Rocketman (7/10)
by Tony Medley
Runtime 121 minutes.
R.
There’s a lot of music in this,
a lot of drugs, and a lot of gay sex. It tells that a young, fearful
piano wunderkind, Reginald Dwight (Matthew Illesley, very young; Kit
Conner, older) is unloved and uncared for by his frigidly cold parents,
Sheila Farebrother (Bryce Dallas Howard), and Stanley Dwight (Steven
Macintosh). Then almost like a butterfly turning into a caterpillar,
Reggie metamorphoses into the monster drug addict, alcoholic rock and
roll superstar, Elton John (Taron Egerton).
Directed by Dexter Fletcher from
a screenplay by Lee Hall, this is not just “warts and all,” it’s almost
all warts, and that’s my main criticism. The entire movie shows John as
a whining, despicable, ungovernable prima donna begging for love and
throwing fits when he doesn’t get it. What’s disappointing is that a
crawl at the conclusion of the film says that John has been alcohol and
drug free for 28 years! Why not show some of that? Why not devote just a
little time showing him as a recovered druggie/alcoholic who overcomes
bad things and continues to lead a rewarding life instead of just adding
it as an afterthought? As to that, there’s no Princess Di.
It does show his breakout
performance at The Troubadour on the Sunset Strip in 1970, and other
performances after he became a star. Egerton gives a remarkable
performance and will undoubtedly be up for an Oscar®, and deservedly so.
He does all the singing himself. It’s not as if John’s voice is
something iconic like the voices of Johnny Cash or Al Jolson, so using
Egerton’s voice wasn’t a bad idea. It is filled with the music John
created with his lyricist, Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), and if you are a
fan of that, you will be rewarded.
Compared with the two musicals
last year, A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody, this film
is a disappointment. The main criticism of Bohemian Rhapsody by
many was that it whitewashed a story that was darker than what was
presented onscreen. To give Rocketman credit, it does not pull
its punches.
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