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		  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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