Common Sense Note
Parents should know that this movie is extremely violent, at a level that would have received an X-rating just a few years ago. The movie also has very strong language, bathroom humor, and sexual references and situations (explicit, but no nudity). Couples have sex immediately after they meet. Many characters are killers and thieves to the point of preposterousness. They deceive and betray one another and they kill carelessly and recklessly. A child is an incorrigible thief. He is repeatedly exposed to extreme violence and sexual activity and he is both abandoned and kidnapped.
Families who see this movie could talk about the enduring appeal of Elvis, and how the dreams of the different characters affected their choices.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Nell Minow
Nine-tenths attitude and one-tenth gunplay, this testosterone-fueled story has a tasty premise: in the middle of an Elvis convention in Las Vegas, a team of five Elvis impersonators rob a casino. (Right before this one came to theaters, it was a high school cheerleaders robbing a bank -- what's next, the Teletubbies knocking over a convenience store?) But despite some clever cinematography, fast-paced editing, and the never-ending appeal of Elvis and Elvis impersonators, 3000 MILES TO GRACELAND never rises above average.
The movie makes a bad mistake: the heist is out of the way too quickly. We don't get to see them plan -- we just get to see them bicker on the way there. That means the rest of the movie feels anti-climactic, taking far too much time with post-heist schemes and betrayals. And, though I know some will disagree with me on this, there is just too much shooting. Rambo didn't fire off as many rounds as these guys do. After a while it gets tired, and so does the audience.
Kevin Costner plays Murphy, the man behind the scheme. He hooks up with Michael (Kurt Russell, looking happy to be back in his Elvis clothes after playing Elvis in a memorable made-for-TV movie 20-odd years ago). They and three other guys (Christian Slater, David Arquette, and Bokeem Woodbine) suit up as Elvises and break into the cash room of the casino. Things do not go exactly as planned, and there is a lot of shooting involving a lot of automatic weapons. Most of the rest of the movie focuses on Murphy, Michael, and Cybil (Courteney Cox), a down-on-her-luck woman with a larcenous young son (who is supposed to be endearing but comes across as a budding sociopath). They try to get away with the money with Murphy and federal marshals (Thomas Haden Church and Kevin Pollack -- both terrific) in pursuit.
The rumor is that Costner and Russell battled over the final cut of the film and even tested two different versions. This one may have been a compromise, because there are some plot holes that appear to have been set up to be resolved, but just got left hanging when it was recut. Or, it may be that writer/director Demien Lichtenstein was more interested in jazzy images and explosions than he was in the plot. Many who see this movie will feel the same way.
Families who enjoy this movie will also like the equally violent but more literate Way of the Gun and The Usual Suspects. Families looking for a more traditional heist film will like Ocean's Eleven, How to Steal a Million, and Topkapi.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentVery explicit sexual situations and references, no nudity. |
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ViolenceExtremely violent with prolonged and extensive and explicit gunfights. |
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LanguageExtremely strong language. |
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Message |
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Social BehaviorInter-racial cast. |
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Commercialism |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoA lot of drinking and smoking. |
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