PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

TheLittleSongbird Elvis Presley was a hugely influential performer with one of the most distinctive singing voices of anybody. He embarked on a film career consisting of 33 films from 1956 to 1969, films that did well at the box-office but mostly panned critically (especially his later films) and while he was a highly charismatic performer he was never considered a great actor.While not one of the top three Elvis films, those being 'King Creole', 'Flaming Star' and 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Blue Hawaii' is one of his better overall films. It's proof that his early films were actually pretty good, but unfortunately it was one of his last good ones when the formula started here wore increasingly thin and further suffered from looking less appealing and even the quality of the soundtracks and Elvis' acting wavering significantly.'Blue Hawaii' could have been better. The formulaic story has occasional draggy spots due to the content not quite being enough to sustain the running time. While most of the soundtrack is great, there is a big difference between the best songs and the weakest, with a couple of songs that don't feel necessary, feel thrown in for the sake of it and are neither catchy or beautiful, particularly "Ito Eats" and "Splicin' Sand". The supporting cast is variable, annoying Jenny Maxwell and dull John Archer coming off worst.However, Elvis looks natural and is very charismatic, as well as vocally and performance-wise being very much in prime. Personally thought Joan Blackman was appealing, likewise with her chemistry with Elvis, but Roland Winters and particularly Angela Lansbury fare best in support.Visually, 'Blue Hawaii' is one of the most beautiful-looking Elvis films, along with 'King Creole' and 'Flaming Star'. It's beautifully shot and Hawaii entrances more than it ever has on film. Norman Taurog directs assuredly in by far one of his better outings with Elvis (there were 9 and the first two, the other two being 'GI Blues', are the best).Most of the soundtrack is simply great, the highlight being the sublime "Can't Help Falling in Love", one of Elvis' most famous songs and it is impossible to not understand why. "No More", "Rock-a-Hula Baby", "Hawaiian Sunset" and "Hawaiian Wedding Song" are honourable mentions. The script is witty and there is enough of the story that amuses and charms.In conclusion, good Elvis film, one of his better ones without being among his very best. 7/10 Bethany Cox

zardoz-13 "Jumping Jacks" director Norman Taurog's romantic musical comedy "Blue Hawaii" was Elvis's eighth movie, and the second of the nine movies that he helmed with Presley. Taurog was no stranger to comedy, and he had directed some Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis comedies. This lightweight contemporary melodrama, with race relations and class tensions simmering just beneath the surface, casts Elvis as a young man who has completed his tour of military service in the Army. Obviously, nobody can question his patriotism. Clad Gates (Elvis Presley) has been flown home to his parents in Hawaii. Chad's zany mother Sarah Lee Gates (Angela Lansbury of "The Manchurian Candidate") and his father Fred Gates (Roland Winters of "Charlie Chan" franchise) expect Elvis to take control of the business. Unfortunately, they have a laundry list of don'ts that our hero refuses to tolerate. First, his mother wants him to marry a white Anglo Saxon, while Chad has his eyes on a half-breed, part French and part Hawaiian lady named Maile Duval (Joan Blackman of "Kid Galahad"). Sarah doesn't want her son mingling with the island natives, least of all marrying one. Boy is she in for a surprise! Rather than work for his father, Chad goes to work at a travel agency where Maile works. Maile's boss Mr. Chapman (Howard McNear of "Anatomy of a Murder") hires him and then fires him after he starts a brawl in a bar with another tourist, Tucker Garvey (Steve Brodie), and winds up in jail. The rowdy free-for-all roundhouse is the only one of its kind in "Blue Hawaii." Our hero has his hand filled with girls. Not only must be contend with his girlfriend, but also he has been hired as a tour guide to a mature school teacher, Abigail Prentice (Nancy Walters) and three girls. One of the girls is rebellious, suicidal, but definitely attracted to the protagonist, and she gives our hero a hard time. Eventually, Chad brings his mother around to appreciating the natives of Hawaii and he marries Maile in a sumptuous wedding with a beautiful ceremonial barge. "Blue Hawaii" benefits from Charles Lang's gorgeous cinematography and some of the most stunning scenery. Angela Lansbury gives a stand-out performance as Elvis' mother. Altogether, "Blue Hawaii" is an average epic with the star warbling several chart-topping songs.

