Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis screened at Cannes last night and before we get into how it was received and all the reaction, let’s talk about Baz’s outfit because he really served up some TCB energy. TCB, for the Elvis uninitiated, stands for “Taking Care of Business”, which was Elvis’s mantra. He and his posse, the Memphis Mafia (LOL forever), used to roll around town with the TCB logo emblazoned across everything like they were the only ones who could get it done. You know in Grease when Danny Zuko and the T-Birds strutted around everywhere thinking they were cool as sh-t? That’s the vibe Elvis and his crew were giving, only well before Grease, obviously. 

 

Is it corny AF? Of course. Elvis was corny AF! And, as a lifelong Elvis fangirl, the whole TCB thing will always be hilarious and amazing to me. 

Baz Luhrmann attends the screening of "Elvis" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival
Baz Luhrmann attends the screening of "Elvis" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 25, 2022 in Cannes, France

The reason I’m starting this post off with Baz’s outfit is because, well, it’s exactly why he was the perfect person to make this movie. As I have already said, Baz Luhrmann was already over-the-top, before he decided to tell Elvis’s story. He is an excessive filmmaker and his subject, Elvis, was an excessive person – all the tackiness and EXTRA-ness of Elvis requires the Baz Luhrmann treatment…

 

And there is no better place to showcase the results of the Baz Luhrmann treatment than at the most extra and unrestrained of film festivals, which is Cannes. Everything about this premiere is perfect. 

Including the reception: a 12-minute standing ovation, the longest yet of this year’s festival, that came after lots and lots of cheering during the film. The Cannes audience could not get enough of Elvis, could not get enough of Austin Butler as Elvis, and could not get enough of Alton Mason who plays Little Richard in the film and whose performance, apparently, is a major revelation. 

I posted about Alton last year when he was shooting a Tiffany & Co campaign with Anya Taylor-Joy. He’s the first Black male model to walk for Chanel and one of Karl Lagerfeld’s muses before he died, a top model in the industry before this acting opportunity and, clearly, about to break out BIG in film. 

 

Let’s also appreciate what he brought to the carpet last night…

Alton Mason attends the screening of "Elvis" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival
Alton Mason attends the screening of "Elvis" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 25, 2022 in Cannes, France

…and what he brought to the photo call today, OMG:

Alton Mason attends the photocall for "Elvis" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival
Alton Mason attends the photocall for "Elvis" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 26, 2022 in Cannes, France
 

As for Austin Butler, I’ll post about him separately later, but by all accounts, even among those who are giving the film mixed reviews, word is he delivers what will likely be the gold standard of Elvis portrayals – with the full endorsement of the Presleys, Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley. Lisa actually said that:

“Austin channeled and embodied my father’s heart and soul beautifully. In my humble opinion, his performance is unprecedented and finally done accurately and respectfully. If he doesn’t get an Oscar for this, I will eat my own foot.”

So there’s the heads up – the Oscar campaign begins now. Like I said, we’ll get into more about Austin in a later post but for now, he’s basking in the buzz… with a Tom Cruise fist-pump (wait for it)! 

Kaia Gerber joined Austin on the trip and I’ve attached photos of them kissing in celebration of the biggest moment of his career so far. Um, has someone checked on Jacob Elordi?