Rocketman

Paramount, 2019
Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, and Bryce Dallas Howard
Directed by Dexter Fletcher
Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Bernie Taupin and others

I've been a huge fan of Elton John for as long as I could remember. His albums were always among my mother's record collection in the 80's, especially after he made his big comeback with "I'm Still Standing" when I was four years old. Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody, which mostly relies on concert footage, this is a full-blown jukebox musical, complete with splashy chorus numbers, reprises, and a five o'clock number. How does the life of one of England's most beloved and successful rock stars look on the big screen? Let's head to a rehab center with Elton himself to find out...

The Story: Elton John (Egerton) narrates his life story to an addiction rehabilitation group after fleeing a concert at Madison Square Garden. He started life as Reginald Dwight (Kit Connor), growing up in a cold and unfeeling household. His mother Sheila (Howard) hadn't wanted children and remains cold to him; his father Stanley (Steven Macintosh) is mostly out of his life in the Royal Air Force, and when he's around, he's even less affectionate. Only Reggie's kindly grandmother Ivy (Gemma Jones) supports his musical talent, especially after he gets a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. His father walks out of his life after his mother has an affair, and while this does hurt him deeply, his mother's new boyfriend introduces him to rock and roll.

Reggie takes to this brash new sound like a duck takes to water, playing at local pubs. He joins a band, Bluesology, and discovers while backing an American soul group that he definitely has homosexual leanings. He's encouraged to start writing music and to change his life and name. Becoming Elton John, he's introduced to lyricist Bernie Taupin (Bell), with whom he has an instant bond. The two become fast friends and start writing songs together. "Your Song" is a big enough hit to prompt a performance as the wildly popular Los Angeles venue The Troubadour. It's here that John overcomes his stage fright and discovers his frenzied and electric performing style.

He meets the handsome music businessman John Reid (Madden) at Mama Cass' after-show party. Reid becomes his manager and lover, introducing him to the drinking, drugs, and partying that would mark most of Elton's career in the 70's. By the mid-70's, John is at the top of the charts, one of the biggest rock stars in the world...but his life is starting to spiral out of control. His parents don't mind his homosexuality, but they still don't show him any love. Reid is not only cheating on him, but stealing from him as well. John's attempt at a straight marriage only lasts a few years, and Taupin's had it up to here and leaves briefly. It's the loss of his best friend and a near-suicide attempt that makes John realize how bad things have gotten...and finally prompts him to clean up his act for good.

The Song and Dance: The eclectic numbers and spot-on performances are reason enough to check this one out. Egerton was selected to play John by the man himself. His instincts proved to be solid. Egerton is awesome, nailing many of John's mannerisms and beautifully portraying both the shy and flamboyant sides of John's personality. Bell's almost as good as Taupin, who continues as John's partner to this day, and Connor is a dead-ringer for the young John. Howard also does well as John's icy and uncaring mother. Madden portrays his lover as a charming cad who is out to use him and his career.

In fact, what I like is how honest the movie is about John's life, especially given that John himself agreed to it. Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody, it has no qualms about showing the darker side of the glamorous rock star life of the 70's or John's sexual relationships. I believe it's the first Hollywood movie from a major studio to depict a sexual relationship between two men.

Goes without saying that the costumes are especially incredible here, with John's most infamous costumes recreated in all their glittering glory. Dexter Fletcher also worked on Bohemian Rhapsody, and he does even better work here; the numbers are electric and beautifully staged, with some very catchy choreography.

Favorite Number: The opening number "The Bitch Is Back," with Connor and Egerton introducing John's drab early life, is catchy start that may be a bit surprising, with it's juxtaposition of John's bright colors against the pale pastels and black and white of his memories. "I Want Love," the Dwight family's realization that they're breaking apart, is absolutely heartbreaking. "Crocodile Rock" is as electric as it must have been the first night at the real Troubadour, with some great effects as Egerton literally lifts himself on the piano keys. "Pinball Wizard" depicts John's real-life concert tours, with swirling effects as we move from one venue to another. The title song starts underwater after John's suicide, giving us some nice underwater photography, and ends up in one of John's most famous performances at Dodgers Stadium in LA (complete with sparkling Dodgers uniform).

Special kudos to the finale, "I'm Still Standing." I was 4 when that song debuted, and I vividly recall seeing the music video on MTV when it came out. It's a near-perfect re-creation of that video, right down to John's white suit and the dancers' domino effect at one point.

What I Don't Like: While it's more honest about it's subject matter than Bohemian Rhapsody, it's still fairly cliched. It's also an R rating, and very much so. In addition to the man-on-man sex, there's some heavy swearing (including a ton of F-bombs dropped) and minor violence. The effects of John's lifestyle are shown on-screen, including his battle with bulimia and all the drugs and liquor he consumed. This is absolutely not for children, "fantasy" or not. Start them on The Lion King or John's earlier music videos if you want to give them a taste of his work. Egerton is electric as John, but he may actually be a little too conventionally handsome to pass for him (something John never was).

The Big Finale: If you love John and his music, musicals, or the cast, you won't want the sun to go down on this one before you check it out.

Home Media: The soundtrack is available on CD and on streaming from several companies, including Amazon Music.

CD
MP3
Amazon Music