Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
Bubba Ho-tep is an odd film. It's definitely quirky, it's too long- tho in truth, it's probably about an hour and 20 minutes- it just seems odd, because much of what happens in the first 40 mins of the movie is pointless and could be cut...well, save a few parts, but cut 95% of the rest.
It's a film about a rest home in Texas. An aging Elvis lies in his bed, wondering what that sore is on his "pecker," and thinks of how his life went wrong. See, Elvis didn't really die- the real Elvis traded places with an impersonator to get away from the fame and the drugs and stuff that lead to his downfall...he went away and lived the life of an impersonator himself, but fell on stage at some point, ended up in a coma, and finally ended up in this home where he lives now, not able to move very well, needing help from nurses who talk down to him like he's a child.
Some critics have said that the film has important messages on how we treat our elderly, but this film was too ridiculous to get any real, serious message from it.
Cult film icon, Bruce Campbell plays Elvis, and he does a decent imitation of the king. He does a wondeful overall job with the character. Ossie Davis plays the black JFK- turns out JFK didn't really die, but was hidden by the CIA and dyed black, and now he's in the same rest home with Elvis. At least that's what black JFK claims happened.
The film starts out with Elvis in his bed, seeing people moving quickly in and out of his room (nurses and janitors and such)...he then starts thinking to himself (with voiceover) about how he wonder what this sore is on his pecker...then he goes into this vulgar thought about how to get rid of it, and it just goes downhill from there. This whole scene is just unfunny and it turns you off to the film right away- it's much too vulgar and gross to be of any value. Some other scenes early in the movie go on way too long and they don't add any substance to the plot at all. It felt like the story was going to finally get started, but then more nonsense...then, maybe the plot is gonna get going now, but no- more pointless stuff happening.
When we finally get the plot going, it ends...and it's not a great ending to say the least.
The plot itself deals with the deaths of many of the rest home occupants...and a mummy that is roaming the halls sucking the souls from unsuspecting elders who are asleep. He sucks the souls from the butt, as Ossie Davis' character explains, and that's pretty funny. I thought, overall, this would be a funny adventure movie with Elvis and JFK battling the mummy, but this part of the plot didn't last very long, and the stuff in between and before all of it was too long, and way too boring to make this is an enjoyable film.
JFK has the best line in the film when he asks Elvis if he wants a ding dong...and Elvis looks down at him like he's insane. No, a chocolate ding dong, JFK explains. There are a few other funny plot points, but they are, overall, few and far inbetween.
I was hoping for much more with this movie. It sounds like a reallu funny premise on paper, but it doesn't work with the film's slow pacing and the fact that this short story (the film is based on a short story) wasn't really large enough for a full length film like this. Cut out half of the film, make it a short film, and it might work. Either that or get a better writer in to fix the filler in between the adventure stuff- or better yet, make the film more about the two guys battling the mummy...then, we might have a great film. As it is, it isn't awful, but it's not a gem either.
Bubba Ho-Tep 5/10