Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

Bubba Ho-tep is definitely not your average Hollywood fare.

Based on a quirky short story by author Joe R. Landsdale, Bubba Ho-Tep supposes that Elvis Presley, in an attempt to get a break from his fame á la The Prince and the Pauper, traded places with Elvis impersonator Sebastian Haff, only to have Haff die on the toilet at Graceland, leaving the true King of Rock 'n' Roll trapped in obscurity and left to waste away in an East Texas nursing home, where he eventually must team up with the likes of an equally underwraps John F. Kennedy to prevent an evil Egyptian mummy from conquering the world, of course starting his quest in a sleepy rest home...I warned you...it's not typical Hollywood fare.

But surprisingly, it works, and this film is a delightful surprise that completely breaks the mold from anything you would ever expect.

The real highlight of this film is the performance of Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness). Campbell, a b-movie cult icon who can't seem to escape the shadow of Ash, the role in the aforementioned films he is so closely identified with, does a great job portraying the elderly Elvis with an unexpected dignity and respect, delivering a remarkable performance that rises above simple caricature. The zany Egyptian curse plotline is offbeat and puts the King into some funny situations, but I can't help but wonder how good this film could have been without it.

As Elvis conspiracy theory lore alone, just the story of Presley switching places with an impersonator and then being condemned to die alone and unrecognized in a nursing home could have been a great story in and of itself  — without the soul-sucking mummy thing. The great Ossie Davis delivers a very likeable performance as JFK (after the shooting in Dallas, apparently he was dyed black and a bag of sand was used to fill the space in his head where he lost brain tissue!). 

The film kind of walks a tight rope between being a silly farce and a creepy creature feature, and these alternate polar genres amazingly fuse well into an entertaining mix that is as poignant as it is surprising.  It's too bad the rights to use Elvis' music were beyond the production's budget; this should have had a killer soundtrack album!

RATED 4 STARS - COCONUT-OIL POPPED, DRIZZLED IN FAKE BUTTER, CLASSIC THEATER TREAT