Priscilla

If Sofia Coppola’s goal with Priscilla was to make a dull, repetitive film to mirror Priscilla Beaulieu’s experiences with Elvis Presley, she succeeded — but that doesn’t exactly make for an engaging view.

Beautiful yet vapid like all of Coppola’s films not starring Bill Murray or Stephen Dorff, the writer/director’s latest look at the lifestyles of the rich and boring offers little beyond impressive attention to period detail and being a foil to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.

While last year’s glitzy, sympathetic biopic arguably offered too much insight into the iconic artist’s mind — Civil Rights hero fabrications and all — Priscilla does the opposite, revealing only one detail about 14-year-old Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny, Mare of Easttown): she’s a fan of Elvis’ music. Not that Coppola shows any scenes that convey it, but a homesick Elvis (Jacob Elordi, The Kissing Booth) on a U.S. Army base in Germany claims that this attractive minor, stationed abroad with her parents, is mature for her age and a good conversationalist — apparently the lone qualities he’s looking for in a girlfriend.

Counterintuitive to offering a nuanced female perspective, Coppola presents far more information about The King than her eponymous heroine, but still not what makes him tick. Back at Graceland, he acts like a man-child, surrounds himself with sycophants, and essentially keeps Priscilla locked up as a virginal prisoner while he goes off to make movies and cheat on her with his famous co-stars. However, minimal attempts are made to explore these choices or their repercussions as Priscilla accepts her eventual husband’s bullshit excuses and seems oblivious that the cycle will soon repeat.

In turn, Priscilla doubles down on its monotony, serving up frustratingly short vignettes that barely build on each other. With Lost in Translation, On the Rocks, and Somewhere, Coppola approaches a central theme from numerous angles, resulting in a true plot and memorable characters and performances. But here, causality barely enters the equation until the last 10 minutes, and while Spaeny and Elordi are serviceable, they rarely rise above playing dress-up.

The end product is yet another Sofia Coppola film that keeps emotions at a distance and only resonates on aesthetic levels.

Grade: C-minus. Rated R. Now playing at Carolina Cinemark, the Fine Arts Theatre, Grail Moviehouse, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: A24)