This is the first movie I have ever seen with Elvis Presley in it and all I can say is not bad. He’s actually quite good with the acting and his singing was even better. Simple and ridiculous as was the movie I could not really understand the morals or the point of the film. It seems the movie was just a one big musical showcase of Elvis’ singing and the film was just an icing that sweetened more of Elvis’s fame back in the days . As obvious as it is, the whole film (especially the actresses) revolves around Elvis’ character Mike and the scenarios and the dialogues of the film were somewhat simple and unrealistic.

The main attraction of the film was, obviously, Mike’s performance in various bars and night clubs around a very tourist-focused, night-life-esque fictionally glamorized Acapulco. Mike unironically sings about the stereotypical view of Mexico such as pretty ladies, tequilas, bullfighting and being laid-back and just having fun. Annoying and obviously as it is, the intention of the film was just to entertain the viewers and showcase more of Elvis while using Acapulco as a performance stage. The image of Acapulco in the film is so familiar to that of the films Le Magnifique and maybe Flying Down to Rio. The ignorant portrayal sort of glamorizes Acapulco as this place where there is only fun and drinking. Although this may seem like a nuance, during the 1950s-1970s Acapulco was a popular and inexpensive vacation resort for many  people so it does make some sense that many movies at that time would choose Acapulco as a bright setting for movies like Fun in Acapulco. The Americanized perception of Acapulco (and Mexico in general) at that time seem to have been as this vacation resort-like place with beautiful beaches and adventurous opportunities.

All in all, I enjoyed the musical performance of the film and although everything else was ridiculous and unreal, the entertainment value of the film was great. As I have mentioned in my blog about Down Argentine Way, this film also portrays the setting and the people as a harmless viewpoint for the purpose of entertainment and positive promotion.