Movie - Elvis and Anabelle (2007)

I had little to no expectations when I started watching this movie but I do like quirky movies - anything movie description that starts off with a pageant queen dropping dead on the stage after winning a title can definitely be labeled quirky.

Quick movie summary:

1. Poor Anabelle is driven to the pageant life by an overly obsessive mother who wants more for her daughter
2. Anabelle wins the very competitive Miss Texas Rose and immediately drops dead wearing the tiara on the runway 
3. Elvis, an unlicensed mortician, who is struggling to maintain the family funeral home while caring for his ailing father, accepts Anabelle's mom's plea to ask his father to make her daughter beautiful one last time for the funeral.
4. Elvis prepares Anabelle for embalming and is overcome by her beauty.  This leads to a kiss and she wakes from death, which starts all of the resulting drama.

I had little to no expectations regarding this movie. Nevertheless, it managed to entertain me, even through some of the more weepy and whiny (woe is me) parts.  Joe Mantegna played the hunch-backed father of Elvis well - amazingly so that I wondered if he was really in the early stages of dementia.  And Mary Steenburgen was excellent as well as Anabelle's mother.  I think the two stole the movie from the actors playing the title parts, Max Minghella (Elvis) and Blake Lively (Anabelle).

Life lessons from this movie: 

• Driving around in a hearse doesn't have to be viewed as creepy.
• Always wear makeup and appear your very best before you get to the mortician's table and maybe a magical kiss will revive you.  

I give this movie three stars out of five.

More movie information can be found on IMDB and you can always buy the movie on Amazon!!!