Runtime: 97 minutes
Directed by: Richard Thorpe
Starring: Elvis, Ursula Andress, Elsa Cardenas, Paul Lukas, Alejandro Rey
From: Paramount
In this early posting (so I can go out and do things which will distract from the Presidential election) It is time to clear space off the DVR again. While the DVR is only half-full, there’s too much that’s been sitting on the device for months. As absurd as this sounds, Fun in Acapulco was recorded in August… of 2023! A large number of Elvis movies have been tackled through the years; this was as corny as most of them yet I’ll be kind & say that this was “fine.”
The King played a gringo in the Mexican resort city who gets hired at a hotel; there’s rivalry with Alejandro Rey, romance w/ Ursula Andress (get this, her initial appearance is of her in a bikini) & plenty of songs are heard; naturally, they have a Latin flair-the conclusion features Presley sings in Spanish-and like most Elvis movie soundtracks, the tunes are rarely better than “serviceable.” That is basic, although there is a tragic backstory for our lead Mike Windgren. He was a trapeze artist (!) but of course there’s a tragic accident, and wouldn’t you know that Moreno is a cliff-diver, which factors into the climax.
Elvis actually didn’t film in Mexico; the film’s Wiki page explains the whole preposterous story but it’s due to no fault of his own. That was unfortunate—still, there’s a decent amount of footage from Acapulco and this was an easy watch. Heck, there’s even a kid sidekick who wasn’t an irritating annoyance. It is nice that some prominent Hispanic roles in this movie were filled by Hispanic actors. At the same time, the most famous/best song on the soundtrack was Bossa Nova Baby—yes, people were supposed to ignore that it’s Brazilian instead of Mexican.
One last note: like she did in a few Elvis movies, Teri Garr (RIP) had a bit part. Sometime soon, I’ll pay tribute by reviewing a movie starring the late actor.
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