Netflix’s documentary Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley has allowed audiences a glimpse into the life of one of pop culture’s most famous figures, and the iconic singer has numerous films to check out next. Aside from being one of the defining musical artists of the 20th century, Elvis Presley’s acting career saw him star in 31 films, primarily including musicals that showcased his singing talent and charisma.
Throughout the 1950s, Elvis was a fairly consistent box-office success, with his controversial manager, Colonel Tom Parker, dictating many of his acting choices. Presley wanted to partake in more serious roles, but those films, like Flaming Star, earned less at the box office. Movies like Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas were some of the highest-grossing films of their respective years, proving a desire for his musical movies with accompanied soundtrack albums.
10 Wild in the Country (1961)
Director: Philip Dunne
Wild in the Country is another Elvis movie musical, and it wasn’t considered a success at the time of its release. A review from The New York Times referred to Presley’s performance as “as callow as ever,” and the movie wasn’t one of his bigger commercial hits, only grossing $2.5 million. But with that having been said, it was one of his chances for a more dramatic character.
The reason his performance was callow might have been because his character, Glenn Tyler, was a rather immature figure. Elvis Presley may not have been Marlon Brando, but this was one of the most dramatic scripts he had the opportunity to work on, and it’s held up on the better end of his movie roles. It may only have a 57% score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, but it has a 3.2/5 star rating on Letterboxd.
9 The Trouble with Girls (1969)
Director: Peter Tewksbury
The Trouble with Girls is one of the later Elvis Presley movies and one that saw him paired with one of his best supporting casts, including horror movie legends Vincent Price and John Carradine. Importantly, this is one of his only movies that was released after the famous 1968 NBC Comeback Special, in a period when Elvis Presley sought to redefine his career and image as an artist.
The Trouble with Girls is another Elvis movie that doesn’t have great reviews, with only a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it’s one of the more unique entries in his filmography, and his late-career acting shows some genuine improvement. It’s fascinating to see Elvis Presley in a more complex political plot. Despite its name sounding like a typical Elvis movie, it’s one of his most distinct, and it deserves some recognition for it.
8 Loving You (1957)
Director: Hal Kanter
Loving You was the film that started off Elvis Presley’s career as a star in Hollywood films, coming shortly after his breakout success as a recording artist. In that sense, the craft of the Elvis Presley-centric musical movie wasn’t as defined as it would come to be, but it had enough oomph to make him a coveted star. The movie was met with decent reviews but managed to achieve $3.7 million at the box office, a respectable number for the time.
In terms of how it’s aged, Loving You has a 3.1/5 score on Letterboxd, undoubtedly placing it on the better end of his filmography. Audiences on Rotten Tomatoes also gave the film a 70% score. The movie’s best quality may be the songs it featured, such as (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear and Loving You, which are still regarded as classics.
7 Love Me Tender (1956)
Director: Robert D. Webb
Love Me Tender has to go on any ranking of Elvis Presley’s greatest achievements simply because of how great the titular song is. Notably, the 1956 movie was Presley’s first film role, and he had such an enormous impact that the title changed due to how popular his song was in advanced sales. He also starred behind Richard Egan, and the film has one of the best all-around casts out of his movies.
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In 1956, Elvis Presley was only just beginning to find his footing as a celebrity, and he later expressed regret that Love Me Tender featured him singing. Still, it was one of the movies where he was praised for his performance, despite the film’s otherwise mediocre reception. The film has 3 stars on Letterboxd along with a 64% score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, though the lower numbers could also be because it’s one of his more widely seen movies.
6 Blue Hawaii (1961)
Director: Norman Taurog
Elvis Presley’s 1951 movie, Blue Hawaii, not only was one of his best films, but it also created one of his strongest and most enduring albums. The soundtrack for Blue Hawaii included the hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” which is still regarded as one of his best and was one of the songs he performed in the ’68 Comeback Special.
Blue Hawaii may have one of Presley’s lowest critical scores on Rotten Tomatoes, but it holds one of his highest audience scores, 67%. It’s incredibly corny and ridiculous, but in many ways, it’s a quintessential Elvis movie. It’s a movie where not much happens, and what does happen is pretty nonsensical, but the songs are just so incredible and moving that it’s hard to deny the enjoyment. Not to mention, it was a rather successful commercial hit, grossing $4.2 million.
5 G.I. Blues (1960)
Director: Norman Taurog
G.I. Blues was another commercial success for Elvis in the year 1960 and was his first project after being discharged from the army. It was another film to receive a fairly mixed response from critics upon its release but clearly had enough appeal for Elvis fans to book their tickets. Today, it holds a decent 3.1/5 score on Letterboxd and a 6.2/10 on IMDb.
