Bjorn (ODDBear) Elvis is Mike, a racer/singer/gypsy living free soul who impresses a spoiled rich girl (Fabares) and her dad (Betz), who desperately wants Mike to race his car and NOT marry his daughter. Along for the ride is an author (McBain) who also wants to marry Mike and a tomboy drummer in his band (Walley) who's quite obviously vying for his affections. As formulaic as Elvis's later flicks tended to be; but somehow a little better. The goofy atmosphere is energetically played out by a willing cast, the slapstick humor works surprisingly well and the songs aren't too shabby. Granted; "Adam and Evil", "Beach Shack" and "Smorgasboard" are no "Love Me Tender", "Jailhouse Rock" or "King Creole" but they're quite fun and fit well in the movie. Elvis isn't quite as front and center here as in most other flicks and supporting players get room to breathe and develop a little. The racing scenes here, as was the case with "Viva Las Vegas", are fairly impressive as well. Make no mistake; this is pretty shallow stuff and Elvis looks a little bored at times. But as far as Elvis's later flicks go; "Spinout" rates pretty high.

w22nuschler This is one of my favorite Elvis films because of the humor, the cast, and the music. Elvis plays Mike Mccoy, a singer and race car driver. it also includes Jimmy Hawkins(my favorite male Elvis co-star), Jack Mullaney(comic relief) and Deborah Walley. They all do a nice job playing off Elvis. Shelley Fabares is one of the three women after Elvis in the film. She plays the spoiled rich girl Cynthia beautifully, and she has never looked prettier on film than she does here. Her father is played by Carl Betz, who as many know, played her father on the Donna Reed show for five years. He also does a great job trying to get Elvis to drive his car, but keep him away from his daughter. Warren Berlinger also plays a great comic relief role as Philip, who really likes Cynthia. Will Hutchins is very funny as the cop who tries to run Elvis and crew out of town. He would later star with Elvis in Clambake. Adding a nice touch to the film as well is Una Merkel and Cecil Kellaway. They play an elderly couple that Elvis meet and convinces them to let him and his band watch their house as they take a vacation in his car. The songs are wonderful. I especially love Spinout, Smorgasbord, Adam and Evil and the great I'll Be Back, sung at the end. All in all, a very entertaining film that has a good feel and good flow to it.

MartinHafer Elvis Presley was not a bad actor. I've seen him do competent jobs in several films and he had a very likable screen persona. However, despite his box office appeal, he seemed willing to star in some of the slightest and silliest films of the 1960s. Some of the films have a bit more depth to them though most are just familiar mindless drivel--like SPINOUT. Harry Medved listed it among the movies in his "Fifty Worst Movies" book, though it isn't that bad--though it certainly wasn't very good either.In SPINOUT, we find Elvis as a struggling rock 'n roll star AND champion race car driver! If only he were a scientist, too, and he'd be Buckaroo Bonzai (see THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BONZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION). Unlike the real life Elvis, his character shuns glamor and glitz and travels with his three musicians--camping out and living a bohemian life while STILL managing to have clean clothes, multiple wardrobes, gourmet meals, a race car and a 1929 Duesenberg! Their "camping out" was pure hooey and the camp sites bore an amazing similarity to the sound stage.Well, because he can sing and drive fast cars and is Elvis, it's not surprising that he's pursued by some hot ladies. What makes this different from some of his movies is that three different (and very clichéd) ladies all want to marry him and he wants nothing to do with this. One is the rich "princess" played by Shelly Fabares. In an interesting casting nod, her father is played by Carl Betz--the same guy who played her father in "The Donna Reed Show". The second is a pretty but rather cold writer played by Diane McBain. The third is a "kooky" girl played by Deborah Walley. All three are very, very broad stereotypes and probably the worst of these was the role given to Ms. Walley. That's because she was supposed to be part comic relief, musician, gourmet chef and vamp--though no one seemed to realize she was a hot and happenin' chick until late in the film (what, were they all blind?!?). Considering how beautiful these ladies were in the film AND how much Elvis avoided them and preferred to hang out with the guys, I really think some might watch this film and wonder if his character was supposed to be gay. I particularly wondered about the two guys in his band.I could say more about the plot, but frankly it all was too trivial and silly to mention in detail, though it was occasionally accidentally entertaining. However, what was not entertaining were the many songs Elvis sang as well as the "kooky" race at the end of the film. As for the songs, Elvis does have a lovely voice but every one of the 1,893 songs he sings in the film is completely forgettable and insipid. None have decent lyrics or are memorable in any positive way. I would have preferred if he'd just sung a few of his old familiar favorites. Instead, it often just seemed like padding. The race at the end of the film was a major letdown as well. While auto races can be exciting, having it be comedic really didn't work well at all and having a complete and total idiot nearly win a professional auto race strained credibility to new lows. It was just embarrassing and tended to bring the whole production to a grinding halt--yet it was intended as the highlight of the film! So what's to like about the film? Well, Elvis is pleasant in a plastic sort of way and the ladies quite lovely (particularly the radiant Ms. Fabares) and it was nice to see Una Merkel, Cecil Kellaway and a 1929 Duesenberg. Otherwise, there isn't much to recommend this dull little film. Overall, a mindless and harmless sort of film--mostly of interest to Elvis worshipers. Any one else would be bored by it.

Brian Camp Elvis Presley spent most of the 1960s making fluffy lightweight romantic comedies with music, all constructed on a studio assembly line during the waning days of the old Hollywood studio system. These films tended to sap Elvis of the energy he could have devoted to better films and better roles, all of which he was capable of. Having said that, some of these films were more tolerable than others.SPINOUT, made at MGM, is one of the most entertaining thanks to its teaming of Elvis with three colorful and delightful leading ladies, all of whom more than hold their own with their charismatic leading man. Deborah Walley plays the tomboyish redhead drummer in Elvis' band and has a secret crush on him; Diane McBain plays a sexually voracious best-selling author on the hunt for the perfect American male; and Shelley Fabares plays the heiress of an auto fortune who thinks she's entitled to whatever she wants and whose father wants Elvis to race a car for him. In the course of it, Elvis encounters rivals for each of the girl's affections, leading to a set of romantic entanglements that are ultimately resolved in an inspired and original ending. The plot is packed with lots of clever twists, thanks to a script co-written by Theodore J. Flicker who would write and direct the cult hit, THE PRESIDENT'S ANALYST, the following year. Fortunately, the film's racing angle is downplayed in favor of comic situations and a set of enjoyable songs.The supporting players deserve singling out, including Jack Mullaney as Elvis' comical bandmate; Carl Betz as Shelley's father (a role he played with Shelley on "The Donna Reed Show" as well); Warren Berlinger as Betz's loyal assistant; TV cowboy Will Hutchins as a highway cop with a penchant for gourmet cooking; and Hollywood veterans Cecil Kellaway and Una Merkel as an elderly rich couple who allow Elvis and his band to take over their house when they go on vacation. (This latter touch is representative of the film's Hollywood fantasyland approach to life, but it's all so well played by such skilled hands that it's difficult not to get sucked into the fun of it all.)