Double Trouble Review
Originally slated to be a Julie Christie movie, the head of MGM Robert O'Brien demanded that it would be written as an Elvis movie instead. Irwin Winkler, Christie's manager, was slated to be the producer in his first Hollywood picture. Supposedly, the inspiration for the new plot was a novel by Mark Brandel with the working title being "You're Killing Me". Given that Julie Christie is a British actress, the movie of course is set in Europe starting in London.
Meanwhile veteran Elvis director Norman Taurog was reaching an age where he couldn't direct like he used to as he was going blind. Winkler would also have another plate to juggle in the form of Annette Day, a young woman from the UK who's making her film debut. Fun fact, she was actually handpicked by the other producer for the film, Judd Bernard when he was on a vacation in London. With all the cards stacked against him was he able to salvage a last minute script overhaul, or were the odds just too much to overcome? Let's find out.
And now for something completely different. For the first part of "Double Trouble", we get b-roll that has nothing to do with Elvis. He doesn't even start singing until after the opening credits end. I will get this out of the way now, but this is a very misleading title. There's no lookalike framing Guy and it's intentionally confusing on who is out to get him. Anyway, we get a surprisingly contemporary dance scene with Guy Lambert hitting up a night club in London. I guess that makes sense since American singers have done shows in London and then throughout Europe. Given that the nature of the movie was meant to be different, I can also see why they couldn't completely scrap the whole club aesthetic.
We get introduced to Claire who is a bit too on the nose on numerous watches as a femme fatale type. Guy immediately knows that she isn't sincere about feeling jealous over Guy's 17 year old girlfriend, Jill. I'll address the obvious issue right now. Guy in this moment of time is not a creep for being with her. He can't be accused of preying on a teenaged girl if he doesn't even know she is not 18. Even if he did know she was 17, their relationship is not depicted in anyway that suggests he even so much as kissed her.
When Jill arrives, he sings "Baby, If You Give Me All Your Love" which is your typical upbeat ballad. I have no idea what this mannequin head is supposed to be. If anyone has any guesses, leave a comment down below. As for the song, I can see this being a favorite if this is somehow someone's first Elvis movie. As it stands it doesn't work pacing wise. Like he sees Jill, sings a song, then goes to talk to her about how they should probably decide if they should get serious or not in not even 2 minutes. What I really want to know is how they even met for Guy to be in this position as we never get that backstory. As in, how could Guy be this deep with Jill and still barely know anything about her? If Claire was his girlfriend, I would get that since he at least knows she is not fully open about herself.
So they get to Guy's apartment as there is absolutely nothing going on between them. She makes tea, serves "bikkies" and just doesn't stop talking. Guy has zero game with her to the point where he puts on his own record "Could I Fall In Love?" only for her to fall asleep. To be fair to Jill, the instrumental was so long that in real life anyone would fall asleep in that situation. Again, it really makes you wonder why Guy is interested in her when they just do not seem compatible at all. Even if you take out the obvious difference being her age (which again he doesn't know), they just do not appear to be on the same page. If she doesn't even kiss Guy until now, you're left with the eternal question of what they actually during their time together that would even spark this type of emotion.
Things take a wild turn when Guy sits down on the tea. That genuinely shocked me the first time around as I wasn't expecting that to happen. I know he was probably wearing heavy duty pants but in real life, Jill would have to call a cab to take Guy to the emergency room for scald wounds on his butt. Jill gets up to leave in a hurry and is just now getting Guy's phone number which again you have to wonder how they even keep in touch with each other to plan stuff. There is also the mystery of why Jill says she is interested only to leave out of nowhere.
The bombardment of L's doesn't stop as after Jill leaves, Guy opens the door and immediately gets punched in the face. Absolutely no build up and he wasn't even the right person. What makes it better and worse is that we never see this guy again. There is just no call back to him at the end where it's revealed he was part of some scheme. He really does just show up, punch Guy out and leave without any additional context as to who he even wanted to punch. Why? Was there meant to be a connection that was just cut? I have so many questions on what the full intent was behind this movie and just how much was changed to fit Elvis being the lead. I would like to think this part was added in to make you think at first that it was Guy who was being targeted but by the end it just isn't clear. Now what's honestly incredible is how Guy is completely out cold all night which in real life would absolutely be a sign of a concussion. It's made even worse when wakes up only to hit himself in the head with his own phone. Keep in mind, this all this happens in the span of about a minute.
