“You have to kill the man you were born to be in order to become the man you want to be.”
Rocketman is a fitting over-the-top, fantastic musical voyage through the life of the man who once released an album titled Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy. Although nearly everyone will immediately bring up comparisons to last year’s monster hit Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman is a completely different take on the traditional rock biopic. More old-school Hollywood musical than straight forward rockudrama, Rocketman tells the story of how piano prodigy Reginald Dwight transformed himself into one of the best-selling musical artists of all-time, Elton John, through musical numbers set to some of John’s biggest hits. Unlike Rhapsody, it takes a non-linear path through the singer’s musical catalog. The result is a film that lends even greater resonance to Elton’s music and a deeper understanding of the man as well as his lifelong songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin.
From the opening musical number, set to John’s smash hit “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” we quickly realize that this biopic will be different than most. As young Reginald settles in to entertain the patrons in a rowdy-looking English pub, he asks one of the individuals in the bar to remove his drink from atop the piano, as it will surely be knocked over. This launches us straight away into a sprawling song and dance number during which Reginald leaves the pub and makes his way to a carnival entrance, from which he emerges as young adult Reg. Much like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Reginald has left Kansas and is embarking upon his own yellow brick road.
At its heart, Rocketman is an examination of the circumstances that shaped the artist known as Elton John: His self-worth, his struggles with substance abuse, and most importantly, his identity. Early on in the film when he is outed by a fellow musician as being a homosexual, Taupin asks him if this is true and Elton responds that he is not sure. His sexuality has been no secret to the public now for decades, but John struggled with this throughout his early days. When he is finally forced to come out over the phone to his mother Sheila, colorfully played by Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), she responds that she’s always known he was gay. But she also adds that this means he will never truly be loved, and this cuts Elton/Reg to the bone.
In one of John’s earlier (and more underrated hits), ”Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Words,” he opens the ballad with the very emotionally raw questions “What have I got to do to make you love me? What have I got to do to make you care?” His failed attempts to find love from his parents and in his romantic relationships are heartbreaking, leading to his issues of self-worth and drug and alcohol abuse. At one point, he even tried a heterosexual marriage to German recording engineer Renate Blauel (Celinde Schoenmaker), which predictably ended in divorce after a few years. It is only when he learns to love himself, when he accepts who he is, that he is able to fully become the person he wants to be.
Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) stars as Elton John and he brings an incredible emotional depth to the role that is absolutely necessary in telling the story of John’s personal and professional growth. I fully expect many award nominations to come. It should also be noted that, in addition to the dance routines, Egerton is not lip-synching to Elton’s original recordings. Rather, his own musical ability is on full display as he sings all of the music in the film. While not quite at the same level of Sir Elton John’s immense talent, he does a remarkable job pulling off the feat. Although I was skeptical of this choice going in, having Egerton perform all the songs accomplishes the goal of keeping the viewer grounded in the film’s “reality,” rather than being distracted by the dichotomy of actor Egerton and the vocals of singer John. Jamie Bell (Snowpiercer, Fantastic Four) is affecting as John’s songwriting partner/support system Bernie Taupin, providing the balance John needs both personally and professionally, and Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) is equally charming and infuriating as John’s manager/lover John Reid.
With a deeply personal story such as this one, it would be easy to get bogged down in the struggles Elton John faces. Yet, the film does a great job of driving the narrative forward through some highly entertaining song and dance pieces. Rather than a chronological journey, the film selects various tunes from Elton’s careers for their storytelling, regardless of the order in which the songs were actually released. Director Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle) does a superb job weaving the more grounded, narrative bits in with the more colorful, fantasy moments, crafting a highly entertaining, poignant tale of accepting who you are while forgiving those who have held you back. Many of the movie’s signature scenes, such as the opening “Saturday Night” or the performance of “Crocodile Rock” at Hollywood’s famous Troubadour nightclub, will make you want to get out of your seat and sing along with the film.
Part Behind the Candelabra, part Moulin Rouge, Rocketman truly is its own thing. It would have been easy to take the traditional, standard route in telling Elton John’s story, but anyone who knows anything about Sir Elton knows that he is anything but traditional or standard. Whether you’re a huge fan of his music or completely unfamiliar with his song catalog, Rocketman will entertain, move, and inspire one and all. Just like the man himself, the story of Elton John is one-of-a-kind. As the chorus to the title track makes so clear “I’m not the man they think I am at home. Oh no no no, I’m a rocket man!”
Rocketman opens in theaters everywhere May 31st.
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