use, but the bottom line is that Elvis went to DC primarily to secure a narcotics-agent badge and title. The key ingredient missing in this film is explicit portrayal of Elvis' almost obsessive interest in law enforcement - he'd always wanted to be a policeman but he ended up at Sun records in 1954 and the rest is history. One ingredient in that interest was collecting law-enforcement badges, preferably those with real (not honorary) credentials and powers attached. Yes, although apolitical, he considered himself a patriotic American. But what he really wanted was that badge. Elvis was like a little kid in some respects. And Elvis knew how to get what he wanted out of anybody. He got that badge, but he first had to get to the President.

Yes, it was an argument over money with his father that precipitated his uncharacteristic flight from Graceland and, yes, he'd never traveled solo before. He really did have no idea how to buy things and no cash with which to do so. And, yes, he really did wear a caped purple velvet suit. Nobody knew where he'd gone to, and Graceland was in an uproar. For the only time in his adult life (such as it was), he'd broken free. He jetted to DC, then to LA, and then back to DC. Most of the script appears true to accounts from Jerry Schilling and Sonny West, the two real Memphis Mafians who were there, and from others to whom Elvis recounted the story. As unbelievable as it may seem, that includes the classic scene in the DC-ghetto doughnut shop as well as his trouble with carrying guns on to an airliner and his giving all his money to a soldier.

Other inaccuracies add to the storyline. For one, I don't think he wandered along Sunset Boulevard while he was in LA. Also, though he did shoot out a TV screen at least once when the hated Robert Goulet was on it (and, yes, he uttered the same quip used in the film: "that'll be enough of that s***"), he didn't do it during this time period. The fact is that the King was fairly restrained in killing TVs and didn't make a particular habit of it.

The film's very well done, with a lighthearted and ironic feel appropriate to the actual events. There're even two references that foreshadow Elvis' daughter's doomed marriage to Michael Jackson. The actors are all perfect in their roles. In particular, Rick Peters makes an excellent Elvis. He doesn't look entirely like him (well, in some shots he looks eerily like him) but he's closer than most and he's pulled off the best characterization since Kurt Russell's 1979 turn as Elvis. The voice, the mannerisms...it's all there. A little over-the-top and far more ‘oafish' and less cool than the real thing but, hey, there was only one Elvis. And this Elvis is basically likeable, too, even if he's not the self-aware revolutionary or rockin' rebel that some in the film (and some viewers) might wish him to be. There's innocence there, too. Bob Gunton also pulls off his role of Nixon with gusto, and he does a letter-perfect job. He has the mannerisms down, the voice, the look, and the paranoia. I was surprised to find that neither seems to have played their respective characters in any other properties - they're so good at it that it's hard to believe. Richard Beymer's also good as Haldeman, the foil to Nixon and the voice of relative sanity in the Oval Office. There's even a Forrest-Gumpish moment in which Nixon appears to get the idea of taping meetings from Elvis. Cutting back to contemporary interviews with people both real and imagined (though Wayne Newton was not, as he claimed, an exceptionally close friend to Elvis) is a nice touch and helps bridge scenes and put things in perspective.

The random insanity of it all (at least, apparently so...remember, Elvis had a Plan) is compelling and the story flows like a rollercoaster. You never saw Elvis like this. And he never went out by himself again.

And, no, I don't think Elvis ever really understood the extent of his impact on the world.

"Elvis Meets Nixon" is a touching and insightful look at a most unlikely meeting between two giant egos, both of which were not in touch with reality. Elvis comes out of hiding, venturing on his own, flying cross country and back in two days to fulfill his belief that he could somehow aid President Nixon in his fight on drugs. Sure enough a meeting is arranged, because Nixon see's Presley as his way to reconnect with American youth. This bizarre union is chronicled, almost the exact way it happened, and the story is not only intriguing, but highly entertaining as well. Sometimes trying the impossible is all you can do. Recommended. - MERK

I found this movie late at night on the Bravo station in Canada. As an Elvis fan a thought why not stay up late and watch this movie. I thought it was going to be a crappy movie, but it turned out to be a good movie. I am not sure how real this movie is to the actual events, but it did give a good idea of how Elvis must have been feeling about himself. This movie is worth watching and I would sit through it again. It might just end up in my DVD collection if I can find it on DVD. Do not miss this movie if you are an Elvis or Nixon fan or just interested in a wacky event that took place at a difficult time in American history.

Fact is always stranger than fiction. However, this is a comedy. As such, I can't fault the producers for creating fiction around a real event.

The stereotypes serve well as background briefs to modern audiences who may not know squat about either the King or the President.

Elvis wanders the night, shoots television sets out at will, dresses like. ..well. . .Elvis and maintains his good old boy composure. Likewise, Nixon broods, works on his enemies list, and rattles off every Nixon trademark statement from various years.

There is a lot of humor in this film. Those who don't know the history of the times will probably be left dumbfounded.

