Elvis & Nixon

In December 1970, Elvis Presley arrives in Washington with his friend Jerry Schilling, hoping to be sworn in as a federal agent with the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. He wants to help fight drug abuse in America, but getting past the White House gates proves difficult. A handwritten note for President Richard Nixon eventually reaches the president's aides, including Egil Krogh and Dwight Chapin, and then chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, whose first reaction is to refuse. The request finally lands with Nixon himself, who agrees to a meeting with the rock star. The two men sit down in the Oval Office for a conversation in which they find unexpected common ground, including their shared dislike of the counterculture, while the encounter is arranged in part with the president's public image in mind. The film is a light historical comedy built around that real meeting.

Liza Johnson directed, working from a screenplay by Cary Elwes, Joey Sagal and Hanala Sagal; Elwes also produced. It is Johnson's third feature, following Return in 2011 and Hateship Loveship in 2014. Kevin Spacey plays Nixon and Michael Shannon plays Presley, with Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville, Colin Hanks and Evan Peters in supporting roles. Made for about 5 million dollars, the film took roughly 1 million dollars worldwide, a small return on its budget. Audiences were mild on it, rating it 6.3 out of 10 on IMDb from around 16,000 votes and 6 out of 10 on TMDB from 451 votes. Film critics were slightly warmer, averaging 6.4 out of 10 across 156 reviews.