This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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.So how does The King of Rock and Roll fare here in his screen debut? There is some stiffness here, which isn't unexpected in anybody making his debut (though with Elvis it was something that was never completely shaken off) and his trademark moves during the songs while fun to see feel anachronistic in a Civil War Western film. However, generally 'Love Me Tender' contains one of his better performances, there is a real charm, easy-going charisma and also a genuine emotional honesty. He sings sublimely, his rendition of the iconic title song "Love Me Tender" (one of his most gorgeous songs) is beautifully sung. The other three songs are not quite as great but are still good, regardless of what can be said about how they're placed and how they fit.He is very well supported by the rest of the cast, the heart-wrenching Richard Egan stealing the film pretty much and Debra Paget is sympathetic and charming. Mildred Dunnock is always reliable and is here. The conflicts are interesting enough, and the tragic finale is genuinely moving.For a modest budget, 'Love Me Tender' looks good, the western setting while not majestic, evocative or sweeping is handsome and not cheap and the black and white is quite nice. The film is competently directed, and as said the music is good with one song being fantastic.Dialogue is not a strong suit though, being somewhat awkward-sounding, parts of it and the anachronisms causing unintentional humour. Nor is the start of the film, until Elvis appears 'Love Me Tender' is pretty dull and uneventful.Parts don't fit with the story or setting as well as ought, one never feels like the film is set in the 1860s instead feeling like a 1950s film set amidst a Civil War backdrop.Overall, a decent if not great film and one of Elvis' better films and performances. 7/10 Bethany Cox

It's a shame that the earliest films Presley did were the best. He went on to crank out a lot of tripe, excuses to sing songs, many poorly written and produced. In this one, he played the youngest brother of a group of Confederate soldiers who committed a robbery. When one brother gets back, he finds his girl married because news had got back that the soldier was dead. This leads to serious conflict in the family. I remember when we get our first closeup of Elvis behind a plow, the whole theater broke into screaming. I didn't hear half the movie because of the girls watching it. The thing is that it is a good story with lots of tension. Elvis gets to sing some cool songs that fit into the plot pretty well. He is known for his singing and so he's able ply his talents in logical ways. Nothing surreal like "Jailhouse Rock," which is a decent film as well.

Elvis' screen debut and he is not great... but the movie itself ain't too bad, except the huge error in geography -- this is a western portrayed with mountains and mountainous desert landscapes... but it takes place in Louisiana. Ummm, Mr. Director, ever been to Louisiana?! You could simply have looked in an encyclopedia at the time to see that Louisiana has NO terrain of the nature you chose to film around. NONE. Very bad. In any case, it sure was strange to see Elvis shaking' and twistin' in "1865." He had four songs and three were rockin' numbers, two with women swooning at him -- so out of place for this time period. His acting was stiff at times and so very plain. Really an amateur. But a decent western otherwise--The Kat Pirate Screener

I watched this movie because I was curious about Elvis in movies. I didn't expect much, but I was happily surprised. So, when I came to look for more information about it, I was even more surprised this movie has such a low rating here. The story is very good, controversial even in many ways. It has no boring moments, the drama is constant. The acting is good for the time. The music is also appropriate for the setting, both Elvis's songs and the score by Lionel Newman is also very effective and good for the time when it was done. This might be a problem for many, the time. Judging a movie like this by today's standards is doing it a great injustice. I've seen lots of old movies that don't hold the attention as much as this. Even the acting of Elvis, being this his first movie, and him being a singer not an actor, was quite convincing. I've see lots of actors not pull the jealous rage the way he does.