Dakota Fanning plays Lewellen, a preteen
Elvis fangirl living in the
Deep South during
The Fifties. The movie she inhabits is a
Slice of Life Coming of Age Story. The other main characters include her careless father Lou, her religious psycho grandmother, her playmate Buddy, local
Magical Negro Charles, and mini-
Southern Belle Grasshopper. What little plot there is centers on Lewellen's desire to see Elvis perform in person.
This movie provides examples of:
- Bolt of Divine Retribution: Lewellen's father gets struck by lightning and her grandmother believes it's this trope at work. And clearly God did it to punish Lewellen and not her father.
- Break the Cutie: Lewellen's life basically sucks worse and worse as the movie goes along.
- The Caretaker: Lewellen becomes this for her father after he's hit by lightning.
- Covered Up: invoked Noted in-universe. Lewellen is surprised to discover "Hound Dog" wasn't originated by her beloved Elvis.
- Death By Despair: Nearly. Lewellen is so depressed after the rape that it causes her to get very sick and almost die.
- Does Not Like Shoes: Lewellen is barefoot for the whole movie. Given the time period and her family's financial situation, it's likely she simply doesn't own any shoes.
- The Fundamentalist: Lewellen's grandmother
- I Have No Son: "My daughter is dead."
- Magical Negro: Charles, perhaps the only character, other than Lewellen, who is not a Jerkass to at least some degree.
- The New Rock & Roll: The Trope Namer is viewed as the "devil's music" by some characters, most notably Lewellen's grandmother.
- Playing Doctor: Lewellen and Buddy in the opening scene.
- Rape as Drama: The part of the film you've heard of
- Squee: Lewellen's reaction to Elvis-related things
- Titled After The Song: And boy do we get to hear that song a lot
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Lewellen is seen smoking and drinking. This is apparently normal for her.
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