Bubba Ho-Tep

Can it possibly get any quirkier than this mix of comedy, drama, horror and... Elvis?

Reviewing films isn't as great as it sounds - for every Stars Wars or American Beauty you watch, you've got to sit through about a million films like Dare Devil, The Punisher or Van Helsing (thanks be to God I'd don't have to actually pay to see any of them). So it's always a welcome relief when a movie like Bubba Ho-Tep comes along and slaps you in the face like a dumped girlfriend. The funny thing about this film is that on paper it sounds worse than pretty much anything else I've seen all year. Bubba Ho-Tep tells the story of what really happened to Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell); it turns out that The King is not actually dead and is living out the rest of his days in an old folk's home. The plot is anything but ordinary as the senior residence's inhabitants seem to be dying in strange circumstances. A cursed Egyptian Mummy is on the loose and is busy stealing souls in order to survive, so it's up to Elvis and another resident to take on the Mummy and save the day. If you think that's weird wait until you hear who the other resident is... JF - (Ossie Davis) and he just so happens to be black!

The script reads like an issue of Marvel's What If? series and gives an alternate history lesson as to how two of the twentieth century's most famous men could have ended up in a retirement home. According to the movie, Elvis got tired of the fame and swapped places with his best impersonator but ended up in the seniors' residence after popping his hip. All the documents that proved he is in fact the real deal Holyfield were destroyed in a freak gas explosion and now his main concern is the growth on his pecker. In the exact same housing complex is an elderly black man that swears he is John F. Kennedy - the same assassins that tried to kill him in Dallas dyed his skin black so that no-one would believe his conspiracy theories. Needless to say both men are treated like a pair of old fogies by the staff and are humoured despite their protests to the contrary. Washed up by age Elvis and JFK display their share of cynicism before the apparent threat by the Mummy allows them one more chance at glory. Shored up by new found confidence Elvis even feels a flutter in his pants for the first time in twenty years, so get ready Mr Mummy because these two old-timers are ready to take care of business.

Bubba Ho-Tep's success is obviously down to its cult status and if you're talking about cult then Bruce Campbell is always going to pop into the equation. Campbell, who is better known as Ash from the Evil Dead franchise, has always had his fair share of admirers and this movie gives him a chance to show why he is so popular. He is a master of wit and he just excels in the absurdity of the situation, managing to pull of all Elvis catchphrases and moves without seeming especially contrived. The audience was in stitches every time he appeared on screen and his very presence kept me enthralled like I was glued to some storyteller's latest tale around a campfire. His character's almost philosophical-like qualities gives The King an extra edge and puts all those other movies that try to steal some of Presley's cool to shame.

Elvis is one of the most charismatic individuals of all time, despite being from before my time even I can't help but be drawn to the screen or the hi-fi whenever he is around. Unfortunately though most people seem to misunderstand him and always just rhyme off 'The King has left the building' or 'Uh-huh-uh', pretty much because we never knew Presley. Campbell though brings a real life Presley to the screen and is just so loveable that the audience almost cheers him on in points. In my opinion the reason for the character's success is because of his age in the movie, he's got things like cancer and a dodgy hip to contend with and deals with them in a natural fashion. It makes The King more human and less legend so that you actually care about Presley rather than just thinking of him as a cartoon character.

One of the thing I liked the most about this movie is that it had no delusions de grandeur, it stuck to the script and was light hearted in its attempts to entertain. Some of the big Hollywood blockbusters could learn a thing or two from it instead of insulting the viewer's intelligence. The comedy is completely deadpan and the principal actors shine in every scene, the little known Ossie Davis is fantastic in this respect. Even Elvis is a little suspect of his friend's claims but Davis' performance gives rise to his story.

His every line is delivered so strongly that there are times where you'll even begin to wonder whether the makers of Bubba Ho-Tep went searching through old folk's homes until they actually found an elderly black man who believed he was JFK! Plenty of the other actors add to the wonderful offbeat comedic performances in the movie, be it the other residents, nursing staff or visitors. Campbell brings them altogether with his lasso of acting skills like Brisco County Jr and provides the audience with a barrel of laughs in the process.

Bubba Ho-Tep is completely tongue in cheek but surpasses its B movie standards thanks to a delightful Bruce Campbell. The movie might not be a cult classic but it makes for an entertaining two hours and really does show up some of its big budget counterparts. With lines like 'Ask not what your retirement home can do for you, but what you can do for your retirement home.' is it any wonder that this has achieved an underground following. It's worth paying the admission just to see Elvis in his full Vegas costume puttering about on screen with his Zimmer-frame! How the makers of this movie have managed to pull it off I'll never know but after a successful box office run and a rumoured sequel in the works, it's great to see such imaginative films coming out of Hollywood.

Piaras Kelly
Editor, Kikizo Movies