Best Actor 2022: Austin Butler in Elvis

Austin Butler received his first Oscar nomination for portraying Elvis Presley in Elvis. 

Elvis tells the story of the king of Rock and Roll through the eyes of Elvis's nefarious manager Blofeld...I mean Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). 

Austin Butler joins the long-running list of Oscar-nominated performers playing famous musicians, a list that is filled with many uninteresting biopics that often (often deservedly) are mocked as easy academy catnip yet rather perfunctory efforts for most viewers. This sometimes extends to the often lip-synching performances by the leads, which extends as far back as at least as far back as when Cornel Wilde played Frederic Chopin. This film on the former end is mostly that, though filled through the madness of director Baz Luhrmann's style (something I wish I could love, but mostly gives me a headache), which given how tired these films are, I might've disliked less than I usually do. The other bit of strangeness is through the perspective of the Colonel pleading his case to the audience that he didn't cause Elvis's downfall, something I might've liked more if Tom Hanks wasn't so obnoxiously hammy (he could've been hammy still given the film's heightened tone just not obnoxiously hammy). This perspective does make Elvis a strange leading character in the first act or so of the film, as he takes quite a long time to appear beyond just glimpses as the colonel attempts to chase him down, and even in his first appearances, Elvis is purposefully seen as a distant figure, with the emphasis more so on his impact than in offering a more internalized perspective. The up-and-coming Austin Butler initially appears just as the idea of Elvis, and his work is almost entirely based upon a few scant words and his physical movements. Of course in a larger-than-life figure such as Elvis, that is a task in itself. And I'll say Butler is bluntly up to the task, even with the at times very overdone makeup, even beyond intention I think. His vocal performance, which apparently permanently transformed Butler's voice to that of Elvis's, is downright impressive. Elvis's voice is something that is very often impersonated and is often that of an impression. It would be very easy to become a caricature, however, Butler's vocal work does go beyond that. Butler's voice feels like Elvis's voice and doesn't feel like a put-on, which with someone like Elvis isn't a small feat in itself. 

The physical movements of Elvis are of course as iconic as anything else about him, so again, Butler does have a challenge, because again while frequently impersonated in this regard, it is something else to embody this in a convincing sense. And Butler seeks to fully capture Elvis's stage persona, in almost every aspect. This includes the way he just holds his head, to every different dance move and gyration, his grander movements as really this king stage so often that plays to the crowd, emotes within the song and just sells the energy of every song far beyond what is expected from any performer. Butler again is absolutely convincing in every step of this, literal and otherwise. He does embody that presence so potently without again feeling the parody, he feels like we are seeing Elvis with the sheer power of his work here. It is remarkable and shouldn't be handwaved because of how much he makes it a given throughout the film. The one facet that Butler does not do is consistently sing as Elvis, though there is a bit of it, and Butler does a more than fine job if perhaps his vocals aren't as powerful as Elvis's (hence the dubbing), though seems like if they had just let him sing Butler would've been up to the task. As Butler really is everything he needs to be as this image of Elvis without question. He has that down, and I would say goes far beyond other similar performances that feel far more like impressions. Butler realizes the icon, as a icon, but he also is convincing just as a performer who came to be an icon. It is striking work that in no way seems ever less than he should be, and dances around any of the pitfalls that are so common with these sorts of performances. 

But all that stage persona stuff can only amount to so much, as good as it might be if it all falls apart when he's off-stage. In a way, despite not being documented in the same way, Butler has to deliver a greater truth, when the film finally settles down enough to give Elvis a more in-person focus. And here is where I will again praise Butler, and again his evocation of Elvis truly is notable because he is as convincing when he is Elvis off stage. His manner is similar but less performative. However less performative in the right way. He still sounds like Elvis, and still has the manner of the man, but he's not playing for anyone, he's just being himself. Butler is convincing as Elvis the man, who is presented with largely a positive depiction of the man, however, working even within that context though Butler grants humanity that has greater depth alluded to even if not always explored. Butler in many ways succeeds because he does two things. When we see Elvis emote, it feels like Elvis emoting, but it also feels like a person emoting. He makes the essential jump to allow us to just believe him as Elvis, which on its own is quite an achievement. And again the emotions of many of these scenes are relatively simple, disappointment with his career at times, heartbreak over the death of his mother, and eventual romance with Priscilla. Butler brings the passion of the man towards music as sincerity. He brings a simple boy's sadness in the death of his mother and with Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge) just a lower key charm that is the stage Elvis however more modest, more genuine. Again while I don't think this is exactly exploring the deepest truths of Elvis, Butler is absolutely convincing in realizing what the film lets him present. 

As per usual the biopic trudges along a bit as we see Elvis fall into personal anguish as the aimless artist, although we get this note twice over. And where Butler continues to excel even when the film gets a bit baggy in comparison. Butler's physical performance continues to be quite remarkable because he successfully transitions through each of Elvis's stages, which are all kind of iconic in their own way. That is he does become more restrained, though more passioned in some ways, with greater maturity in the man's voice, as Butler does really two impressions and both are convincing. Even the overweight Elvis late in the film, Butler modifies his work again to give that larger-than-life presence that has as much passion but is suffering far more from the literal and metaphorical weight of his life. We of course get some perfunctory biopic moments, such as the man pushing back his state of malaise to make a statement in his comeback special. Again while I don't think these scenes really are of too much note, Butler's performance combines a sense of frustration of standing still and the ferocity of finally releasing his passion more directly in his comeback song. Butler's portrayal of the slow demise of the man is well done. Just shows the man physically becoming so much less, everything including his charm and passion reducing in his eyes, with a greater frustration towards the duplicitous Colonel. Although the scenes are a little repetitive, Butler continues to thrive in bringing to life every phase of the man's life even the most painful, which the film treats with sort of a gentle pain in that it never gets as raw as it could in that regard. I suppose that is where my praise is limited in that the film never let's Butler go past a certain point, which is unfortunate, however still notable what Butler does even in the confines of the role. It is a challenge not to be a parody, it a challenge not to be underwhelming when portraying such a iconic pop culture figure, it is challenge not to seem too distant. Butler avoids all of that, he's convincing in bringing Elvis to life as the iconic star, but he's also convincing in bringing to Elvis to life as a man. Although I certainly think a greater film could've been made out of Elvis the man, I couldn't think of a better man to portray him than Butler based on his very strong performance here.