Wonderful character development!

Simply Perfect

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Gene Nelson's "Kissin' Cousins" qualifies as an average Elvis musical. The two things, however, set it apart from the usual nonsense. First, Elvis plays dual characters, something that he had never done and would never repeat. He is black-haired Air Force Lieutenant who flies F-84s, and later he is a blonde hillbilly. Mind you, Elvis was an adequate actor, but this duality is a genuine stretch for the King of Rock and Roll. Second, despite its cornball comedy plot, "Kissin' Cousin" acknowledge the perils of the Cold War. Now, this is something that you won't find in any other contemporary Elvis movie. Moreover, the idea that the setting of an Elvis movie is nothing but rainbows, which describes all his efforts, except "Love Me Tender," "Flaming Star," and "Charro." All those epics were westerns. Unfortunately, these two strengths don't overwhelm the general air of frivolity that permeates "Kissin' Cousins." More often than not, it amounts to just another silly, stupid, and shallow Elvis opus. Furthermore, it borrows a trope from the movie "Lil Abner" with aggressive women it hot, hormonal pursuit of men. All the women-except Ma Tatum-are lively little dishes in need of a man. The songs are all substandard, and the film itself looks rushed. Indeed, producer Sam Katzman produced it after Colonel Parker saw the excesses of "Viva Las Vegas." It is also interesting to note that "Kissin' Cousins" was finished before George Sidney's "Viva Las Vegas" illuminated movie screens. Katzman was known for making film not only quickly but as cheaply as possible. Nevertheless, the idea of negotiating with moonshining hillbillies who own land in the Great Smokey Mountains for the site of an ICBM missile base puts the entire fracas into a different category. The deployment of Elvis in to roles was done mostly in camera as the filmmakers relied on the old technique of over-the-shoulder shots rather than employing expensive special effects. You see Elvis talking to the other Elvis, but neither are shown face to face. Often, the stunt guys look too old to be Elvis. At the end, however, director Gene Nelson uses a long shot so that we can see both Elvis characters in the same image looking at each other. This was probably ambitious, considering that the notoriously frugal Sam Katzman produced this goofy nonsense. The predictable plot finds Elvis eventually getting Pappy Tatum to sign a lease for the Pentagon to install the ICBM missile base. "Kissin' Cousins" winds up better than most of the other contemporary Elvis movies because it reflects the tension that existed during the Cold War between Soviet Russia and the United States.

SYNOPSIS: The Air Force wants to build an ICBM base on top of a mountain in Tennessee, but the land is owned by a hillbilly moonshiner who fires on all Air Force negotiators. So an Air Forceman who was bred and raised in the area is sent to placate the locals.COMMENT: The first of the Elvis quickies (thank you producer Sam Katzman and Elvis Presley's manager, Tom Parker) but not as bare of interest as some of the later ones. Elvis has two roles but only occasionally are special effects employed. Mostly the other Elvis is a very blatant double. In fact the double is even used in one scene where he is not required for duplication at all! A typical quickie stratagem. But any film that gives a solo song to Glenda Farrell can't be all bad. And there are the usual generous quota of girls, girls, girls (even if their costumes are neither as "skimpy" or attractive as the on- screen characters suppose). In fact the songs themselves (including a blatant rip-off of "Across the Wide Missouri") are a fairly tuneful lot and Elvis is in good vocal form with his usual excellent backing. Just as well it's so packed with songs, as the script is mindless farce, (over-acted and pedestrianly directed). Thank you, L'il Abner.

Elvis Presley was a hugely influential performer with one of the most distinctive singing voices of anybody. He embarked on a film career consisting of 33 films from 1956 to 1969, films that did well at the box-office but mostly panned critically (especially his later films) and while he was a highly charismatic performer he was never considered a great actor.That review summary may seem like a subjective statement, as there are people that like 'Kissin' Cousins' or don't think much of Elvis' earlier efforts, but count me in as somebody who considers Elvis' films before 'Kissin' Cousins' pretty good. 'Wild in the Country', 'Girls! Girls! Girls!' and 'Fun in Acapulco' were average or just slightly above that, but 'King Creole', 'Flaming Star', 'Jailhouse Rock' and 'Loving You' in particular were close to great. Elvis certainly made worse films than 'Kissin' Cousins' but there is a lot here that made his later films less good.Of course, 'Kissin' Cousins' isn't unwatchable. Glenda Farrell is sweetly affecting as Ma, while Arthur O' Connell makes much of little as does a suitably blustering Jack Albertson. Yvonne Craig has a pretty vapid role but has a perky charm and shares decent chemistry with Elvis. Didn't think much of the soundtrack this time round, but there are a few good ones with the title song, the rousing "Catching on Fast" and aptly named "Tender Feeling" coming off best.Despite singing beautifully, Elvis himself looks awkward and disinterested in a dual role that do nothing to play to his strengths (quite the opposite). His hillbilly character especially is a waste of film celluloid. While there are bright spots in the cast, most of them are at best forgettable as tamely stereotypical characters. A few good songs aside, the best the rest of the soundtrack gets is eminently forgettable, with "Smoking Mountain Boy" and especially "Barefoot Ballad" worse than disposable.'Kissin' Cousins', unlike Elvis' earlier films, doesn't even have the distinction of looking good, with the film evidently looking as though it was made in a rush and on the cheap judging from the phoney and un-evocative sets, Elvis' tacky blond wig and scrappy photography and editing. The script is badly out of date, unfunny and sappy sitcom-level, while the story feels over-stretched, sluggishly paced and painfully predictable. Gene Nelson directs without interest, energy or distinction.All in all, not unwatchable but a misfire. See Elvis' earlier efforts to see that he was capable of a good performance when allowed and that he did make good films. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Poor Elvis. This is one rotten movie. By 1964, Colonel Parker had figured out that, if he and Elvis were getting a percent of the movie, the lower the budget, the better. I wonder how Elvis was able to get up in the morning and put on that blond wig. And we ask ourselves why this man was a substance abuser.Elvis plays twins. One of his characters is in the army and sent on a mission to secure a lease for a missile base on a mountain top owned by his relatives - one of whom is the blond cousin. It may sound strange, but neither character seems to have much to do, and the result is a strange lack of an Elvis presence. Hard to explain. You'd have to see the movie, which I don't recommend you do.One of the last scenes is an outdoor party, and it is only there that the film picks up and the lamentable soundtrack improves. There is some terrific dancing and good energy. Pity we have to wait till the end, by which time, most people are no longer watching.Sarcasm aside, this film tears at the heart - Elvis so wanted to be in good films and have an opportunity as a serious actor. But the Colonel was all about money. I blame both of them - Elvis for not standing up to the Colonel and the Colonel for being the greedy guts that he was. He didn't do Elvis any favors.