| 100 |
Film Threat
Pete Vonder Haar
I loved this film; from the opening “Ben-Hur” nod to the hieroglyph subtitles, it's simultaneously hilarious and poignant, with great performances.
|
| 80 |
The Hollywood Reporter
David Hunter
A zinger-filled crowd-pleaser that open-minded Elvis fans (but by no means all) will have fun with.
|
| 80 |
Newsweek
A one-of- a-kind horror movie: hilarious, a little scary and strangely poignant. Campbell’s cranky, valiant, sad-sack King is a soulfully funny creation.
|
| 80 |
LA Weekly
Campbell is flat-out great, muting his beloved Sam Raimi shtick in favor of a genuine character turn, an act of transformation that makes you wonder why he's never been called on to interpret Elvis before.
|
| 78 |
Austin Chronicle
A charming surprise, the kind of neat little low-budget movie that seems more like a collaboration among friends than it does a corporate investment.
|
| 75 |
Chicago Sun-Times
Endearing and vulgar in about the right proportion. The movie doesn't exactly work, but sometimes when a car won't start, it's still fun to look at the little honey gleaming in the driveway.
|
| 75 |
Premiere
A wildly creative amusement, thanks mostly to Campbell, whose weathered yet still-taking-care-of-business Elvis is alone worth the price of admission.
|
| 75 |
San Francisco Chronicle
Peter Hartlaub
Surprisingly good as a quirky triumph of human spirit.
|
| 75 |
ReelViews
As a satire and an off-the-wall comedy, Bubba Ho-Tep hits the bullseye. As a horror movie, it's less successful. Maybe we're too busy laughing to be scared.
|
| 75 |
New York Post
It's a credit to the actors, particularly the superb Campbell, that completely preposterous material can be made strangely touching.
|
| 75 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Not a comedy of guffaws and goofy gags, but a wry, underplayed little piece with an undercurrent of loss and abandonment.
|
| 70 |
Dallas Observer
This horror-comedy about an aging Elvis in a haunted rest home proves not only is "Evil Dead's" Bruce Campbell a good actor, but possibly a great one.
|
| 63 |
Boston Globe
The film's good humor is often betrayed by its low-budget roots, however, as though it couldn't afford to be more original or ambitious than its premise.
|
| 63 |
New York Daily News
Much of the film is sub-sophomoric, but Campbell and Davis give hilarious deadpan performances.
|
| 60 |
Empire
Chris Hewitt
Diehards might be disappointed at the lack of chainsaw wielding, but this is Campbell’s finest hour since you-know-what.
|
| 60 |
TV Guide
Based on a short story by Joe R. Lansdale, this low-key oddity stresses character over broad laughs and shock effects, allowing Campbell and Davis to develop a quirky rapport that's a real pleasure to watch.
|
| 60 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Playing against rubber-faced type, cult icon Bruce Campbell grounds his Elvis in a wry, understated swagger that holds the film's wacky excesses in orbit and does more honor to the legend himself than a thousand Vegas lounge-show wannabes.
|
| 50 |
Chicago Tribune
Kevin M. Williams
Coscarelli, the man behind the long-running "Phantasm" splatter series, can't quite conjure a complete movie out the concept and stretches the material until its humorous conceits repeat ad nauseum.
|
| 50 |
Portland Oregonian
It's the sort of sophomoric exercise that will be appreciated chiefly by viewers already convinced they love it even before they've bought their tickets.
|
| 50 |
Variety
Mismatched marriage of offbeat character study and unimaginative horror riffs. Most compelling element by far is Bruce Campbell's inspired performance as a nursing home patient who insists he is the real Elvis Presley.
|
| 50 |
Washington Post
A leisurely paced, subtly funny, though verbally crude chamber piece.
|
| 50 |
Washington Post
A leisurely paced, subtly funny, though verbally crude chamber piece.
|
| 42 |
Entertainment Weekly
Don Coscarelli, writer-director of the logy, fatuous Bubba Ho-Tep, is trying to will a cult movie into existence -- which, of course, never works.
|
| 40 |
Chicago Reader
Adapted from a story by Joe R. Lansdale, this might have squeaked by as a half-hour "Twilight Zone" episode, albeit with jokes about toilets and erections in old age.
|
| 40 |
The New York Times
There is a grungy high spirit during the first third of this film, but then it dissipates like a mist from an aerosol can.
|
| 40 |
Village Voice
Ed Halter
Though unpainfully entertaining, its greatest dose of otherworldly mojo must have been spent warding off straight-to-video status.
|
| 40 |
Los Angeles Times
Limp spoof.
|
| 30 |
Washington Post
The film stars Bruce Campbell of the "Evil Dead" series as Elvis in a touching, funny and at times grotesque performance that is actually the best thing about the movie.
|
| 25 |
Christian Science Monitor
Davis contributes his usual dignity -- not easy when you're playing a character who thinks he's John F. Kennedy dyed black -- but it's not enough to save this silly thriller-comedy.
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