G.I. Blues
was essentially the blueprint movie for many of the formulaic Elvis musicals that followed
The biggest accomplishment from the movie was the song “Blue Suede Shoes,” which is another Elvis Presley classic that’s stood the test of time. The music is the main appeal of G.I. Blues, as it was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Soundtrack Album and Best Vocal Performance. G.I. Blues was essentially the blueprint movie for many of the formulaic Elvis musicals that followed, like Blue Hawaii, Fun in Acapulco, and It Happened at the World’s Fair.
4 Flaming Star (1960)
Director: Don Siegel
- Director
- Don Siegel
- Release Date
- December 16, 1960
- Cast
- Elvis Presley , Barbara Eden , Steve Forrest , Dolores del Rio , John McIntire , Rodolfo Acosta , Karl Swenson , Anne Benton
- Runtime
- 101 Minutes
For audiences looking for an Elvis Presley movie with a strong performance and pure drama, Flaming Star is likely the best choice. The 1960 Western does have some songs, as the studio wasn’t entirely enthusiastic about an Elvis-led movie without music, but they’re placed into the film naturally, and it wouldn’t fall under the category of a musical.
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Today, Flaming Star has one of Elvis Presley’s best scores from critics, with a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 71% from audiences on the site. On Letterboxd, it holds a 3.3/5. While the film wasn’t a masterpiece for the Western genre, it seemed to be the type of movie that Elvis was looking for, or at least set him on the right track. Unfortunately, the film didn’t perform well enough at the box office compared to G.I. Blues, so Elvis returned to musicals shortly after.
3 Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Director: Richard Thorpe
- Director
- Richard Thorpe
- Release Date
- November 8, 1957
- Cast
- Elvis Presley , Judy Tyler , Mickey Shaughnessy , Vaughn Taylor , Jennifer Holden , Dean Jones , Anne Neyland , Percy Helton , Tracey Morgan , Scotty Moore , Bill Black , Mike Stoller , Allen Jaffe , Joe Gilbert
- Runtime
- 96 minutes
Jailhouse Rock is another early Elvis movie that holds up primarily due to its absolutely iconic soundtrack, including the titular tune. Today, “Jailhouse Rock” is Elvis Presley’s second most-listened-to song on Spotify, with over 555 million all-time streams. As for the movie, it was enough of a commercial success that Elvis Presley was ranked the fourth-leading box-office commodity in the film industry that same year.
Jailhouse Rock
is quintessential Elvis, 1950s rock, and one of the classics that every lover of his early music should check out.
Jailhouse Rock has fairly average reviews for an Elvis Presley movie, with a 3.2/5 star score on Letterboxd, a 6.5/10 score on IMDb, and a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. With that being said, it’s still a culturally iconic piece of cinema that resulted in one of the peaks of Elvis’ popularity. Jailhouse Rock is quintessential Elvis, 1950s rock, and one of the classics that every lover of his early music should check out.
2 King Creole (1958)
Director: Michael Curtiz
King Creole was one of Elvis Presley’s earliest films, and the star later suggested that Danny Fisher was his favorite character that he ever played. It has a fun mix of romantic comedy, musical, and heartfelt drama, encompassing the best of what Presley’s film career was before his acting roles began to grow repetitive and arbitrary throughout the 1960s.
Presley is part of a talented ensemble, including Carolyn Jones and Academy Award-winner Walter Matthau, and still manages to shine in one of his best performances, playing an edgy rebel character. Today, King Creole still holds some of Elvis Presley’s best reviews, with a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, 83% Audience Score, and a 3.6/5 on Letterboxd. Given that musicals aren’t typically so well-reviewed, those are impressive numbers.
1 Viva Las Vegas (1964)
Director: George Sidney
Viva Las Vegas is Elvis Presley’s best and most famous film. The 1964 film was one of the best-selling releases of the year, grossing over $9 million at the box office, a massive accomplishment for a musical film at the time. Elvis Presley’s documented off-screen relationship with co-star Ann-Margret likely contributed to the sex appeal of the film, as their chemistry was immaculate, and it’s arguably the most glamorous, vibrant film in his filmography.
Viva Las Vegas holds up today with an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes, highlighting the film as one of Elvis’ most energetic and exciting. The song “Viva Las Vegas” is another timeless Elvis classic that defines the celebratory, soulful feeling of the movie. Viva Las Vegas is Elvis Presley’s most popular and iconic film for good reason.