Elvis getting hit by the phone looks like it actually hurt since it looked like a real phone. It all happens so fast that I can't even get a screenshot of the exact moment the phone hits Elvis right in the head. Even if it was a fake phone, that had to at least sting a little bit. So he gets a call from Jill's uncle Gerald asking to meet Guy. Throughout the call you just think that Guy has a concussion since his words sound slurred. It has nothing to do with the movie, but I never liked the trope where you have a character get punched out then wake up hours later like nothing happened. I know this was the mid 1960s but looking at it through a modern lens, Guy needs to go to the hospital. Anyway, when Guy and uncle Gerald meet, the movie makes it even more clear that this relationship isn't creepy. Guy immediately breaks things off once he finds out Jill's just a school girl. Uncle Gerald as her guardian would have a right as well to ensure she's safe and Guy doesn't push the matter.
If anything Jill is the one who wants the relationship to work. She takes advantage of uncle Gerald sending her away to a boarding school which makes me wonder why he didn't just do that in the first place. We do get the first sign that uncle Gerald isn't all that he seemed since he somehow knew Jill was dating Guy. I can buy that he knew Jill was sneaking out since a concerned parental figure would want to make sure of such things. But if Jill is just now getting Guy's phone number, how else would he immediately assume Guy is a legit point of concern unless he did have someone to "spy" on her. I know on the first watch you won't immediately get that, but on multiple watches things make even less sense showing that the writers when making these changes didn't have the time to make these events tie together coherently.
The boat scene is actually well done by making it so foggy you can barely see what's happening. That's not sarcasm, this is meant to be London in either spring or winter based on the weather. This smiling guy is so creepy and he will absolutely not have anything to do in this movie except play a red herring on a line to nowhere. I know they are trying to make you think that he will have something to do with at least one plot, but they won't. Meanwhile Jill meets a young man who seemingly looks interested in being with her and a pair of thieves hide stolen diamonds in Guy's luggage. Because we need at least 3 plots going on in this movie. Also fun fact, the shorter thief was also in the Beatles film Hard Days Night as their road manager. I think he is the only actor that was in both a Beatles movie and an Elvis movie. Given how the British invasion coincided with Elvis' downfall in popularity, this is very ironic to have an actor that did play in a Beatles movie as they were his biggest competition.
Guy and his band the 3 Blind Mice (long time followers will get that reference) decide to sing "Long Legged Girl (With A Short Dress On) for whatever reason on the ship's deck in studio perfect sound quality. At this point songs are just thrown in because we need to be reminded that Guy is in fact a singer and that his band the G-Men really do exist. Meanwhile, after Guy essentially breaks things off with Jill a mysterious figure drops what looks like a suitcase over a railing. Then they unhook a luggage cart. It is very obvious someone wants to kill either Guy or Jill. 3 guesses as to who it is and why. Guy is not that famous to make him a John Lennon figure. Jill meanwhile has an inheritance and only one other living relative. The methods of these attempted killings don't even make sense either. For trying to avoid being suspicious, this assassin sure picks the wrong times to do it. Of all places to do it, why do it in front of a crowd full of people. I know they want us to believe the smiling guy is behind it, but if you are trying to be mysterious why make a potential suspect "obvious"?
To make things even more confusing, this random guy in a trench coat picks up the screw. As one does almost like he's investigating what just happened. Surely he won't be suspected of being a villain when he was actually good if not completed uninvolved in the main plot the whole time right? We cut to Guy singing "City By Night" in such a smoky room I can barely see all the details in the club's set. I do appreciate the return to this jazz/swing style of music akin to Elvis' King Creole era. Jill somehow knows the exact club Guy is playing at even though she's supposed to be in Brussels. By the way, so does Claire which makes her reveal all the more obvious when you watch this movie more than once. To make things even more strange, Guy almost gets hit by a car, the guy from the boat following Guy makes another appearance and the thieves look through his apartment. Because we need all these side characters only to not even give the 3 Blind Mice names. We also want to add to the belief that it's Guy who people want assassinated even though he really isn't that famous. Granted once you know the truth this scene does feel weird since anyone driving the car would clearly see Jill was coming out of the other side of the cab.
Things become even more weird when the tables have turned and Guy is the nervous one. Like he takes Jill to his hotel room while his band is nowhere to be seen as if they don't exist. He is fully aware of how out of line Jill is acting. I have no idea why he even liked her to begin with when he just seems nothing but annoyed to be around her. This whole scene is weirdly put together since you hear the ADR in some of Elvis' and Annette's lines. You have Jill wear a frilly nightgown as Guy comments at how wrong this is. She even lies about Uncle Gerald beating her as an excuse to stick around. It just feels gross and manipulative. Just make Jill the same age as Annette was if you want the same conflict without also making Guy aware that this will be seen as creepy. It's no longer a matter of things not aging well when you have your own character point out how wrong this is. Once they leave we're treated to a good ol fashioned children's song "Old MacDonald". I wish I was making this up. I know it isn't a pure version of the song but it's still Elvis singing about farm animals on the back of a truck when we didn't need it. Like why does this song exist even in the context of their relationship? Guy is absolutely annoyed with Jill so why would he be all chummy with her like this? At this point to cope with this reality, I like to headcanon that all of this is just a coma dream Guy is having from the concussion he got in the beginning.
