Here's a scene for you. Try to imagine a
movie coming out today that features the following and is NOT a Farrelly
Brothers comedy.
A music icon plays the part of a famous native american bull rider,
who is a notorious ladies man. He sings a song about his new prized
stud bull, a scene in which he directly addresses the bull and asks why it is
that the bull isn't showing any interest in the "ladies". As
he is singing this, said music icon is running through a field
and around rock outcroppings, chasing two beautiful women
who are made up to appear as being of native american
ethnicity. Oh, and they're stripping off their clothes while running.
You can't, can you? Seriously, with the exception of a
Bollywood production, you just wouldn't see something like this today.
That may be why I enjoyed watching Stay Away,
Joe as much as I did. A
screwball comedy that came late in Elvis Presley’s career, Stay
Away, Joe is one of those movies that only Elvis could pull
off without looking like a complete idiot. Having said that, it's
no secret that Elvis had a limited range as an actor. What he
had that many actors don't though is a charisma that has yet to be equaled
in American culture. Seriously, I'm not a huge  Elvis fan, but
while watching
Stay Away, Joe, I couldn't help but smile nearly every
time he was on screen. He literally draws your eyes away from
the other actors. It's
an amazing quality.
Stay Away, Joe is one of those forgotten Elvis films that many will
say is forgotten for all the right reasons. After all, it's a
farcical comedy centered around an Indian reservation. It's full
of stereotypes that are notoriously politically incorrect. There
is scene after scene of drunk/partying indians, indians who speak in
clipped English (mostly the terribly casting of Burgess Meredith), and jokes
about smoke signals, wampum, and squaws. There are jokes at the
expense of the run down shack the lead character's father lives in, and
jokes at the expense of their twisted idea of what culture and class
are.
 That said, I still absolutely loved this movie because... and I'd
like to stress this again... you just don't see anything like this
anymore!
It's such a product of its time that it's like going to a museum. The
plot goes like this: Joe Lightcloud (Elvis Presley) has
come back to the reservation. This time though, he's come back
with a plan to get his father some respect and a chance to lift the
tribe out of poverty. Joe has reached a deal with a congressman
to give a herd of cattle to his father, with the promise that from that
herd, the tribe will breed a moneymaking herd of their own. This
would not only improve their way of life, but also help the congressman
show off what he has done to make his state better.
The problem with this plan is that Joe's father, Charlie Lightcloud
(Burgess Meredith), is an idiot, and Joe is too busy getting laid to pay
attention to what's going on. Hijinks ensue.
 While my description is flippant, I really did enjoy this quite a
bit. Presley holds himself pretty well in this one, but he's really
not up against much in the way of stellar acting, as Meredith spends
most of the picture looking lost and speaking in very confused English.
Other than his performance though (which actually isn't a deal breaker),
the cast does a fine job, and this movie comes off as a 100 minute Beverly
Hillbillies episode with a smarter Jethro, a bevy of Daisy Maes, along with
some music thrown in.
 Presentation
The movie definitely looks like it’s been remastered. It’s
bright and colorful, and it sounds fine too. The thing is, with so little
music on this worth listening to (“US Male” and “Dominick” the
exceptions), the question is how good do you want it to sound?
Extras
There is nothing here but a trailer. It’s fun, but you
won’t watch it more than once.
The Bottom Line
Stay Away, Joe is probably one of Elvis’ least memorable films,
but it's still good fun to watch. If you’re a fan of Elvis,
or zany comedies, you’ll at least smile while watching this.
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