Fun in Acapulco (1963)

Thanks for the memories!

So much average

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

After being fired as a yacht crew member thanks to an obnoxious teenaged girl, sexy Elvis Presley gets to swing those hips to a Latin beat in a local nightclub. There, he becomes the object of affection of two beautiful women, Ursula Andres and Elsa Cardenas while dealing with old fears as a high diver after an incident as a trapeze artist. With the help of the adorable Larry Domasin, Elvis is able to solve his problems, all the while wondering sardonically if Domasin is a 40 year old midget. As W.C. Fields warned older actors, cute children, especially ethnic ones, are scene stealers. Fun and frivolous, this has some great musical moments, especially a bike riding duet entitled "Mexico" with the scene stealing Domasin. But even with his dark hair and tan, it's obvious that Presley is as Caucasian as they come, his southern drawl a dead giveaway. The romantic subplot is rather unimportant, although Cardenas is quite striking in her matador outfit. But it's obvious that this is Hollywood's dream ideal of a friendly, tourist loving Mexico, no social issues and no reflection on the real issues of the 60's. Poor Paul Lukas is wasted in a minor role as Andres's papa, looking like a Hungarian chef Boyardee. But oh that scenery...so gorgeous, you can practically taste it!

Elvis plays Mike who takes a job as a lifeguard after being fired from his previous job. Here he comes across another Lothario and the two spar over women. This is the usual Elvis set up but this one is very light of plot and it fails to sparkle in any way. Elvis looks great but even he can't make much from the poor script. The songs are decidedly average and the back up cast including Ursula Andress add little to the story although the 10 year old boy who befriends Elvis does a decent job. This film just drags and seems much longer than it's running time. It never goes anywhere and to be honest compared to a lot of his other movies it isn't much fun. This is a disappointing effort and is strictly for die hard Elvis fans.

