Today’s quick review: Elvis Has Left the Building. Harmony Jones (Kim Basinger), a traveling cosmetics saleswoman, has a unique problem: everywhere she goes, Elvis impersonators wind up dead. Fleeing the scene of each freak accident, Harmony unwittingly becomes a fugitive from two FBI agents (Mike Starr and Phill Lewis) investigating the deaths. But her luck changes when she meets Miles Taylor (John Corbett), a handsome advertising executive.
Elvis Has Left the Building is an Elvis-themed comedy with a dash of romance. The movie follows Harmony as she searches for meaning in her life while a series of improbable accidents causes the death of every Elvis she meets. Elvis Has Left the Building is a light comedy that pays tribute to Elvis and his legacy. The movie’s cute humor, creative premise, and Elvis-heavy soundtrack are not enough to make up for its bare-bones story and romance.
Elvis Has Left the Building never gets very far beyond its premise. The story is a road trip from Texas to Las Vegas, with a few unfortunate run-ins with Elvis impersonators along the way. The individual scenes are fun enough, with Harmony growing more distraught and the FBI agents more perplexed as the death toll mounts. But the jokes don’t leave a lasting impression, and Harmony and Miles have disappointingly few scenes together.
Elvis Has Left the Building is a decent pick for those in the mood for something light and effortless. Its premise is enough to give it a niche within the comedy genre, albeit a narrow one. But the movie finds itself outclassed by comedies that have more elaborate plots and more memorable scripts, as well as by romances that spend more time on their relationships. Most viewers will have better luck elsewhere.
For a cross-country road trip with a wilder sense of humor, try Rat Race.
5.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for a charming premise without much substance to back it up.