Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

3000 Miles to Graceland

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Extremely violent Elvis-based robbery for 17+ only.

Movie R 2001 125 minutes
3000 Miles to Graceland Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 16+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Steven Jim M.
Steven Jim M. Parent
August 10, 2023
age 13+
Thats Okay for 13+ but not for under 13
T M.
T M. Parent of 15 and 18+-year-old
August 30, 2022
age 18+

High Sexual Content

High Sexual Content -No responsible parent who loves their son or daughter would remotely allow this movie to be played. Absolute trash- Sex, Implied Sex and Sexual references Sex scene; the woman's bare back and the top of her bare buttocks are visible when she's in bed post-coitus. A teenage girl drives off with an older man; we see her kiss him and perform fellatio while he's driving. We see a man wearing only a towel; a woman lies in bed with him and puts her hand up towel, supposedly touching his penis. A man stands behind a woman and thrusts his hips several times. There are numerous shots of scantily clad female dancers and lots of cleavage. Lots of sexual innuendo, including references to casual sex, prison sex, masturbation, homosexuality, S&M, and male and female genitalia. Implied sex with sexual noises in this scene (the woman's young son is in the room during this scene). A woman and man are lying in bed together and the woman has her legs propped up. A woman lifts up her skirt and shows her bare thighs. A man stares at a woman's clothed buttocks, as she stands on a chair (we see several close-ups of the top of her mini underwear). A woman in her bra on a bed. A woman pushes them up her breasts. A man fills out a questionnaire with several sexual questions on it about masturbation, having sex with another man and bondage.
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

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. 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.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (2 ):

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 anticlimactic, taking far too much time with post-heist schemes and betrayals. 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 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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families who see this movie could talk about the enduring appeal of Elvis, and how the dreams of the different characters affected their choices.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate