"Heartbreak Hotel": amusing but forgotten movie from 1988 gets new life on DVD

(reviewed by Nigel Patterson, July 2004)

Elvis Presley kidnapped! This was the premise for a wonderfully amusing film starring David Keith, Charlie Schlatter and Tuesday Weld. Available on DVD in the US for a while, the film is about to be released in Australia by Touchstone Pictures (mid July). Heartbreak Hotel is a comic delight. There are numerous funny scenes and while the basic premise is far fetched the film is well enough directed by one of the best in Hollywood, Chris Columbus, that you quickly suspend any disbelief.

David Keith makes a good fist of Elvis and Charlie Schlatter (better known alongside Kylie Minogue in 'The Delinquents' and in TV's 'Diagnosis Murder') is very good as Johnny, the mastermind behind Elvis' kidnapping. Tuesday Weld is very effective as the star struck mother who idolises The King (a nice twist given her starring role alongside Elvis in Wild In The Country).

There is a lot of Elvis music in Heartbreak Hotel, a mix of The King himself and several admirable efforts by David Keith.

Sound: The disc features Digital Dolby Surround sound that is more than acceptable on your home theatre system.

Picture: Digitally mastered picture is OK without being outstanding. The version we previewed was fullscreen formatted (1.33:1).

Verdict: Sneak Previews said Heartbreak Hotel is "a continual delight" and USA Today said "It's great fun!" EIN agrees. Heartbreak Hotel is a welcome DVD release - a musically robust and comic story that provides plenty of entertainment for the whole family.

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