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| 11/18/2003 |
| Bubba Ho Tep: The Greatest Film ever about JFK and Elvis vs Mummy |
by Wes Bennett
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A Bubba Ho Tep = a Red Neck Mummy.
“Bubba Ho Tep” may not win any academy awards, but it will definitely be one of my favorite films of the year. Writer- director, Don Coscarelli (who made the cult horror film “Phantasm”) has adapted a short story by Joe R. Lansdale into a high-camp, creature-feature that, beneath the sheer outlandishness of the premise, is an understated and comedic film about aging, showcased by a fascinating and inventive character study.
The film is centered around two great performances. 86 year-old Ossie Davis (“12 Angry Men” from 1957) is JFK. B movie legend, Bruce Campbell (“The Evil Dead”, “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.” and If Chins Could Kill) is Elvis.
The residents of an East Texas nursing home are mysteriously being killed. Only an impotent, elderly Elvis and the recovering, African American, John F. Kennedy can save the day. John claims that they dyed him black to protect the secret of what happened in Dallas and filled up the missing parts of his head with sand.
Elvis explains that he became sick of the lifestyle and made a deal with Sebastian Hoff, the greatest Elvis impersonator of the day, to trade places. The contract guaranteeing that Elvis could switch back was burned up in a barbecuing accident. For awhile, Elvis enjoyed the freedom of performing without the sideshow of fame. But then Hoff died and Elvis broke a hip while performing, eventually landing in an East Texas retirement home.
After discovering ancient, Egyptian graffiti in the visitor’s toilet and a few giant scarab beetles, JFK realizes the nursing home is under attack by a Soul Sucker with a penchant for western apparel.
The film has a sharp sense of humor and a strikes a great balance between being serious and ridiculous. Elderly people are taken to nursing homes so they can be out of the way and die. No one would notice if these people were under attack. In setting a horror film under these circumstances, the premise is brilliant and original.
Davis of course looks nothing like JFK, but we're not really supposed to think he is. One of the movie's nice touches is the way Elvis just takes him at his word and proceeds from there. Davis has a great face and looks very dignified doing and saying ridiculous things such as offering Elvis a “chocolate ding-dong.”
Elvis spends most of his time discussing his johnson. The King is, like most royalty, a disgruntled bastard, yet manages at the same time to be introspective and remorseful. He looks back on his failed marriage and estrangement from his daughter with real regret.
The narration of Elvis’s past, as well as being humorous, also manages to be wicked, observant and truthful. "Bubba Ho-Tep" has a lot of affection for Elvis, takes him seriously, and treats his outrageous situation as if it's really happening.
For Elvis and JFK, this is a chance at redemption, to go out with their boots on. Elvis has a great speech about how he was a fraud in his old movies. When the lights went out, it was back to the booze, the pills and the coveting of women. Now he finally has a chance to become a hero for real. It’s ridiculous, inspiring and funny all at the same time. I could scarcely stop smiling at the absurdity, sheer inventiveness and joy of the film, especially when the two old men were battling the Mummy in the climax.
The score by Brian Tyler (“Six-String Samurai”) is moving, evocative and absolutely perfect.
"Bubba Ho-tep" is not just a witty comedy of absurdity and goofy gags, it’s also a wry, underplayed film with an undercurrent of loss and abandonment. Coscarelli injects a sense of loss into the unbalanced weirdness of two senior citizens who take on the undead, armed with little more than a walker, rubbing alcohol and creaky kung fu moves.
Overall, it may be one of the best low budget features in modern era, up there with “Clerks” and “Swingers.” We can only hope that yet another outstanding performance by Campbell will bring him more mainstream roles.
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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