Rocketman is a smashing success. Who could have have imagined that a biopic about a man we already knew all about would be one of the most surprising films of the year? It’s soaring yet groundbound, joyous yet joyless, waggish yet wise; an enigma every bit as titillating as Sir. Elton John.
Though he wasn’t always Sir. Elton John. Before the flamboyant garments and clairvoyant music he was a troubled boy in the British suburbs. His mom cheating and his dad beating. This doesn’t separate him from the crowd, but his music sure did.
A Musical That Does The Music Justice
It also what helps separate this movie from the crowd. Some rock biopics rely on jukebox-hits to get our feet tapping, others march to the beat of their own drum. Tiny Dancer, Your Song and Rocketman aren’t just played to remind us of his genius, but to underscore his uneven psychology. To remind us that under the feathered masks was a man–not a rocketman.
That’s the reality check that opens things up. As Elton (played by Taron Egerton) bursts his way into an AA meeting, dressed in blood-red feathers and satanic horns (a getup that would make Lady Gaga blush), he’s there to face his demons. Rocketman tells the ridiculous story of how a lonely child became the most talked about musician of all time, detailing the sexual, drug, and shopping addictions that would go on to erect lubricious headlines.
Still, controversy is nothing new for Dexter Fletcher, the director who completed last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody following Bryan Singer’s departure. That film centered Queen’s Freddie Mercury: an LGBTQ legend, a captivating musician and an icon whose crazy lifestyle came with lots of scrutiny. The difference between Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, though, is intimacy, along with honesty, splendor and an MGM-like musical structure.
Instead of An American in Paris you could call this journey A Brit in America. It doesn’t take long for a whirlwind of colors to accompany Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting. As a choreographed troupe spins through the streets like Gene Kelly on a rainy day. If that sounds unbelievable, it is. But so is Elton. In his first gig in Los Angeles he plays Crocodile Rock, and he, along with the audience, begins to levitate as if in an anti-gravity machine.
The whole films soars, even when the weight of a closeted homosexuality and a broken family weighs on its shoulders. Thanks to Fletcher, who directs like a pinball wizard, bouncing between highs and lows with grace. Rock bottom is at the bottom of a bourbon on the rocks. Lofty highs are Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin (a superb Jamie Bell) jamming in music sessions. And it’s this remixing of emotions that gets at the heart of the music. Music that found intimacy under explosiveness like a kiss under fireworks.
It’s music that comes from the soul. The movie is mostly a means to celebrate that soul, but there’s also a melancholy to it. Some might be turned off by the downer vibe. Elton overdoses on uppers, is told his parents are ashamed of him and has a handsome producer take advantage of his talent and his sexuality (John Reid). In other words, it’s the average plot of a 70’s rock star.
Rocketman: Conclusion
Wrong. Rocketman is far from average. This is big screen entertainment done right, an inventive rock-opera that brims with energy and color. Much of that is to the credit of screenwriter Lee Hall, who marries Busby Berkeley’s spellbinding dance with Jean Vigo’s romantic trance. But there’s no mistaking the pictures beating heart. Taron Egerton captures both Elton’s swagger and reserve–sometimes at the same time! He’s a fragile beauty, quipped with quivering lips and swaying shoulders. His confidence is an act. When Elton puts on a sparkling Dodger’s uniform, you know he’s going to hit it out of the park.
Now 72, and 30 years sober, Elton can finally be himself. Being yourself is the singular message here. And it’s a vital one. But the message you will walk away with is A) that you love the music; B) that you love the movie, and C) that you love the man. Rocketman is a reminder that legends never die. They stay standing.
Have you seen Rocketman? What were your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
Rocketman releases May 31st, 2019 in the United States, after being released in the U.K. on May 22nd.
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