Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Okay this a typical Elvis movie. He sings a lot of songs, the bikini clad women chase him and he plays the roue. Until of course he meets the ONE. In my opinion Donna Butterworth (what a name) comes close to stealing the movie. She is a cute tyke, can sing and dance a bit, and she can act. What is that old show biz adage: Never act with children or animals, they will always steal the show. Most of the movie revolves around Elvis's character trying to get a flying service off the ground :) in the Hawaiian Islands. Of course things get off to a rough start and just go down hill from there. Until the end of the movie when everything works it's self out and all becomes good.

Paradise, Hawaiin Style is a film about a pilot who is thrown out of his old job for being a sleaze-bag. He comes back to his island buddies in Hawaii to start a new helicopter charter business with his pilot friend. It seems to be working out well for them until his old ways start catching him… Apart from throwing into a song every 10 minutes, the film features a nice cast who play the various friends of Elvis Presley's character, Rick. Of particular note is Donna Butterworth, a young girl with a great voice who looks like she had a lot of fun making this 1966 film.The film also features a pair of ever-present Bell 47J Ranger helicopters, quite often seen making max. performance takeoffs and hasty landings. The film is a real treat for aircraft and helicopter enthusiasts who get to see these old machines in great detail, up close. A lot of back-projection is used for the flying scenes featuring close-ups of Elvis and the other cast members, and the scenery is beautiful.One particular scene has the chopper flying through a mountainous valley with dives and climbs not usually seen performed by such helicopters. Another scene has a bunch of canine passengers causing havoc for Elvis as he tries to fly the chopper, getting low and fast, scaring locals and crashing a car.The legendary Elvis is particularly wooden in this film, just going through the motions to make a film with no real depth to his role, otherwise it is an enjoyable film for the entire family.

This was a movie that I watched primarily because of the photography of 1960s Hawaii. In the opening scene, there's a great pan of Diamond Head all the way to the Ilikai hotel. If you spend much time in Hawaii, you'll notice hotels that don't exists yet and several that are even being built during the filming of this movie. Specifically, you can see the Outrigger Waikiki under construction as well as what is now known as the Resortquest Waikiki Beach. Ironically, the Resortquest Waikiki Beach is now an Elvis era themed hotel. The Sheraton Waikiki is an empty lot.Another really neat observation is the scene at the beach park near Chinaman's hat. It is literally timeless! The beach looks the same today as it does in the movie. Almost everything else has changed in many ways.The film won't be an example of great acting and certainly the plot leaves a lot to be desired. On the other hand, it's fun to see the island from 40 years ago. Even Kalakaua Ave is a two-way street!

But that's about it. I would have to agree with most of the posters that this is not Elvis's best Hawaii flick, but it sure shows off Kauai in all its tropical beauty. It can't be denied that the plot lines of the typical Elvis movie are rarely very deep, and this one is no different. But I still find entertainment in all of them. Even "Paradise, Hawaiian Style." As an avid enthusiast of Hawaii, traveling there every year when time allows, I tend to like Elvis movies filmed in Hawaii more than the others. I would have loved to have visited Hawaii in the days of "Blue Hawaii" and "Paradise, Hawaiian Style," and it's cool to see what it looked like in those days. The Polynesian Cultural Center especially. This movie may not be the best Elvis had to offer, but it showcases Kauai in all its amazing beauty. It may be a little silly in its plot line, but it's still fun.