Veteran helmer Richard Thorpe directed two movies with Elvis. "Jailhouse Rock" came first in 1957, and the second one "Fun in Acapulco" followed in 1963. Comparably, "Jailhouse Rock" qualifies as the better of the two, with more grit and realism. "Jailhouse Rock" ranks one of Elvis' best musicals, and its black & white look contributes to its distinctive look. If you're counting, "Fun in Acapulco" was the King of Rock & Roll's thirteenth cinematic outing. Naturally, the action unfolds in scenic Acapulco. In real life, Elvis was nowhere near the popular Mexican resort spot when Thorpe was lensing the film with Oscar-winning cinematographer Daniel L. Fapp of "West Side Story" fame. According to Parménides García Saldaña, in his book entitled "Rey Criollo," the authorities had branded Elvis as an undesirable because two of his early movies had created such a stink in Mexico. Anyway, Elvis warbles such songs as "Fun In Acapulco," "Vino, Dinero Y Amor," "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here," "Mexico," "El Toro," "Marguerita," "The Bullfighter Was A Lady," "(There's) No Room To Rhumba In A Sports Car," "Bossa Nova Baby," "You Can't Say No In Acapulco," and "Guadalajara." Other than Top 10 Billboard hit "Bossa Nova Baby," most of these tunes are entirely forgettable like this largely disposable romantic musical comedy. "Fun in Acapulco" is of some interest because Elvis plays a character with a flawed background. Look closely and you'll spot "Andy Griffith" regular Howard McNear in one of the night club scenes. Young Larry Domasin makes a cute little boy who serves as Elvis' manager. I cannot help feeling that Raoul might have been an in-joke jab at Elvis' promoter Colonel Tom Parker. Paul Lukas has a neat little role as a cook. "Fun in Acapulco" features only one Elvis brawl and it occurs ten minutes from fade-out.When we first see Elvis, he is Mike Windgren, the captain of a yacht. The daughter of the wealthy man who owns the yacht, Janie Harkins (Teri Hope of "Pajama Game") is a spoiled, bratty girl who drools over Elvis. Elvis wants nothing to do with this 'jail bait' siren, so she has him fired when her father catches her with alcohol in an Acapulco bar. Fortunately, Mike encounters a homeless Mexican shoeshine boy with street smarts, Raoul Almeido (Larry Domasin), who helps Elvis snag a job singing at the Acapulco Hilton run by one of his cousins, Mr. Ramírez (Alberto Morin of "Rio Grande"), who constantly has trouble with his current singer El Trovador who gives him nothing but grief. Mike agrees to fill in for El Trovador, if Ramírez will let him lifeguard at the pool "during the siesta for room and board, no pay." Ramírez does like to upset his employers and he fears that the current lifeguard, Moreno (Alejandro Rey of "Mr. Majestyk"), who is a cliff diver, will object to Mike's presence. Of course, matters are helped that Elvis has his eye on Moreno's stunning girlfriend, Marguerita Dauphin (Ursula Andress of "Dr. No"); later, Mike learns that the Hilton chef Maximillian Dauphin (Paul Lukas of "Watch on the Rhine") is Marguerita's father. An interesting scene occurs later when Elvis ascends to the top of the diving board at the Hilton and imagines himself as a high wire trapeze artist in the circus. He looks down at the pool but sees a circus arena. As it turns out, he was part of a high-wire family trapeze act called "The Flying Windgrens, and he misses the man that he is supposed to catch. Mike's brother plunged to his death. Mike lacks the nerve to dive off the board. This is probably the most interesting facet of this Elvis character. "Girls! Girls!Girls!" scenarist Allan Weiss hammers home this point when Mike refuses to be photographed after he wows the audiences who had listened to El Trovador. Predictably, Mike and Moreno clash over Marguerita. Secretly, Marguerita wants to go to America, and she believes that if Mike marries her that her father and she can immigrate. Meanwhile, Mike is trying to date Dolores Gomez (Elsa Cárdenas of "Giant") when Moreno interferes again. Later, when Mike performs again with Dolores as his date, Marguerita and Moreno are in the audience. Clearly, Marguerita is upset that she didn't come with Mike so she forces Moreno to take her home. Later, on a cliff overlooking the city at night, Dolores and Mike are smooching in her convertible sports car when they almost roll off the cliff because Dolores raised the emergency brake that was between them. This was an amusing little scene. Dolores is a somewhat interesting character because she is a female Mexican bullfighter. Before long Raoul has Mike booked in almost every night club in Acapulco. Eventually, Moreno learns about Mike's tragic history, and he calls Mike a "chicken" to his face. Mike receives a wire from his mother and father who want him to return to America so they can renew their act. Of course, the ultimate act for our hero to prove his courage is to dive off the challenging 136-foot cliffs of La Quebrada. Mike scales the mountain from the other side because the crowd prevents him from entering the dive area. We learn that Mike is Catholic because he bows at a shrine and makes the cross of Saint Mary before he makes his leap of faith. Of course, he completes the dive with no difficulty.Interestingly enough, we don't see Mike marry MMarguerita and take her father and her to America so he can resume his high wire trapeze act. Altogether, "Fun in Acapulco" makes for a harmless diversion.

A typical Presley film that's quite enjoyable. Made a little before the King got bored with the indistinguishable material thrown at him and he gives a relaxed and likable performance here. Here he's playing a character who's trying to overcome a past trauma (an accident in a circus show which resulted in his brother's demise) by taking a job as a lifeguard at a hotel resort in Acapulco. But, with this being a Presley film, he also moonlights as a singer and has two knockout beauties wanting his full attention. The dramatic aspect here is actually quite good and what little Presley gets to show off in dramatic acting he pulls off well. Other than that; this is standard Presley fare. A few musical numbers in nightclubs, a shallow love story with the irresistible Andress, a macho rival for the girl's affections and a cute kid who befriends Elvis. Actually; the kid here (Larry Domasin) is quite funny and endearing and scenes involving the two are very good. The acting by Andress, Elsa Cardenas (as the other woman vying for Elvis's affections) and Alejandro Rey (as the fellow lifeguard and Presley's rival for Andress) is remarkably stilted. Elvis and the kid come off best. The songs here are fairly solid for Presley fans but none have become classics with the possible exception of "Bossa Nova" which is undoubtedly the highlight of this film's musical numbers. In the end; "Fun in Acapulco" is enjoyable for a Presley fan and others might just have a decent enough time. The scenery here is wonderful and you'll just wish you were there (as is the case with many Elvis films). Too bad the King hardly ever visited these great locations as he was always in studio and a body double used for the wide shots (and it's quite apparent in a few here).