As Joe R. Lansdale, who wrote the short story this film is based on says, Bruce Campbell has “nailed” the part of Elvis Presley. Couldn’t agree more.
Mr. Campbell plays the King of Rock ‘N Roll and a look-a-like impersonator named Sebastian. Elvis is tired of being Elvis, so he switches places with Sebastian for a while and winds up in a nursing home after a fall during a performance (as an Elvis impersonator). In the home, no one really believes that he is Elvis, and since Sebastian isn’t going to give up the Elvis life, the real Elvis is stuck right where he’s at.
There he befriends someone claiming to be John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis). When Elvis points out that JFK was white, the man who says he’s our former President states, without blinking, “They turned me this color.” Mr. Davis is so good in this role (his last one) that I believed his character COULD have been Jack Kennedy.
Anyway, through a set of weird circumstances, a mummy (dressed in cowboy attire) comes to life in the community and starts sucking the souls from nursing home residents. Elvis and JFK soon come to realize what’s going on and plot to stop this “Bubba Ho-tep”.
The climactic fight between Elvis and Bubba is something to see.
Directed by Don (“Phantasm”) Coscarelli, BUBBA HO-TEP is one of those rare cinematic treasures that no one will believe exists unless you show it to them. Mr. Coscarelli has managed to capture the fun that Joe packed into his short story.
You WILL have a ball with this movie.
Mr. Campbell plays the King of Rock ‘N Roll and a look-a-like impersonator named Sebastian. Elvis is tired of being Elvis, so he switches places with Sebastian for a while and winds up in a nursing home after a fall during a performance (as an Elvis impersonator). In the home, no one really believes that he is Elvis, and since Sebastian isn’t going to give up the Elvis life, the real Elvis is stuck right where he’s at.
There he befriends someone claiming to be John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis). When Elvis points out that JFK was white, the man who says he’s our former President states, without blinking, “They turned me this color.” Mr. Davis is so good in this role (his last one) that I believed his character COULD have been Jack Kennedy.
Anyway, through a set of weird circumstances, a mummy (dressed in cowboy attire) comes to life in the community and starts sucking the souls from nursing home residents. Elvis and JFK soon come to realize what’s going on and plot to stop this “Bubba Ho-tep”.
The climactic fight between Elvis and Bubba is something to see.
Directed by Don (“Phantasm”) Coscarelli, BUBBA HO-TEP is one of those rare cinematic treasures that no one will believe exists unless you show it to them. Mr. Coscarelli has managed to capture the fun that Joe packed into his short story.
You WILL have a ball with this movie.
My le-master-of-cool cinema turned me on to this when it was first released. My wife even liked it. I have always thought Bruce was underrated. This proved it. Now he rocks in the usa tv show Burn Notice. His humor is classic. Good choice mike. Footloose is still number one.
ReplyDeleteOne of my faves, too.
ReplyDelete"Footloose" blows.