Diary entries forViva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
ann margret carries this film i love her
Viva Las Vegas
Ann Margret is everything
Viva Las Vegas
Light and fun. Breezes by quickly enough, and doesn’t ask much from its stars other than to be pretty, dance, and sing, which they do quite well.
Viva Las Vegas
Maybe it wasGeorge Sidney’s playful direction, or maybe it was the real-life, short-lived relationship between Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret, but Viva Las Vegas, while uneven overall, thrives on the undeniable chemistry of its two leads. Set against the glitz and glam of Las Vegas, the perfect setting that provides The King with plenty of opportunities to flex his charm, it’s Ann-Margret who really steals the show here. As the free-spirited swimming instructor Rusty Martin, she brings a vibrant energy that lights up the screen. Even when the script positions Rusty as being in the wrong for thinking about her future—she isn’t—Ann-Margret lends the character a certain vitality that makes it impossible to overlook. Sure, Sally Benson’s script reduces her role by the third act, focusing more on the much less interesting racing subplot, but the spark she shares with Presley is undeniably captivating. Viva Las Vegas isn’t a particularly great film. The pacing meanders, the ending feels rushed, and the script does Rusty a disservice. Still, it’s far from the worst I’ve seen. The music pulls more than its weight, and while it’s not quite at Grease levels, it’s pretty damn enjoyable, making this a charming, if imperfect, romp. • Watched in 2025 — Ranked (https://boxd.it/C7Jq6)
Viva Las Vegas
Crossing Primm down Interstate 15, I remember the long warm drives, one of which allowed neon lights to burn memories into my childhood brain, the opening credits to this film. Vegas is everything. It's drunk, sloppy, horny and dumb. It's White Castle at 3AM and Cirque du Soleil after food coma at the Bacchanal Buffet. How lush, the roll of dice, casino blinks, the eternal strangeness and paradise of hedonism by definition. So far, perhaps my favorite of the Elvis films given Ann-Margaret is a woman of her own accord, between jobs with a simple passion. Lust, not love, drives the film from set to set, song number to song number. Presley's slick black do never looked so good. Shimmers in charm, shines in the playboy type that works so well for him here. Perhaps because he has eyes for only one woman, unlike others where he has eyes on plenty. In some of the Polly Pocket-like sets, there's a lot of beauty to atmosphere. Attention to detail. Best supported by theater experience and technicolor, everything is charming. The cast, the lines, the very atmosphere. The film PG-ifies Vegas compared to what it is now. And how glorious it is in comparison to the neon light montage we got in Priscilla (https://letterboxd.com/bulgogiboi/film/priscilla/). *If you enjoyed this write-up, please consider purchasing my novella here (https://nathansnook.bigcartel.com/). Or find other thoughts on books and films here (https://www.youtube.com/@nathansnook/videos).
