Double Trouble (1967)

(On Cable TV, September 2022) So here we have Elvis Presley travelling across Europe while being subject to a number of subplots and… well… that’s it for Double Trouble. By this time in Presley’s film career (this is either the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth of his film, depending on whether you count the production or release order), he or his management had long given up on a serious dramatic film persona, and so the film is a bit of an oft-awkward blend of comedy, music and suspense, what with him running around with a young woman targeted by killers and thieves. The blender-mix plotting takes a while to get going (partially to the film’s detriment, although the musical interludes are meant to keep audiences entertained in the interim) and quite a bit of the narrative relies on coincidence—but is any of that really important for the film’s audience? I haven’t seen enough of Elvis’ films to rank Double Trouble with any confidence, but I’m tempted to agree with those fans of his work ranking this in a solid middle-tier—flawed, nowhere near the best, but pleasant to watch and occasionally amusing as well.