Mondo Elvis (1984)

Genres - Culture & Society  |   Sub-Genres - Hobbies & Games, Sociology, Film & Television History, Biography  |   Run Time - 30 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
  • AllMovie Rating
    6
  • User Ratings (0)
  • Your Rating

Share on

Synopsis by Mark Deming

One would be hard-pressed to name a rock star with a more loyal fan following than Elvis Presley, but while most folks are content to listen to his records and watch his movies, there's a hardy breed of far more devoted admirers whose enthusiasm might seem more like obsession to outsiders. Mondo Elvis is a documentary which examines a handful of unusually passionate Elvis fans, including a woman whose husband divorced her on grounds of "excessive devotion to Elvis Presley" (she also left her teenage son behind to move to Memphis after the King's passing); a pair of twins who are certain Elvis was their father (a notion their mother prefers not to dignify with a denial); a woman who is convinced Presley appeared in a cloud at a memorial service on the first anniversary of his death; an Elvis impersonator who claims the King speaks to him; and a man who changed his name to Elvis Aaron Presley because he feels he bears a striking resemblance to the late singing star (a resemblance the camera fails to capture). Mondo Elvis allows its subjects to speak for themselves, and strives to regard them with a modicum of respect, despite their often bizarre stories.

Characteristics

Keywords

fan [devotee], fanatic, obsession, celebrity, impersonation, bizarre, worship [religious]