I admit I'm a sucker for movies with the real people being portrayed, especially when Elvis is one of the main characters. This is a very funny movie that purports to be factual, and yet the liberties are many, but since it a comedy really, I can excuse that. It's in all the reviews I've read so far, the one inconsistency that no one caught (and I really being picky here but I feel I have to mention it) and that is that Elvis drinks a Coke when he preferred Pepsi. This would probably simply product placement and nothing more. I mentioned it because I am a dedicated Coke drinker. But anyway, the way the two principals act is meant to be exaggerated. Certainly, Elvis wasn't quite so cloddish, but knowing what I know about Nixon, I don't think they were too far off the mark there. The lead, Rick Peters, does a very good impersonation of the KING, and I'm also a sucker for good impersonations, doing a few of them myself. I just wish I were half as good at doing Elvis, but this guy looks more like him that I ever could even if he isn't a dead ringer for the King. Perhaps the coolest thing about this movie are the real people whose comments appear in different parts of the film. People like Dick Cavett, Wayne Newton and Tony Curtis. My only problem with the movie is Elvis swearing.so much. I don't believe he did this so.frequently. It's worth checking out.

Although it is more of a cartoonish-ly caricatured account it is quite an amusing one...however caricatured and embellished, Elvis and Nixon is a story based on actual events, and more importantly it reveals an aspect of American culture and leadership that (at least) every American should see...a quite worthy as well as a significant effort...

Rick Peters does a fine job playing Elvis who became a caricature of himself by the time the Beatles arrived...Bob Gunton interprets Nixon in a more caricatured way than Peters does Elvis (if that is possible)...of course Nixon is also quite easy to caricature as has frequently been done, but here one feels it might have been funnier and more revealing if Gunton were able to play "Tricky Dick" a bit straighter...the movie is both a rather frightening while also an affectionate portrait of both these actual cultural icons...to balance both these characterizations is one of the film's merits...

Also the movie benefits from having other "real life" celebrities help set up certain sequences, such as Dick Cavett, Wayne Newton, and Tony Curtis (from whom Elvis initially modeled his haircut - that alone was an interesting revelation particularly as one thought that that began with white Rock-n-Roll...not to mention that Elvis modeled his voice on that of Dean Martin - Elvis looked back to create the future)...

Actually it was quite surprising that not a single respected film critic seems to have written a single word about this film, particularly as significant as it seems...even if those reviews (as the movie may deserve) were to be primarily negative ones...

This is so great! I was an extra in this movie, a hippy protester. So much fun however, I never did get paid... Cool memories though 🙂

They should release this sucker on DVD, it's incredible. I showed it to my friend that doesn't even care for Elvis and he was rolling on the floor! Elvis and Nixon were both so huge in real life, that's it's incredible to see them interact. And all the people commenting on the King were awesome, like Wayne Newton.

If you know the Elvis story and can get past Dick Cavett and Tony Curtis, this movie is entertaining and very funny. Both Elvis and Nixon are caricatures. A movie is a movie! I was drafted in 1969 at age 23 and could see both Elvis' and Jane Fonda's points of view. I think most baby boomers loved their country while hating the Vietnam War. It is a bit of an anachronism that at one point Fonda is referred to as "Hanoi Jane." Elvis met Nixon on December 21, 1970, while Jane did not go to Vietnam until July, 1972. I bought Elvis records as a kid and do not like to see him made fun of. The only one of the narrators who gives Elvis his due respect is Wayne Newton.

This is the best movie no one saw. Based on a true story about Elvis going to Washington, D.C. alone, the acting is terrific.Bob Gunton does a great parody of Nixon, and Rick Peters is a good Elvis.

Bob Gunton's performance as Richard Nixon is astounding. He gives a humorous characterization of the man, yet shows the sadness of a personality racked with deep-rooted demons. His body twists and turns with emotional pain and paranoia.

Rick Peters is good but not great as Elvis, mainly because he's unable to capture the Elvis magnetism. But Peters is able to capture Elvis' naive, childlike quality: Just an ignorant country boy lost in the world.

Although not historically accurate, the satire is based on a real-life meeting between Elvis and Nixon at the White House. The script is first rate and captures the times well. It provides keen insights into Elvis' entourage, father, Priscilla and the chaotic life at Graceland, and Nixon's corrupt White House run by Bob Haldeman. It's perhaps the most entertaining movie about Elvis ever made, and the only one I'd sit through again.

In 1970 the strangest thing happened in The Capitol of our country. Elvis Presley achieved an impromptu meeting with President Richard Nixon. If that isn't somehow bizarre enough, Presley's intentions of being a badged DEA agent add the perfect surrealism to push the meeting into the annals of history. So far, everything you've read is true. This film, on the other hand, states that it is "mostly true".

With the stage above set, by 2016, we have two comedic films about the story. The 2016 release entitled Elvis & Nixon and the 1997 release of Elvis Meets Nixon. The later, of course, is the film under review here. It's the best of the two as it's funnier by far. Somehow that also works in it's favor simply because it seems to touch on Elvis as massively sheltered child-like innocent. This Elvis is fun. The mockumentary format is a good device too, inserting a wacky assortment of talking heads. I have watched this highly entertaining movie several times. This one is best between the two similar films by far in my humble opinion.

