‘Rocketman’ is like few musical bio-pics we have witnessed. Unlike the paint-by-numbers approach of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (granted, a GOOD piece of work, though), this greatest hits collection of Elton John’s hits, hurts and flamboyant wardrobe choices is unpredictable, unbelievably creative, and extremely unique.
What’s wild is that both films…..The aforementioned Queen/Freddie Mercury retrospect and this movie….have a link in director Dexter Fletcher. He was hired to finish ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ after Bryan Singer was turfed. With ‘Rocketman’, he takes things home, start to finish. And it’s impressive.
Like a Broadway musical colliding with a jukebox, a ’70s era pinball machine and a Wikipedia listing of John’s various dabbles in dangerous behavior, ‘Rocketman’ carves out a formula all its own. Fans of Elton John will know full well that the chronology of his tunes are out of order – but in the manner in which Fletcher unravels the tale, it doesn’t matter. It’s more about how the music fits the story than sheer timeline. To some, that will be maddening. To those craving something as innovative as John himself, it’s unbelievably refreshing.
I tend to side with the latter.
The film begins with John beginning his stint in rehab (technically, this was circa the early 90’s, but here, it doesn’t really matter), and rewinds the events of his life, from little Reggie Dwight being unloved by his father (Steven Mackintosh), dismissed by his mother (Bryce Dallas Howard) and finding himself through music. The journey begins with a stint in the Royal Academy of Music, continues with a tour as a backing musician for an American tour of soul singers, and ultimately launches with his legendary stint at west Hollywood’s infamous Troubadour nightclub.
To say that Taron Egerton captures the razzle dazzle of Elton John is an understatement – the fact that he nails the vocals on the bulk of John’s extensive library of songs is more than enough to put him into Oscar discussion. But to do the heavy lifting of John’s emotional ride seals the deal. After all, ‘Rocketman’ is not an overly happy story. Oh, you’ll likely sing along with every song (because, let’s fact…we KNOW these tunes), but Egerton’s very engaging and very real performance, tackling the many painful moments of John’s rise to fame, is something you might not expect. Ditto for Jamie Bell who plays Bernie Taupin, John’s longtime songwriting partner.
I was totally surprised and totally blown away by ‘Rocketman’. Again, this is far from the norm. And I like it.
