Dave from Ottawa A family of simple rural folk move to Florida and decide to squat on public lands, creating legal complications for everyone. Based on the novel Pioneer Go Home, this movie has the benefit of a real plot with unexpected comic turns for once, unlike so many of Elvis' more predictable later vehicles. The songs vary from tuneful to forgettable, but Elvis himself had not slipped into jaded boredom yet and his acting is sharp and his character charming and likable. Arthur O'Connell plays 'Pa' and carries off the picture with hillbilly gentlemanliness and grace. For viewers bored with Elvis antics in later junk like Clambake (shudder) who want to see what he could do when he wanted to, this picture is recommended. It holds up surprisingly well to repeated viewings (I have seen it four times) and does not fail to charm.

dickklip This movie is in my top ten of all time. It is a pure romp! Even though you have the "bad guys" from the government to add some drama, and the fact that Elvis character "Toby" and his family are all government freeloaders, this is essentially just a feel good movie.You can read the plot from the other reviews, but it is essentially about homesteaders coming to Florida with a composite "family" and trying to make their way. This is Elvis at his best--as he was meant to be in movies--singing and romancing his way through, with a back woods innocence that Max Baer would later use as Jethro Bodine on "The Beverly Hillbillies".Enjoy this film. It is a delight!

MARIO GAUCI Although I had long been aware of this particular film from seeing a poster of it in one of my father's film books as a child, it was only when I heard it being described as a "black comedy" here that I truly became intrigued...This often very funny satire (adapted to the screen by Charles Lederer – who worked most often with director Howard Hawks!) was surprisingly and somewhat uneasily turned into a star vehicle for Elvis Presley. He's a simple-minded country-boy (not that he was ever the kind of guy to truly convey intelligence) who, along with dad Arthur O'Connell and a slew of adopted siblings, gets caught in the middle of a 'diplomatic' incident over ownership of a newly-inaugurated strip of land.The family sets up house there and even starts to profit by charging the public for fishing on their property. Meanwhile, government and (again) social welfare officials try to have them evicted – but mobsters Simon Oakland and Jack Kruschen, traveling in a sort of mobile gambling-house, also make a stop at the location and which they subsequently find a convenient safe haven from the law. The two, therefore, decide to buy off the land from the hick family but will have just as little luck doing so!The songs this time around feel like an afterthought, merely serving as a prerequisite – and only the title tune sticks out at all. Several gags and scenes are undeniably hilarious, however: the twins' idea of sharing, the over-pressurized "john", Presley's first trip to a bank (which inadvertently turns into a near hold-up), the equally 'innocent' disarming of Oakland and Kruschen's thugs – specially brought in from Detroit (and culminating in the destruction of their casino), etc. The film is capped by a moralistic, but ultimately stirring, Capra-esque courtroom sequence.The supporting cast is well-served by the character actors – with the stuffy government official, the friendly bank manager and the benevolent judge all scoring nicely. Unfortunately, despite a good showing here, Joanne Moore's career (playing the social worker who seduces Elvis) would soon be overshadowed by that of her husband and daughter, Ryan and Tatum O'Neal!All in all, this is one of Presley's more entertaining films – but, on a preliminary viewing, the lack of good songs and the general low-key nature rob it of a higher rating (though I wouldn't exclude getting it on DVD in future).

moonspinner55 Elvis Presley as a Florida innocent (i.e., hick), traveling with his father and a group of orphans (one a comely, virginal female, natch), running out of gas on a stretch of land and setting up house; turns out the land is an undeclared section of the state and gangsters are eager to acquire the property for a gambling casino. Second-rate nearly all the way, yet Elvis seems not to notice, displaying a light comic touch in the sequence wherein he's mistaken for a bank robber. His songs ("What a Wonderful Life", "Angel", etc.) are good but poorly-staged. Elvis ends up singing "I'm Not the Marryin' Kind" to nobody--his audience gets lost in the sloppy editing. Another awful moment features Elvis crooning the title cut along with the radio--and both fade out at the end just like a record! The direction is dull, the camera is never in the right spot and the supporting players are badly used (although Ann Hern has a funny bit pushing Joanna Moore into a lake). Much of the film was shot on location, so why does most of the action take place in-doors, on sets? One sequence, a ridiculous shoot-out in the jungle, is set at night and is so dark it's impossible to keep track of the action. *1/2 from ****