Heartbreak Hotel (1988)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Genres - Comedy |
Sub-Genres - Teen Movie |
Release Date - Sep 30, 1988 (USA) |
Run Time - 93 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - PG13
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Synopsis by Dan Pavlides
Johnny Wolfe (Charlie Schlatter) is an Ohio teen whose alcoholic mother Marie (Tuesday Weld) has been a huge Elvis Presley fan since the 1950s. To cheer her up on her birthday, Johnny kidnaps the king of rock & roll (David Keith) after a 1972 concert. Elvis settles in to the Wolfe's den by decorating the house to his flamboyant tastes and helping Marie and her daughter Pam (Angela Goethals) through some difficult times. After Johnny convinces Elvis to perform with him at a high-school talent competition, he also lectures Elvis that he has lost touch with his roots and urges him do drop his schmaltzy Las Vegas image. This implausible but entertaining feature was given the go-ahead by the Presley estate and contains none of the legendary excesses that led to the king's death in 1977.
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Themes
Keywords
birthday, family, kidnapping, mother, rock-star, teenagers, alcoholism