5 Elvis movies to stream in honor of the King of Rock 'n' Roll's birthday

Elvis Presley was born on Jan. 8, 1935. So Monday marks the singer's 89th birthday.

To commemorate the occasion, Graceland is hosting multiple events, including the annual Jan. 8 cutting of the Elvis birthday cake on the mansion lawn, with veteran game show host and former Memphis rock 'n' roll deejay Wink Martindale wielding the ceremonial knife.

But if you'd rather remember the King from the comfort of your couch, multiple options are available this birthday week. Here are five possibilities:

'Elvis'

Nominated in 2023 for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor, the Baz Luhrmann-directed epic biopic became the most-watched movie on Netflix when it made its debut on the streaming service on New Year's Eve, following a long run on HBO Max that began Sept. 22, 2022, three months after the movie's theatrical launch. "Elvis" has been in the Netflix top 10 ever since, alongside such similarly larger-than-life but literally unreal figures as "John Wick" and "Aquaman." Framed as the time-transcending surreal vision of the dying "Colonel" Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), Luhrmann's sympathetic interpretation of Elvis' life is worth your time, and may pique your interest for star Austin Butler's return this year in "Dune: Part Two," in which he plays a ruthless bald royal assassin — "a cross between a psychopath killer, an Olympic sword master, a snake, and Mick Jagger,” according to Denis Villeneuve. (This is the character played by a literal rock star — Sting — in the 1984 version of "Dune.")

'Elvis & Nixon'

Directed by Liza Johnson, this generally well-reviewed 2016 indie comedy imagines the famous (infamous?) and awkward 1970 Oval Office meeting between the King of Rock 'n' Roll (played here, as a sort of jumpsuited gargoyle, by Michael Shannon), and the President of the United States (played by Kevin Spacey, who, like Nixon, has left office in disgrace, so to speak). Available on Amazon Prime, the film's executive producers included longtime Presley associate Jerry Schilling, who also is a key character in the story, played by Alex Pettyfer.

'Elvis: That's the Way It Is'

This theatrically released 1970 documentary mixes concert footage of Elvis at the Las Vegas International Hotel (attendees seen onscreen include Charo, Sammy Davis Jr. and Cary Grant) with behind-the-scenes material captured in rehearsal spaces, recording studios and other less public locations. Along with numerous other Elvis titles, the movie is available on Tubi, a free streaming service that includes commercials but also the most diverse and essential menu of any platform outside of the Criterion Channel.

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'Jailhouse Rock'

Also on Tubi, this 1957 drama is the only Elvis film to date selected for the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, which recognizes movies deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." As ex-con turned surly singing sensation Vince Everett, Elvis was able to channel something of the Marlon Brando/James Dean antisocial spirit that most of his movie roles discouraged, as when he offers this excuse after grabbing a rough kiss from Judy Tyler: "It's just the beast in me."

'Elvis Presley: The Searcher'

Still available on HBO Max, this two-part, almost 4-hour 2018 made-for-HBO documentary represented an ambitious attempt to take Elvis seriously, as an artist and a thinker — a "searcher" seeking insight into the spiritual and philosophical questions one might expect to plague a once impoverished and anonymous young man who suddenly found himself recognized and idolized around the world.

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Elvis movies available to stream: 5 of our picks