Elvis Has Left the Building (July 30/05)

Given that Elvis Has Left the Building has been directed by My Big Fat Greek Wedding helmer Joel Zwick and features performances from folks like Kim Basinger, John Corbett, and Sean Astin, one can only assume that the film wasn't originally meant to premiere on home video. And while the movie's not bad, exactly, it's easy enough to see why it never quite made it to theaters.

Basinger stars as Harmony Jones, a traveling saleswoman with a predilection for murdering Elvis impersonators. She's not doing it on purpose, however; it just so happens that Elvis impersonators die soon after encountering her. While on the road, Harmony meets Miles Taylor (Corbett) - a New York ad executive who is desperately trying to come up with a new slogan for a picky client. Though Harmony and Miles hit it off right away, Harmony becomes convinced that Miles is an Elvis impersonator and - out of concern for his well-being - spends the rest of the film dodging his romantic advances.

There's also a silly subplot involving two FBI agents - Charlie (Phill Lewis) and Sal (Mike Starr) - who are trying to figure out why all these Elvis look-alikes are being murdered. They're presumably here for comedic relief, though their hackneyed antics are far from funny (Charlie is so anal retentive that he's afraid of dirty bedspreads). Mitchell Ganem and Adam-Michael Garber's screenplay is likewise packed with similar instances of broad, overly pronounced instances of humor that just come off as desperate (Tom Hanks' bizarre, three-second cameo is good for a few chuckles, though).

Elvis Has Left the Building is undoubtedly far more effective as a romance than as a comedy, thanks to the genuine chemistry between Basinger and Corbett. Both actors deliver charismatic, engaging performances - to the extent that it's hard not to wish that they were in a better movie.