BREAKING NEWS: ELVIS AND JFK ARE ALIVE AND LIVING AT A TEXAS REST HOME. Of course, Elvis has a cancerous boil on his penis and JFK has been cleverly dyed as a black man, but they're both fully aware of what's going on around them and it's their mission to stop an evil Egyptian mummy.
At least, that's the plot of Don Coscarelli's magnificent `Bubba Ho-Tep'. Adapted from the short story by Joe R. Lansdale, `Bubba Ho-Tep' is a masterwork from the man who has made a career out of making low budget cult classics and having them firmly imbed themselves into the minds of filmgoers everywhere.
Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis are wonderful as Elvis and JFK; they do a spectacular job of carrying this somewhat goofy film and really sucking you in. Elvis has found himself in this one horse East Texas town after suffering an accident 20 years before and breaking his hip. JFK? Well, he's here after the assassination attempt and the attempt of the Lyndon Johnson administration to hide the truth. What better way to do that he says, than by dying him black and dumping him in the middle of nowhere.
This is really a film for everyone; Ella Joyce plays along gamely as the nurse, and what a great job she does. Oh we have our T&A as well, in the form of the very lovely Heidi Marnhout as the daughter of Elvis' deceased roommate. Coscarelli regular Reggie Bannister chimes in as well as the hospital administrator, who we believe may know more than he lets on.
When all is said and done however, this is Campbell and Davis's show, and what a show they give. You can tell they really enjoyed doing this film, as it shines brightly through their performances.
Makeup effects are the only area I can complain about the film, as Campbell tended on several occasions to look too much like himself, rather than the character he was playing. That's it though, as the makeup on Bubba Ho-Tep himself was brilliant.
Once again, Don Coscarelli takes good actors with solid performances, a `can-do' attitude with almost no budget, and a solid story and turns it into a film that amuses and entertains.
4 out of 5
At least, that's the plot of Don Coscarelli's magnificent `Bubba Ho-Tep'. Adapted from the short story by Joe R. Lansdale, `Bubba Ho-Tep' is a masterwork from the man who has made a career out of making low budget cult classics and having them firmly imbed themselves into the minds of filmgoers everywhere.
Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis are wonderful as Elvis and JFK; they do a spectacular job of carrying this somewhat goofy film and really sucking you in. Elvis has found himself in this one horse East Texas town after suffering an accident 20 years before and breaking his hip. JFK? Well, he's here after the assassination attempt and the attempt of the Lyndon Johnson administration to hide the truth. What better way to do that he says, than by dying him black and dumping him in the middle of nowhere.
This is really a film for everyone; Ella Joyce plays along gamely as the nurse, and what a great job she does. Oh we have our T&A as well, in the form of the very lovely Heidi Marnhout as the daughter of Elvis' deceased roommate. Coscarelli regular Reggie Bannister chimes in as well as the hospital administrator, who we believe may know more than he lets on.
When all is said and done however, this is Campbell and Davis's show, and what a show they give. You can tell they really enjoyed doing this film, as it shines brightly through their performances.
Makeup effects are the only area I can complain about the film, as Campbell tended on several occasions to look too much like himself, rather than the character he was playing. That's it though, as the makeup on Bubba Ho-Tep himself was brilliant.
Once again, Don Coscarelli takes good actors with solid performances, a `can-do' attitude with almost no budget, and a solid story and turns it into a film that amuses and entertains.
4 out of 5