This next scene only adds to that theory as they end up in Antwerp and a random guy for literally no reason fakes us out by pointing a prop gun at Jill. There are actual policemen that walk by and hear Jill scream only to do absolutely nothing. You just have to wonder: why? Why do this? Of what purpose does doing this serve when we never see him again? It just doesn't make sense when you watch this movie more than once since the red herrings don't even get to do anything outside of being a cheap scare. We get more shenanigans with the thieves trying to get Guy's suitcase. I know this is meant to be a festival but the next few minutes are basically a fever dream. If anyone is Belgian please let me know if this festival is even real. Guy sings "I Love Only One Girl" which pretty much covers all the European stereotypes and even an Arabian one as a bunch of people with creepy heads dance around. I have never seen anything like it with all these demonic looking outfits, guys in lederhosen, a flamenco dancer. Just strange and is nothing but padding to an already confusing plot.
To make things even more confusing is Claire keeps following Guy, Jill is dressed like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and some men in masks make like they're going to attack Jill only to play a joke. That man in the trench coat who was following Jill when this all goes down? Does absolutely nothing when it very easily could have been a murder. I get it's supposed to purposely confuse you but the young man from earlier takes things over the top. At least Jill is smart enough to leave her mask like a clue almost like she suspects this young man. See he turns out to be a guy uncle Gerald hired to kill her.
That was the whole point of this and we get a very horrifying scene where a 17 year old girl is about to be thrown down a hole covered by broken wood. For an Elvis movie, this is a very dark turn of events since it really does come out of nowhere. Guy of course saves her but still a 17 year girl almost died. Given the society we live and how movies are escapism this is a bit too on the nose. Especially when you consider that a lot of cases like this start off the same way in the form of a charming young man gaining trust. The death of this young man means we surprisingly get an Elvis character with a canon body count. We see that he falls through the wood and is very clearly dead.
None of this is played off for laughs. Jill is in hysterics and Guy has to throw away his jacket. I'm amazed this death doesn't have anymore attention drawn to it. That could've been the double trouble as we have Guy thinking he will wrongly get in trouble for kidnapping Jill and Guy thinking he will get in trouble for actually killing that guy. I will give the movie props for not being initially predictable as I sure had no idea who was part of uncle Gerald's scheme. It only falls apart once you see it more than once and the red herrings never actually come together. Like did we really need multiple fake outs in one scene only for them to not lead anywhere?
The next day, we get another plot where two guys want to blow up their own ship. Why? I have no idea. Sure the captain says the point is to collect insurance but like? Why? Calling it Damocles makes it even more confusing. Sure there was a prominent sense of fear between Guy and Jill but this boat has absolutely nothing to do with that. These two guys are now just showing up and don't appear to be connected to anything that we just saw. That's the problem with trying to be mysterious: if you include too many red herrings you're going to end up with a bunch of characters that are introduced as being important only to play no role in the main story. Jill is in the papers for being assumed kidnapped, and an old woman with delusions thinks Guy is her missing husband. That last bit is not at all funny and did not age well. Was this actually meant to be a joke? I have no idea since I don't see how anyone would find this funny. This is just sad.
When they get to a hotel all I can think of is, where is the Georgie with the 3 Blind Mice? I know they are not important but at the same time I have to wonder what in the world they would be thinking since we do see they travel across Europe with Guy. Guy meanwhile gets very on the nose with Elvis' real life struggle in Priscilla. It's the inevitable fact that Guy will get together with Jill by the end that makes this whole conflict pointless. Him singing "There's So Much World To See" is pointless. Especially when he says they should end up as not lovers but friends and they would eventually break up anyway. The reason why this is pointless is because even if Claire was an actual option, the movie has spent no time to indicate that they even have chemistry. But it doesn't matter anyway as we get yet another plot point with the Belgian comedic trio, Weirt Brothers taking Guy into custody for allegedly kidnapping Jill and things get even more strange when Claire picks up Jill only to not take her to the police station.
Of course, Claire is in on this plot as she grabs a very specific bottle of wine from the trunk of her car. Instead of, you know, the numerous bottles that are probably already in her house. Obviously, Jill is going to get drugged so it would be easier to kill her. Instead of just going through the easier route of poisoning her with the wine. What also drags on the non-tension is that the police are just playing cards with Guy instead of actually looking for Jill. If she was actually kidnapped and in danger, they should all be out there looking for her.
