Edgar Soberon Torchia I would probably have never watched this film if it were not for a little old lady who often calls to the film archive where I work and asks for movies starring French actor Maurice Ronet (who is her favorite star), and strange choices as Don Sharp's "Rasputin, the Mad Monk" or this Elvis Presley's vehicle. Surprisingly I enjoyed watching it as "zero degree style" as it is, and now I believe that this is one of Presley's best vehicles of the early sixties. It has a formulaic story that does not demand much from viewers, most of the songs are forgettable and corny, and back projection and sound stage decors do not match well with such a magnificently sunny location as Acapulco. But somehow it works: Presley, kid Larry Domasin and leading ladies Ursula Andress and Elsa Cárdenas all seem to enjoy what they are doing (and make fun of themselves, as in the musical number in which Presley finishes a ridiculous song with a matador cape wrapping his head) , and screenwriter Allan Weiss surely knows how to keep us viewers smiling at every new move by orphan Raoul (Domasin) to get trapeze-artist- in-crisis Mike (Presley, that is) back in shape. Richard Thorpe (who also directed "Jailhouse Rock") moves things efficiently until the grand finale in which the trapeze artists sings... "Guadalajara" in Spanish. I could not understand a word, but it was fun to watch "The King" (at his handsomest) trying hard.

MattyGibbs Elvis plays Mike who takes a job as a lifeguard after being fired from his previous job. Here he comes across another Lothario and the two spar over women. This is the usual Elvis set up but this one is very light of plot and it fails to sparkle in any way. Elvis looks great but even he can't make much from the poor script. The songs are decidedly average and the back up cast including Ursula Andress add little to the story although the 10 year old boy who befriends Elvis does a decent job. This film just drags and seems much longer than it's running time. It never goes anywhere and to be honest compared to a lot of his other movies it isn't much fun. This is a disappointing effort and is strictly for die hard Elvis fans.

SanteeFats Almost any Elvis movie is a decent one. He can not act that well but does do a decent job when he stays within his character. There are usually a lot of songs, acceptable acting, and lots of nice girls. This one has him stuck in Acapulco after being fired because of a young girl that is daddy's little angel even though she is an underaged tart, (funny since she appeared in Playboy four years before this movie). Elvis's character is Mike and of course he sings a lot of songs but not many I recognized. Raoul is sooo good. He is a treat as Mike's manager and is a scammer at heart. Moreno is a bit of a butt-head when he brings up Mike's past as a trapeze performer who lost his brother to an accident that he feels responsible for. Of course he overcomes his fear of heights and succeeds at the end.

bkoganbing After her big break role in Dr. No Ursula Andress got to co-star with Elvis Presley in Fun In Acapulco. Not that she or Elvis got to have any fun in Acapulco off the set because Paramount did all their location footage with doubles. On learning that fact I carefully watched all the scenes and if you examine it closely which the average member of the movie-going public did not do you can clearly see that the King is being doubled.Still Acapulco is certainly shown to best advantage with that second unit cinematography. And Elvis sings some nice songs, none of which really charted for him. Fun In Acapulco find Elvis working as a charter boat skipper who gets fired and is stranded in the famous Mexican resort town. He has a past which involves him being involved in a family trapeze act and when he failed to catch his brother during the act resulting in the brother's demise it left him with a fear of heights and failure. Still he can sing and he gets a job at one of the resorts due to an enterprising shoeshine boy played by little Larry Domasin. And he gets two girls falling for him, lady bullfighter Elsa Cardenas and an exiled princess Ursula Andress. That gets Mexican high diving champion Alejandro Rey all bent out of shape. Ursula's dad, a former Grand Duke from some Zenda like duchy is played by Paul Lukas who is now making a living as the head chef at the resort hotel Presley is singing at. Another great example of Colonel Tom Parker getting Elvis the best support possible. I have no doubt that Parker also got former MGM contract director Richard Thorpe who did a number of MGM classics back in the day to direct the film.Elvis does a bit of acting here and Fun In Acapulco gives the King a bit of an acting job which he carries off as he struggles with his fears.I'm sure Presley felt gypped along with the rest of the cast in not actually shooting in Acapulco. The second unit shooting though gives Fun In Acapulco a look like the Hawaiian location films that Presley did. And it's a nice story with a capable cast backing up the King.