Here's the deal: this is an excellent documentary if you're into Elvis or music history. The 96% RT score isn't lying—it's well-crafted, thoughtful, and goes deep on how Elvis synthesized Black and white musical traditions in segregated America. That's legitimately important cultural history.

But let's be real: unless your teen is already a music nerd or specifically curious about Elvis, they're probably not sitting through 3+ hours of archival footage and talking heads. This isn't Bohemian Rhapsody with drama and narrative arc—it's a serious HBO documentary.

For the right audience (music-obsessed teens, adults who grew up with Elvis, families doing a deep dive on 20th century American culture), it's enriching and worthwhile. For everyone else? It's homework. The WISE score reflects that it's quality content that's just not broadly accessible to modern kids.