★ 6 / 10
_**Elvis goes to backwoods Florida to set-up a
Wuchak
_**Elvis goes to backwoods Florida to set-up a makeshift home & business**_ A family of hicks from rural Georgia run out of gas on the northwest coast of the…
_**Elvis goes to backwoods Florida to set-up a makeshift home & business**_
A family of hicks from rural Georgia run out of gas on the northwest coast of the Florida peninsula and decide to homestead there. They have to deal with annoying bureaucrats and gangsters who run a mobile gambling ring. Elvis Presley, Anne Helm, Arthur O'Connell, Simon Oakland and Joanna Moore are all on hand.
“Follow That Dream” (1962) was Elvis’ 9th movie of the 31 he did. I didn’t like it the first time I saw it because of the (seemingly) eye-rolling premise. Viewing it again after many years, I appreciated it more because (1) I knew it wasn’t supposed to be taken too seriously and (2) the movie, albeit farcical, does reveal interesting data on the concept of homesteading with the corresponding establishment of civilization, government, laws and lawbreaking.
Moreover, the film is an interesting commentary on the naiveté & goodwill of backwoods types in contrast to the corruption of big city people. Of course, “Deliverance” (1972) would change this perception forever, but “Follow That Dream” is closer to reality.
Anne Helm is easily one of the top females to costar in a Presley flick along with Ann-Margret in “Viva Las Vegas” (1964) and Michele Carey in “Live a Little, Love a Little” (1968). She’s all-around winsome and fills out a pair of jeans exquisitely.
While the film is overlong at 1 hour, 49 minutes, I didn’t mind. It was shot completely in Florida at Crystal River, Inverness, Yankeetown and Ocala.
GRADE: B-/B
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★ 7 / 10
good for an Elvis movie
blanche-2
This is actually a very good Elvis movie. The plot concerns a bunch of hillbillies, the Kwimpers - a dad, his son, and three orphans, who take over some beach…
This is actually a very good Elvis movie. The plot concerns a bunch of hillbillies, the Kwimpers - a dad, his son, and three orphans, who take over some beach property under the Homestead act after they run out of gas there. Elvis portrays a dummy of sorts - he plays it very naturally and he's quite funny! It's not so much that he's dumb, but he's so guileless, literal, and helpful, he seems that way. With these attributes, he continually gets the best of the bad guys, including a mobster, Simon Oakland, Joanna Moore, from child welfare, and assorted others. The conceit makes for some hilarious scenes. In one, the mobster, after Elvis beats up his thugs, decides to blow up Elvis' family home. They prepare a bomb and put it in a box. When Elvis sees it, he thinks the mobsters have forgotten their package and dutifully returns it. BAM.
One poster mentioned that Elvis doesn't try to look as if he's singing. Apparently, he was notorious for not bothering much with lipsynching, though I'm not sure why. For my money, the only really good song in this film is the title one. And lipsynching or not, Presley looks great.
I guess we can spend time lamenting the fact that Elvis didn't make better films or get the acting opportunities he deserved, or we can enjoy what we have. And Follow That Dream is better than most.
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