Well, surprise, surprise … You have to bear in mind as you read this that I am NOT, in fact, a member of the Cult of Elvis. I’m not saying that because I’m about to lambast the film but because I’m about to give it surprised praise. The surprise is all on my part. I didn’t figure I’d much get into this particular project, in large part because of my lack of membership in the cult. But, insert repeat of opening sentence here, this is a particularly engaging faux documentary. Picking an actor able to do the so-called “King’s” voice with passable believability, ELVIS FOUND ALIVE “chronicles” Highway Entertainment’s “discovery” via a Freedom of Information Act Request and a botched cover-up by the government when they send the documents (the ink blocking out top secret stuff was still wet – ?!? – and could be washed off, sort of) that Elvis is still alive. That’s right, his death was faked. The real deal is that he worked undercover for the United States government after his “death”. ELVIS FOUND ALIVE, though, goes the extra mile. This isn’t just about his fictional career as an underground U.S. operative (though I say “fictional”, some hardcore, overzealous fan out there is going to buy into this movie hook, line and sinker). Elvis – hiding behind a blotted out face for security reasons since he knows stuff that would make folks in power nervous – begins to regale the Highway Entertainment crew with his whole life story. ELVIS FOUND ALIVE mingles fact and fiction in a compelling “interview” with the long-lost King himself. It’s a clever conceit and for the gullible, an easy deceit. It’s done pretty well, though I have to wonder how – if this was real – the set-up of the film wouldn’t have given away anything anybody needed to know to track down the hiding-out Elvis …
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