'Rocketman' Dizzyingly Rocks And Rolls Through The Life Of Elton
Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gemma Jones
Rated R
Biography, Musical
Run time: 2 hr, 1 min
Directed by Dexter Fletcher
In theaters May 31, 2019
As a huge Elton John fan (he was one of my first concerts when I was legitimately a child!), I was cautious about this film. The trailer looked good, sure, but when I saw John himself was a producer, I worried it would just paint him in a good light and move on. I’ve never been more thrilled to say I was wrong. Rocketman doesn’t shy away from anything: the good, the bad, the sex, drugs and rock n roll. It’s a biopic meets Across the Universe in its way of tying in a visual memoir with the songs that everyone knows from one of the greatest writing partnerships of all time.
The basics of the plot are simple enough: an older Elton John (Taron Egerton) is recounting his life - a device that can often be cliche, but somehow works in this context - and tries to figure out where it all went wrong. He goes through his early life, his relationship with his parents, his entrance into music and the escalation from there. Between meeting his long-time writing partner Bernie (Jamie Bell) and starting a tumultuous relationship with a manager (Richard Madden), there’s hardly anything that isn’t covered about this pop star’s life.
Egerton is the star of the show in every single way, managing to encompass John’s every emotion, from elation with success to despondency with loneliness. He looks the part, acts the part, and - most impressively - sings the part. One of the best things about this film is the way the music is handled. Some are incorporated as fantastical daydreams, such as the early version of “The Bitch is Back” while others are thrown in to show the truly dizzying world of his fame as he performs night after night and show after show. It’s a true joy to see Egerton throw himself into it and while the songs may not have the standard sound you’re used to hearing, it almost makes it better, knowing that it was done specifically for this film.
One thing I can’t avoid pointing out is the phenomenal costuming of this production. Other than a Victorian period piece, I have never seen such phenomenal wardrobe as I did in this movie. Recreating iconic looks, researching Elton John’s style and capturing his personality in an outfit must have been a gigantic feat, but it was done so masterfully that I couldn’t look away. (Egerton himself gets a few points for having to shave his hairline back constantly throughout production in order to keep the same look that the singer was known for. If there was one complaint I could have for this film, it’s with the title: Why on earth is it one word when the song is two? I have to say though, if that’s my only issue with it, it’s up there with some of the best films I’ve seen all year, especially since I’ll be hearing the film version of “Crocodile Rock” in my head until August.