Yep, that’s Elton John, walking into a rehabilitation clinic in full elaborate costume, confessing to various addicitons and emotional problems. You’re probably wondering how he got into this situation, and Paramount’s new autobiographical film Rocketman is more than happy to show you how. Fronted by a memorable performance by Taron Egerton, it’s an immensely entertaining and accurate depiction of the nature of John and his writing partner Bernie Taupin’s songbook- simultaneously joyful and exciting, yet at times melancholy and brooding, but always sincere.
It can be difficult to avoid comparing Rocketman to Bohemian Rhapsody, the other recent movie about a legendary rock god/gay icon that director Dexter Fletcher has production credits on. But thanks in part to a strong script by Lee Hall, this film feels in many respects rawer and less afraid to depict its protagonist in either a poor light or more tumultuous situations than Rhapsody.
One good example is in the surprisingly harsh upbringing of Elton and cold relationships with his parents, Stanley and Shelia (Steven Mackintosh and Bryce Dallas Howard, both extremely villainous). A prodigious talent for playing the piano isn’t enough to win either of their affections, but instead it sends young Reggie Dwight to the Royal Academy of Music through his grandmother’s support, and from there a stint with the band Bluesology. After a name change in order to make himself more marketable, song publisher Dick James (Stephen Graham) introduces him to the young lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) for a potential big break.
Much of the narrative is devoted to Elton’s ongoing identity crisis. Even as his star rises in America and eventually across the globe, he still deals with inner conflict and a yearning for genuine affection. Though Elton has a turbulent relationship with his manager John Reid, played with an interesting blend of charisma and nastiness by Richard Madden (the “Honky Cat” sequence they perform together is especially fun), the real love story is a platonic one between the superstar and Taupin.
After Bernie politely declines Elton’s romantic gesture but welcomes his friendship, the film cleverly uses “Tiny Dancer” to illustrate the pianist’s conflicted feelings. Bernie remains an on-again/off-again support system for Elton throughout the story, which he badly needs as this movie details his struggles with depression, drug abuse and issues with his public image in an explicit fashion. Egerton effectively captures the superstar’s loneliness in a scene where he sits at the breakfast table with Renate Blauel (Celinde Schoenmaker), in what they both know is a loveless sham marriage.
Unlike The Dirt and Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman clearly isn’t trying for an exact portrayal of the timeline of Elton’s life and career. Instead, the iconic singer/songwriter’s recovery in a group session is framed around flashbacks of more standard film elements and fantasy-based musical numbers, with different versions of Elton and other characters performing his hit songs in order to define the mood.
These range from moments of teenage abandon in the “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” number, young Elton and his family’s performance of “I Want Love”, to Elton reflecting on his sex addiction in an elegant-shot dream sequence set to “Bennie And The Jets.” Egerton proved he’s got a great singing voice as Johnny the gorilla from 2016’s animated feature Sing, and he reprises his performance there of “I’m Still Standing” as well as other various Elton hits extremely well.
It’s probably safe to assume Elton didn’t duet his younger self (Kit Connor) in the middle of a random time-warp, nor did he actually shoot into the sky during his famous Dodger Stadium performance (there are no accounts of the British Crown or the US Government’s scientists studying Elton’s alleged superpowers, though one could argue they should). But it doesn’t make moments like those or his legendary performance at the Troubadour, where the film has him and the audience briefly levitate, any less enjoyable.
Ultimately, Rocketman is a strong display of the traits that have made Elton John such an endearing and interesting personality in popular music for so many decades, blended into an entertaining recap of his career history. It’s going to feel like something’s truly missing when he retires following his current tour, but he’s certainly earned a deserved rest following the journey he’s had.
Though this movie is a clear exaggeration, it’s easy to see why the real Elton was so satisfied with this production. The personal connection he and Egerton developed has resulted in what comes off as an uncannily genuine representation of the pop legend in his younger days.
Have you seen Rocketman, and what did you think? If you’d had the chance to rock around your local movie theater’s clock, let us know how you felt as always at @Official_FAN on Twitter!