Rocketman (2019) Review

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Biopics show the ups and downs on the journey of an iconic figure. Due to the popularity of musician Elton John, his story was a good choice of a story to explore, but it was done way better in the style of a musical. 


PLOT


Rocketman shows the rock star's journey from the young Reginald Dwight to the iconic Sir Elton. Reginald grew up in 1950s Britain with his father Stanley who showed zero interest in him, whereas his mother Sheila wasn’t as affectionate as his grandma Ivy. Stanley eventually left when Sheila would start seeing another man named Fred (Tom Bennett) and when he moves in, he introduces Reginald to rock music. Around the same time of his youth, he would do so well in piano lessons that he would thrive in the Royal Academy of Music. He’d then start performing as a young adult with the band Bluesology and by the time he met Ronald Isley, he took his recommendation to write his own songs. Shortly after, he’d adopt his musical alias and find success at DJM Records, writing alongside Bernie Taupin who’d be his best friend. The two would briefly live back with the protagonist’s family home when his landlady evicts him for being homosexual and during their stay, they’d write popular singles like ‘Your Song’ and ‘Crocodile Rock’ which he would perform at the Troubadour. Elton would then hit it off with music manager John Reid which would lead to him coming up with flamboyant costumes for his performances, but would be the beginning of a downward spiral. With Stanley still not interested in him even after seeking fame, he’d be devastated of Sheila claiming he won’t properly as he comes out to her. When John starts becoming physically & emotionally abusive, he’d get addicted to drugs & alcohol. Those addictions would in turn lead to mood swings that’d cause him to alienate Bernie. He would break up with Reid, but he would still be his manager. Elton’s drug habits would be so bad that he’d overdose and attempt suicide by drowning himself in a pool. Despite recovering from this incident, he’d still perform consistently. He would try to be happy when marrying sound engineer Renate Blaul (Celinde Schoemaker), but it would only be temporary due to still identifying as gay, which would only further his loneliness. The increased feeling would only enhance his use of prescribed drugs to the point of having a heart attack. Thankfully, surviving that would be his wake up call to go to rehab center. His time there would help him realize he never needed approval of anyone like Reid or his parents. His time in rehab would help him rekindle his friendship with Bernie and he’d continue make music with him. The film would end in an epilogue revealing Elton has been sober for over 28 years (by the time of 2019), happily married David Furnish, adopted two children with him and has remained good friends with Bernie.


THOUGHTS


What I previously said, biopics of celebs like musicians are very straight forward with its formulaic plot because we get to witness these people have a journey of self discovery that gives them newfound confidence we become inspired of by the end of it. In all honesty, I feel most inspired here the way I was with Straight Outta Compton. Bryan Singer held back with Bohemian Rahpsody, so Dexter Fletcher made sure he made a narrative that doesn't do so because there was a lot of Elton that had to be acknowledged to address no one's perfect. This was a jukebox musical no matter what because we needed a soundtrack to match the moods we were feeling and it pays off nonetheless. All the costumes that were done for not only the pre-80s era, but also all the iconic costumes Elton were like the best moments of nostalgia. As a local Californian, I got real giddy to see him in the Dodgers costume. As I maintain seriousness, it is about as grounded as you'd expect from musicals because you feel the heartache and then the relief when the drama is over. I find it to be an accurate depiction of Elton went through because he was trying to find acceptance from everyone of his inner circle that loving himself is enough. Both Matthew Illesley & Kit Connor showed young Reginald to be visibly confused on how he was gonna reach that goal, yet still had the confidence to make himself happy which is truly what music did for him. The opening tracks of "The Bitch is Back" and "Saturday Night's Alright" were great ways to express he was always about uninhibited fun he could have whenever & wherever he could. Transition to Taron Egerton, you get the most authentic biopic performance ever for a musician because you feel all the inner conflict he copes with and is so scared on how he can resolve until he hits his breaking point. "I Want Love" was about authentic love while "Your Song" is about the honest endearing expression that comes from it and feeling this meaning is why I always came to enjoy his music long before this picture was ever made. The title track hits hard reflecting his loneliness and "Tiny Dancer" was about him learning to be free spirited. "Border Song" was about his personal alienation and "Crocodile Rock" reflected on his first days of joy before building new ones. Considering how Steven Mackintosh portrayed Stanley to be as cold as Reggie remembered him and Bryce Dallas Howard showed Sheila to be most resentful, you understand why it was hard for the young Dwight to figure out living life the way he wanted to was ever worth living. In the most visible sense, the first person that made him feel comfortable after his grandma was Bernie Taupin. Jamie Bell made him so likable because he was Elton's polar opposite as in far more steady in comparison. He was always aware of what his friend and was able to tell him exactly what he needed to hear whether or not it would lead to any kind of argument. Had he not been so grounded, I don't think John would recover to his liking. What truly held him back from finding content in his life was his first serious relationship. Richard Madden has a huge 180 here with what feels like his most villainous performance as John Reid after many years playing much likable protagonists. The way he used his charm to manipulate John is heartbreaking because he saw how vulnerable he was and took advantage of him to catapult his own success. When I hear "Take Me to the Pilot", I interpret it as a way Elton had found something he believes is happiness with no concrete proof and "Honky Cat" was about newfound liberation that only felt temporary by the time he realized Reid wasn't the one. On his own, "Benny and the Jets" was about he felt other-worldly whether he was on drugs or making the art that moved everyone. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" emphasized his inner fears at the time and when it came to his relationship with Renate, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was about his desperation to keep whatever good he had left in his relationships. At that point, loneliness was in his prime until his peers expressed disappointment in his behavior. "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" was him at rockbottom with bottomless sadness, whereas "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' was an accurate way to leave behind all the inner pressure he was coping with and letting go of the past. Even though "I'm Still Standing" was made at the time Elton was still on drugs, it doesn't take away it's a great tune of being done relying on the past. In turn, it becomes a great companion piece to Elton & Taron's "I'm Gonna Love Me Again" as that is also about embracing a more positive future. Track by track, they were all moving as they all succeeded in showing it's never too late to accept yourself and Elton proved so when he showed his young counterparts hug it out during his recovery. If he can pull it off, so can the rest of us. In short, Rocketman is one of the better musical biopic for having all the passion that is missing and leaves us all the more amazed. If this sub genre is your thing, see this as soon as possible,