The TCM introduction advises this is the most profitable Elvis movie ever made!Elvis is a race car driver and Ann-Margaret is a swim instructor. Every opportunity is given to showcase Elvis singing and Ann-Margaret's legs and dancing savoir faire!An enjoyable movie with great music and dancing! I can't believe it's taken me this long to see it.

Elvis Presley was without doubt a phenomenal singer, but let's face it - most of his movies (especially of this period this particular one was made in) and many of the song he was forced to sing in them were beneath his talents. However, "Viva Las Vegas" ends up being a pleasant Presley vehicle. Presley is pretty enthusiastic here, especially when he gets to dance and sing. And most of the songs in this particular movie he gets to sing are pretty good, my favorite being the title song. But Presley is well matched with his co-star Ann-Margret. She is spunky and always manages to stand up to the magnetic Presley. It also helps that the screenplay writes her character to have a strong personality; it's no surprise that the screenplay was written by a woman. There isn't a heck of a lot of plot here, and what little there is happens to be pretty predictable. But the movie is fast-paced, colorful, not afraid to be a little (pleasantly) silly, and ends up being pretty fun. (By the way, see the movie on Blu-ray - it looks absolutely gorgeous on that format.)

This film would never get made today. At least not with intents this transparent. It serves to glorify Elvis Presley and his embodiment. But back in 1964, these types of B-movies were just accepted. Nowadays teen cinema consists of a post-apocalyptic love triangle. Much more realistic. Not quite as blatant.Elvis plays Lucky, a race car driver who's in Las Vegas to compete in the Vegas Grand Prix. He needs a new engine but is strapped for cash due to contrived reasons. He falls for Rusty (Ann- Margret) who seems to be abruptly against his racing ways.This movie is all over the place. About halfway through it becomes disjointed, making it obvious what its purpose is. For a pointless, plot less story, it's way too convoluted. For an 84 minute film, it takes its sweet time, attempting to thin itself out to cover the short runtime. But then, once it realizes it's home free, the story progresses ridiculously fast and things never get resolved. Elvis and Ann-Margret have undeniable chemistry, but their depth is almost non-existent. Lucky's motivations are unclear, and Rusty goes from a likable, independent worker woman at the beginning of the film to an incompetent bimbo by the end. The songs and dance numbers are impressively catchy, but that's all this movie is. The few glamorous Las Vegas shots are nice, but there aren't nearly enough in a movie with the city's name in the title. It almost seems like a blown opportunity to make a cool story about gambling or mobsters. Instead, it's about racing--something few of us think of when talking about Vegas.It's a dated movie, but that's perhaps the best thing this film has to offer. There are some cool shots of the Vegas of yesteryear. There's one in particular showing the front of the Flamingo as it used to be--alone, with nothing on either side. Contrastingly, we get a shot of Fremont Street in all its garish glory--busy and crowded, sans the 1,500 foot canopy movie screen overhead. While watching this, my fiancée turns to me and says, "You used to be able to drive down Fremont Street???" My, how things have changed.Twizard Rating: 57

Lets get this straight, I am an Elvis fan, so of course you can add a few points for that, but otherwise this is a great movie all by itself. If you like Las Vegas and want to see what it looked like back in the mid 60's this movie is good for that. If you like pretty girls, well Ann Margaret in her prime is as good as its going to get in that department. If you like Elvis, well this is his best movie with an exception of his 2 concert movies (which don't count) Truly, after this movie you actually may be an Elvis fan, it has several good songs in it and most of all his famous Viva Las Vegas song.. I think he should have done a follow up movie with Ann Margaret to this one and maybe threw Bill Bixby in it and that would have been good as well. So either way, check this flick out if you have ever been the slightest bit interested in the King. Another good one after you watch this may be Jailhouse Rock or Charro.