Guy of course has to be the only competent person in the room by doing his best to find Jill. Which he does and actually beats Claire up. What a movie as all the plots come together. Jill is saved from being overcome by the gas, Claire rats out Uncle Gerald so both are arrested. Guy drinks what I thought was the drugged wine and we get a turn of events where she turns 18 and spills wine on him.
In another turn of events, the mysterious man in the trench coat was really from Scotland Yard looking for the diamond thieves. I legit laughed when Guy just goes flying to tackle him to the floor thinking he was part of the scheme to murder Jill. Instead of telling Guy that he was part of a completely unrelated investigation from the start, we had to have another mystery. Grayson would be so fired as the diamond thieves are never caught.
In a complete non sequitur ending, the two men on the boat succeed in blowing up the boat, and Guy marries Jill. Just to prove a lot of plots were pointless, the diamond thieves lose the suitcase in the explosion. Guy and Jill are now stranded in the middle of the ocean with absolutely no way to get help. But that doesn't now as they kiss as if the boat they were on didn't just explode. It really does end on a kiss like the writers genuinely couldn't figure out how to end the movie. Knowing the complete lead change, I totally understand why. It's still a shame that the movie really does just end and all you go is "that's it?" akin to Patchy the Pirate from Spongebob. For Annette's film debut, she was fine I guess. She just didn't stand out. I don't know if it's the writing or her acting, but outside of the scene where she was about to be thrown down a hole, her acting is forgettable. I do appreciate that we had actual European actors to give the film some credibility and even make Jill British Unfortunately, she never took off like anyone hoped she would. Just like this movie.
Once again, the obvious decision to make Guy the victim of a lookalike framing him for some crime was right there. I have no idea why they named the movie that. The working title is also pretty bad. "You're Killing Me" is just too generic to work and overemphasizes the amount of murders there actually was. Literally just have Elvis' stunt double play a lookalike where he is the one trying to murder Jill for uncle Gerald. Interestingly enough, there is a comparison to the Beatles movie HELP! in that it's a group of people chasing the Beatles throughout Europe. You can see that influence by having the 3 Blind Mice have Beatle cuts and make Georgie British. Another movie that somewhat had the same concept but executed it better was Tickle Me. Yes it had the same problem of not developing connections with some of the characters, but at least the scale of the world worked regarding the mystery behind it. You didn't have the issue of making the main characters scared of every random person they met. Instead you had a small town where everyone legitimately could be a suspect as they would all be close to Pam in some way.
I know this was probably not what Irwin Winkler had in mind and giving the movie a European setting does make it stand out, but this movie is not good. It's a 6 out of 10. I did like the first 15-20 minutes where the little moments genuinely caught me off guard. The problem is that once it's revealed Jill is 17 and she is an heiress the general concept of where this movie will go is spoiled. You already know to some extent that she will be the victim of attempted murder, but the movie doesn't do a good job of balancing mystery with cohesion. The scenes where Jill almost does die is such a dark turn that it almost doesn't fit in with the rest of the movie. The songs are forgettable and Old MacDonald is a complete joke. When you have a situation like this where things completely change you have to simplify the story as opposed to make it a lot more complicated. That just didn't happen. The saving grace of this movie is that it makes for a great way to celebrate 4/20 without having to get intoxicated.
An: Happy 4/20 everyone. Please indulge responsibly.
Tagging: @codalysssssworld, @presleysweetheart, @smokeymountainboy, @arrolyn1114, @peaceloveelvis,
@mercsandmonsters, @eapep, @atleastpleasetelephone, @without-him, @lucy114505,
@blighted-star, @rjmartin11, @elvisbdoll, @dragonkingsdaughter, @ifyouloveweedletsgosmoke,
@ilovequeen978, @fuzzymusic94, @halieghhh, @tacozebra051, @hooked-on-elvis,
@lola-1013, @father-of-2cats, @southcarolinawoman, @elvisflowerchild, @i-r-i-n-a-a,
@jadeeloveselviss, @xanatenshi, @thelonelyheart, @vintagepresley, @iloveelvis2,
@elvisfangirl92, @angelelvis, @chihirolunvh, @epcoffeelovenotes, @jd5824,
@ahundredlifetime, @alienelvisobsession, @eptodaytommorowforever, @freudianslumber, @wanderingelvis,
@lustnhim, @lvrdollep, @georgefairbrother, @bioshockpunch, @luckydaye777,
@stitchlover0112, @your-nanas-house, @mrsdeanpresley, @leopardandstuds, @joecartwright1842
and @lett-them-eatt-cake.
