Rent Viva Las Vegas (1964)

All Shook Up in Neon - Viva Las Vegas review by griggs

Short, bright, and buzzing with slot-machine energy, Viva Las Vegas flashes by in a blur of lights and quick cuts. At just 85 minutes, it’s one of Elvis’s shortest films, and you feel it; between the pacing and the neon glare, it’s easy to get cinematic whiplash. Elvis plays Lucky Jackson, a race-car driver trying to win both a Grand Prix and Ann-Margret’s heart, and he does a fine job of pouting his way through both.

Director George Sidney brings his MGM musical flair — plenty of colour and motion, if not much story. Still, it’s hard to mind when Ann-Margret is on screen. As Rusty Martin, she’s magnetic, bursting with life, and clearly having a ball. She practically dances circles around Elvis, who looks both smitten and slightly out of his depth. Their chemistry, both on and off screen, gives the film its spark.

It’s all gloss and speed — fun while it lasts, if a little shallow. The songs, especially the title track and “C’mon Everybody,” are the real show. Viva Las Vegas shines when it stops pretending to tell a story and just revels in the music, movement, and glittering absurdity of mid-’60s Vegas.