A definite highlight of this excellent movie is the summary of Tony Curtis on Elvis's letter to Nixon, "a classic, so charming in its naive simplicity". This uncannily accurate recreation of historical events, which seems at times almost too surreal to be true, radiates the charm Curtis mentions, tempered by the pathos in the meeting of 2 men with shared fears about a world they apparently feared they could no longer influence or understand. E's journey to Washington seems familiar from the adventures of other "childman" heroes in "Crocodile Dundee", "Being There" and "Forrest Gump", but differs in not advocating a nostalgic retreat to simpler values in the face of social complexity. Instead, compared to Nixon, E comes across as an unwitting cultural revolutionary, who tragically couldn't understand his own impact .

This film's a real sleeper, very few people probably know it. It's one of those made-for-tv films but don't let that fool you, it has quality acting, great laughs and a great script based on an amusing anecdote on Elvis in his later years.

Die-hard Elvis fanatics might not be amused by the way he is depicted as a naïve, childlike, toy-gun-slinging cowboy. But I was very amused and loved the performances of the actors portraying him and his closest friend. Not only the casting, acting and script are great, the camerawork is also well done, the movie has a nostalgic feel to it. It was very funny and charming to see a frustrated Elvis in the sixties/early seventees that made those darn Beatles (not even American!) even more popular than him, a hasbeen in those days.

I always vote a 9 or 10 for movies that are very underrated in the IMDB and vote a 1 for horribly overrated movies.

So I voted this one 10/10!

this movie was pure comedy! I was flipping channels and just couldn't help myself. I thought it was just a silly movie but was so delighted to find out that the events really took place! The best part is that if the ghetto-DC doughnut shop scene really happened, who knows what else was possible during the weekend! I am going to look to find this on DVD and send it out to all my friends and family for x-mas! I think that the actors were awesome and I had one fine Friday night, me, Dick and E!! If you want a good time that will make you LOL, and I mean seriously LAUGH OUT LOUD so people come in from other rooms and ask you, "WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING??" yeah, it was probably over the top, but it was fun and history is never accurate so I'd rather see this than something that glorifies the King.

This movie kicks butt! Believe it or not, it may be the closest thing to portraying a `real' Elvis than has ever been made. And while Peters doesn't strike one as particularly Elvis-ish at first glance, he certainly nails the mannerisms cold and even DOES look creepily like the King in several shots (just check out the sly grin he flashes after handing out Christmas gifts to the Memphis Mob boys).

Let's face it. Elvis was one strange, eccentric dude.I guess that's what makes him so fascinating. To know that about him is to love him. And to be a fan means that you know how blown out of proportion his image has become. The closest representation we have of the actual man existing beneath the cape is the two painstakingly researched Gurlaick (yeah, I think I misspelled it) bios. But this movie, however, comes awfully close I think. And, as an added bonus, it's definitely light-hearted and fun, which was certainly a large part of Elvis' character.

The main drawback is certainly not the MINOR liberties taken with the facts per se (again - unbelievable - this story seems to be mostly true!), but the inclusion of the hippy run-ins on Sunset in LA. The flower kids in the record/head shop are sooooo stereotypical, and the one who has the sit-down with E in coffee shop has nothing but afterschool-special-you're-my-inpiration-type pap to lay on us. The only consolation is that Our Man doesn't fulfill his request to show up at his love-in protest or whatever (my boy, my boy!) These scenes I believe were well intended in their function to demonstrate how out of touch Elvis was with the real world, and could've been a great comedic culture clash but they, alas, are full of corn.

The bizarre but true events behind the famous photograph of Elvis Presley and President Nixon shaking hands.

The documentary starts out by drawing parallels between both men and where they where and what they did from the early 1950s up to 1970.

There are many hilarious scenes and lines throughout, such as Elvis shooting TVs, making random cross country plane trips, and going to a donut shop in a rough neighborhood in DC.

Although the film chronicles Elvis and Nixon, the main focus is in Elvis. While his antics are highly entertaining and oftentimes questionable, we see someone who is concerned about the direction society is going and having an eagerness to make a difference for the country and individuals.

True to popular culture, Nixon is poked fun at, because of his paranoia and square personality, but he's portrayed as sympathetic and human.

Most of the events depicted in this film, have been told by Elvis' close friend, who was there, in other sources.

Unfortunately, this gem can be difficult to find, but it's an underrated classic worth seeking out.

I would have given this ten stars but for the Far Left Wing politics. This was written according to Elvis buddies who were with him during the trip. Of course there's going to be a lot of " creative license" to fill in what they did not see but overall it's pretty believable. Elvis was basically an insulated child at this point in his life and I can totally believe his actions with his fans.

Agree with most of the reviews , very funny film, took me by surprise.

Far better than the remake Elvis and Nixon which has just been released.

Also charmed to recognize the donut shop that is just down the street from me in Toronto.

Funny thing about Elvis in this movie. He leaves LA for DC in a red Boeing 727 (3 engines), then in mid-air the plane becomes a BLUE DC-8 (4 engines). Only Elvis could change a 3 engine plane to a 4 engine plane while it was in-flight.