Priscilla Early Buzz: Sofia Coppola Explores The Side Of Elvis Baz Luhrmann Avoided

Has Sofia Coppola done it again? The acclaimed writer/director is currently putting together what kids these days (meaning people who are, like, five years younger than myself) would call a "heater," riding high on streak of well-received movies between 2017's remake of "The Beguiled," "On the Rocks" in 2020, and now "Priscilla." The biopic of Priscilla Presley, Elvis' wife and a thoroughly compelling firebrand in her own right, stars Cailee Spaeny as the title character opposite Jacob Elordi as the famous singer. Marking a stark departure from director Baz Luhrmann's approach in last year's "Elvis," Coppola set out to tell the story from the perspective of someone who hasn't really received much of a spotlight in history, rather than confining a figure as important as Priscilla to a bit role or a supporting player on the margins.

Based on Priscilla Presley's memoir "Elvis and Me," the film just held its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and has elicited plenty of strong reactions from critics in attendance. From evoking themes from Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" to pronouncements of being the "antidote to 'Elvis'" to comparisons to the viral TikTok sensation crafted by the filmmaker's daughter Romy (okay, that last one was just me, but you're welcome for giving you an excuse to check out that hilarious video again), "Priscilla" is quickly gaining buzz as one of the year's biggest film festival darlings. And between its 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 83 score on Metacritic (both numbers accurate as of the time of publishing, of course), it sure seems like we're in for another Coppola hit.

Here's what the early buzz is saying about "Priscilla."

"Marie Antoinette" fans, this one's for you! It certainly appears that Sofia Coppola channeled much of the same level of sensitivity and poignancy as she did in her Kirsten Dunst-starring film, at least according to Kyle Buchanan of the New York Times. In a short thread of posts on Twitter, he stated that, "With PRISCILLA, Sofia Coppola has made a 60s Americana version of MARIE ANTOINETTE and let's hope you're all on board with this one from the jump because it's incredible."

By most accounts, "Priscilla" will also feel like a breath of fresh air for those who were unable to get on board with Baz Luhrmann's extravagant and over-the-top take on Elvis in 2022. According to IndieWire's review by David Ehrlich, "Luhrmann's spasmodic rhinestone spectacle may have finally served its purpose, as it now provides helpful context for a new film that another major artist has made about The King's one-time queen." He's careful to note that he doesn't feel this is one of Coppola's best movies, painting it as "vague" and "scattered" and "gloomy," but the largely positive review offers much more praise for what the filmmaker accomplishes regarding Priscilla's tumultuous relationship with an icon as flawed as Elvis.

Hannah Strong of Little White Lies also observes the push and pull between Coppola's film and Lurhmann's: "If Baz Luhrmann's 2022 musical extravaganza was a dazzling look at an American icon, 'Priscilla' is perhaps its foil: a melancholy fairy tale about first love and enduring mythology." Rafa Sales Ross of IGN echoes these thoughts, praising Coppola for adding much-needed nuance to the movie's complicated central relationship. "Going beyond the simplistic is exactly what Coppola does with her A24 production, which explicitly highlights this power imbalance without needing to define Priscilla solely as a helpless victim."

A multi-faceted woman misunderstood by most but far more complicated than she appeared on the surface? It should come as no surprise that Sofia Coppola, the director of similarly-themed movies such as "The Virgin Suicides," "Marie Antoinette," and even "The Bling Ring" would naturally feel drawn to a movie like "Priscilla." So says David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter, who writes in his review, "Few filmmakers are as thematically cohesive or as perceptive in their intimate attention to the inner lives and complex identities of young women as Coppola, making it tough to think of a director better equipped to guide us through this story, familiar in its contours but revelatory in this fresh point of view." Variety's Owen Gleiberman points out in his review that "in the 17 years since 'Marie Antoinette,' [Coppola] has grown as a filmmaker — her storytelling now has an organic detail and emotional precision that sweep you right up."

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair came away impressed by how difficult of a challenge this particular story posed for Coppola — and how well she navigates what could've been a rocky road. "[Coppola] wants to honor a woman's memories while also being clear-eyed about what were some pretty alarming circumstances. It's a challenge she greets with measured insight; 'Priscilla' is neither lurid nor sugar coated. It's a sensitive, if slight, look at a young woman rousing from a dream and confronting waking life."

The one common thread in practically every review centers on Cailee Spaeny's and Jacob Elordi's performances as Priscilla and Elvis respectively, adding yet another feather in Coppola's cap. It goes without saying that this buzzy biopic will be well worth a watch. Look for "Priscilla" to hit theaters October 27, 2023.