Rocketman 2019
Rocketman unfortunately came right on the heels of Bohemian Rhapsody so I wasn’t quite as psyched to see a movie about the excessive lifestyle of a homosexual British rocker and I put off watching this movie. Still, I love Elton John’s music so I did want to see the movie eventually and wound up getting it from Redbox a couple of years later. While Elton John’s story is amazing, what a huge, huge star he was not just in music sales, but for the outsized personality and showmanship, he kind of fizzled out despite a few hits into the 80’s. Part of that was probably all of the excessive drinking and drugs, eventually settling into the life of a senior celebrity, and still having a few hiccups in his life from financial mismanagement and overspending. The movie starts with flamboyant Elton in rehab, flashing back to his childhood and later as a young musician, showing an amazing ear for music and an uncanny ability to write songs. In one scene, based on a true story, a record company hands Elton an unopened envelope of somebody’s lyrics to see if he can write tunes for them. The envelope is from Bernie Taupin, launching the greatest songwriting duo since Rodgers and Hammerstein. When he finally gets a chance to get on stage he transforms into the entertainer he would become (the movie messes with timelines quite a bit). Very quickly he also gets involved in excess alcohol and drugs and the movie slows down. Given that his megastardom was really kind of shortlived, the movie has nowhere to go. I thought they might end with John singing at Diana’s funeral, which to me is when he made a dignified transition to institutional celebrity, but maybe that would be too depressing. Instead they seem to stop at different kind of rebirth, when he finally gets sober. In the meantime you see the loves of his life, his kind of messed up parents, and a grandmother who believes in him, plus the very important relationship with Bernie Taupin. Taron Egerton does a great job as Elton John, singing the songs himself, giving the movie makers some creative liberty to recharacterize some of the songs. It is a very good performance and doesn’t pull any punches on John’s homosexuality. There are a couple of big dance numbers and I wish there maybe had been more of that, but instead we end up slogging through his downfall. That’s the problem with a biopic, whether to make it entertaining or truthful and although they change a lot of little things, they couldn’t just make up a new ending for Elton John. It is still a good movie, but the energy and fun escape too quickly.
Written: 03 May 2021
Owned on: Digital