Rocker Brella ‘Fella gets its world premiere next month

Tim Vine has made a feature film in the guise of Plastic Elvis, which is getting its world premiere next month.

In Rocker Brella ‘Fella, the pun-loving comedian takes the role of Elvis Presley impersonator Sam Salono who returns home to Widestairs because the family umbrella business is in trouble.

But he’s engaged to a girl called Seely that he met in Waikiki – and has to tell his friends and family that he will be moving to Hawaii permanently, even if it means turning down a five-year contract as resident singer at Ricky’s Beach Bar

The 90-minute film also features John Archer, the comedy magician who usually provides Vine’s tour support, stand-up Martin Davis and comedy performers Holly Burn and Frankie Thompson.

It boasts 26 original new songs and ‘a silly toe tapping tale that’ll send your spirits soaring’. The official blurb reads: ‘It’s one catchy tune after another as Sam rocks his way through every situation; a boat trip, a crazy golf course, a chance meeting with a local comedian, nothing can stop him.’

Vine – who also directed the film – today posted a trailer for the film on YouTube.

The stand-up is a long-term Elvis fanatic who has toured in the guise of Plastic Elvis, complete with five-piece band, The High Noon, who also feature in the new film. He also has plenty of memorabilia including  a lock of hair that allegedly belonged to The King.

He told the Guardian in 2020: ‘I bought it in a shop in Manchester, it cost about £200. It’s less than an inch in length, and the colour of it is interesting, it looks almost ginger – I mean if you’re faking it you’d make sure it stayed jet black wouldn’t you? The pigmentation of the dye in this one has completely gone.

Vine also revealed in that interview: ‘I’ve been into Elvis since I was 10 or 11, so this is a tribute act that is 40 years in the making. We tried it a few times, did it one night in Edinburgh to 500 people, and it worked well, people seemed to really enjoy it.’

Rocker Brella ‘Fella is to receive its premiere at the Prince Charles Cinema, just off Leicester Square in Central London, on August 30 with the screening followed by a Q&A with the comedian. Tickets are available here.

Rounding out the cast are Dee Meir, Matthew Willetts and Alexander Dart. And a poster in the style of Elvis’s films has been created to promote the U-certificate film:

This is not the first film Vine has self-financed. In 2007 he released Library Altitude Zero, in which he played an airline pilot and part-time librarian going through a divorce, and in 2020 he made Fearmoth, about a giant moth that attacks a small town, with the manager of the local lightbulb shop getting the blame.

Published: 11 Jul 2025