pgaryj A FUN PRESLEY FLICK From the opening title scene of one of the Hawaiian Islands to the end of this movie was just a nice relaxing fun film. Elvis Presley, playing Chad Gates, was a little wooden with his acting but I heard from a friend that the director just wanted Presley to play himself. Joan Blackman, playing Maile Duval, was just a lot of fun and a good actress. The scene where the motorcycle cop catches up to her on a highway in Hawaii and starts to bawl her out for speeding, like a number of times before, and then changes his mind when, his friend, Maile, tells him that her boyfriend is coming home from the Army, is charming. The motorcycle cop gives Maile an escort (including siren) to the airport to pick up Chad Gates. And when Chad Gates tries to make Maile jealous when Chad is getting off the plane, by kissing the stewardess, that was funny and charming. Another charming moment is when Chad and Maile are making out on the beach and a little Hawaiian boy comes up to them and asks them if he can play the game and when Chad tells the little boy he's too young, the little boy is persistent and asks Chad if he can play if he can get a little girl to play the game with him. My girlfriend especially likes the "music box" scene where Chad Gates, played by Elvis Presley, sings "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" to Maile's grandmother. We own the DVD of Blue Hawaii and I use the scene selection to get to that scene and my girlfriend and I watch that chapter over and over again. Angela Landsbury, playing Chad Gate's mother is enjoyable and she's a good actress. Jennie Maxwell, playing Ellie Corbett was a thoroughly enjoyable over-sexed brat. My girlfriend always says, "What a brat!" when she sees Jennie Maxwell in this film. When Chad Gates gives Ellie Corbett a spanking on the beach at night, it's both funny and a little sexy, as far as I'm concerned. The spanking straightens Ellie out and she's more manageable the rest of the film. The scene where the teenage girls invade Chad Gate's room at night and drive him nuts and then, when the school teacher comes in and tries to get romantic with him, are hilarious! Since we purchased this DVD, my girlfriend and I have watched it a number of times and will watch it a lot more. We even took this DVD to the local hospital to let my girlfriend's mother watch it. My girlfriends mother just had major heart surgery and she has been to, and loves Hawaii and she's been to Graceland (Elvis' home). My girlfriend's mother, who is 82, was entranced by this movie and I'm sure it helped her recover from her operation. I'd rate this movie high because it's so enjoyable.

bkoganbing Blue Hawaii, the title song of this film, was originally from the score of another Paramount film Waikiki Wedding which starred Bing Crosby in 1937. Bing sold a few records of that one, albeit they were 78s back then, and Elvis nicely revives it and sells a few more. Crosby's film was made to take advantage of a whole lot of publicity he received for a trip to Hawaii. But Paramount as they usually did with his films back they made them on the cheap and Hawaii for Waikiki Wedding was recreated on the back lot.Bing must have been a little jealous and who could have blamed him when Paramount did this film completely on location in Hawaii for the King. And Elvis got to go back to Hawaii for another film in Paradise, Hawaiian Style. Elvis got a whole lot of musical numbers here including the title tune which he sings over the opening credits. He does a rockabilly version of the French song Alouette and with different lyrics, the Mexican love ballad, La Paloma. And he borrows a hit from Andy Williams when he reprises the Hawaiian Wedding Song. Of course no film set in Hawaii is complete without Aloha Oe. But the big song from this film is one of Presley's greatest Can't Help Falling In Love With You. He sings it during a scene for a birthday party for Joan Blackman's grandmother. It's sort of done in a throwaway manner like the producer's didn't think it would be the big number in the film. It might surprise Presley fans that this blockbuster hit was also recorded by another RCA Victor artist named Perry Como for one of his albums. Perry does a nice job with it, but it ain't a patch on the King's version.Elvis is a rich young kid who'd like very much to get out from under Mom and Dad and prove himself. He's even done a hitch in the army, but that doesn't help. Parents are played by Roland Winters and Angela Lansbury.Angela Lansbury recounted a story where she and her husband had dinner with Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis when they were casting Blue Hawaii. She said Elvis was a nice, polite young man who barely said three words during the dinner. The talk was all from Colonel Tom who was making all kinds of offers to the future Jessica Fletcher to be in this film. Angela's career was somewhat in a dry spell, she hadn't made The Manchurian Candidate yet or appeared on Broadway in Mame. So she was quite willing to appear.I gained some insight into how Colonel Parker handled Elvis with that story. If you look at the cast and even the behind the camera credits of his films, you'll see them populated with a whole lot of Hollywood veterans. I'll bet there were many such dinners during Elvis's film career.To be sure Presley was certainly the Colonel's meal ticket. But I would have to say that he made every effort to see that Elvis and his films were given the best possible production values. I think that's why the King had a long sustained film career until public tastes change which they inevitably do. Also musicals, even Elvis's became too cost prohibitive to produce any more.Blue Hawaii marks the height of Presley's singing and film career. The Beatles hadn't come on the scene yet, the King was still ruling the roost on the record charts and his films were grossing big box office. And unless your Bing Crosby and feel a twinge of jealousy that his Hawaii film was done on the cheap, you'll like Blue Hawaii very much. It's nice entertainment from a great entertainer.