Lucky Jackson arrives in Las Vegas with his car literally in tow ready for the first Grand Prix — once he has the money for an engine. He gets the cash easily enough but mislays it when the pretty pool manageress takes his mind off things. It seems he'll lose both race and girl, problems complicated by rivalry from womanizing fellow racer Elmo Mancini.
This movie is notable for two things. Firstly, it has Ann-Margret in it and secondly, it has a song I recognise in it. Viva Las Vegas is often regarded as one of the better Elvis movies and I can confirm it is. However, that is just affirmation of how low the bar is for Elvis movies. Once again there's no tension, no stakes and no soul. Supposedly the plot centres around Elvis competing for the affections of Ann-Margret in a love triangle, but in all honesty it's just meandering nonsense. Everything is just a set up for different songs. The competition for Elvis' love rival is such an architypal villain you just know there's no tension. Crucially though, what distinguishes Viva Las Vegas from other Elvis movies is that there is a constant energy which is mostly due to the fact they keep blasting the song Viva Las Vegas at every opportune moment and Ann-Margret's dancing. In previous Elvis movies we've been subject to a sort of half felt country vibe to the songs and basically no
