• Rocketman

1/12/25 (Sun)

Dexter Fletcher’s 2019 film biography of Elton John from childhood to his recovery from drug addiction some 30 years ago. It’s pretty standard fare for this type of film, starting with a difficult upbringing by disinterested parents to a success that he was not prepared for and ultimately to redemption.

The main theme is the lack of true love throughout his early life, making him lonelier the more successful he got. He is shown in a sterile home life with an abusive father and a dismissive mother, encouraged only by a kind grandmother. He wins a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music for his phenomenal skills, but is introduced to rock by the mom’s lover and is completely taken. He joins a band as backup, and is encouraged by one of the Isley Brothers to write his own music (topped by a big kiss). He adopts a new name, Elton John, from a fellow band member and John Lennon (a film invention – the real inspiration was another John), and is paired with budding lyricist Bernie Taupin. They enjoy almost immediate success.

Elton takes on a flamboyant image to cover for his own insecurities, including his closeted homosexuality. While his flashy glasses and clothing and Vegas-style spectaculars attract a massive following – he accounts at one point for 5% of all record sales worldwide – he fails to find satisfaction on a personal level. He is rejected by his parents and mentally mistreated by his lover, who appears more interested in the riches and glory than in the person himself. He begins to distance himself from his friends, including Bernie, and enters a life of alcohol, cocaine and uninhibited sex. That becomes a downward spiral that nearly leads to his death. He ultimately enters rehab, and a coda notes that he has been sober for 28 years and is happily married (to a man) and a father to two children. He has finally found the love he’s been seeking his whole life.

Elton’s songs are used in no particular order so as to underline his feelings at various times in the story. That’s an interesting approach, but it’s worth noting that the lyrics are by Taupin, who was writing mainly about his own relationships and issues. So “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, for instance, a song by Taupin about his own desire to return to his roots, is used in the film to show Elton’s determination to get his life under control. That doesn’t feel right to me somehow. The best of these was a heartfelt “Your Song”, which Elton composes at the piano as if by instinct (he apparently wrote the actual tune in about 20 minutes). He sings it quietly as if he really means it. It’s a terrific display of the creative process, which most movies struggle to realize. I would have loved to have seen more of that.

I watched with subtitles since it’s hard to understand the lyrics at the best of times. I realized how insensitive that Elton can be to the rhythm of speech, a common problem when composers musicalize existing words. Of course, he has an innate sense of musicality, and his melodies are second to none in the pops world, where words are just decorations anyway. In any case, Taupin’s lyrics, while highly imaginative, can be clumsy as well. I still love these songs, and the pair complement each other perfectly. What a contrast with Elton’s unexciting music for West End/Broadway, which largely lacks a sense of theater or character and is mainly composed with other lyricists (though the pair did work together on the stinker Lestat).

The film is unfortunately bookended by Elton’s rehab sessions, where he tells his fellow addicts about his life. This is a clichéd device that is unconvincing, unnecessary and unimaginative. They would have done better to go directly into the story proper. The gay scenes were tamer than I had imagined, though that’s probably for the better.

Some of the song sequences are presented as fantasies within Elton’s head. At one point, he and the audience float in the air; in another case, he is in a wild dance scene with shirtless men and plenty of debauchery. I’m sure these are supposed to show us his frame of mind, but it becomes tiresome. Honestly, I’d prefer a straight story with the songs presented in proper chronological order rather than this attempt at psychology. An unfortunate comparison is the superior Bohemian Rhapsody (by the same director), which was released only slightly earlier. That film was also by-the-book in terms of the usual ups and downs of aspiring artists, but the script unfolded naturally and directly, which was much more compelling.

That was helped, of course, by a powerhouse performance by the Freddie Mercury actor. Taron Egerton was fine but just doesn’t have the same star quality. His portrayal feels more forced, especially in the rehab scenes. He dresses in the same costumes that Elton wore at his concerts and strikes the same poses, but it comes across as merely competent. (It should be said that he won several awards for this, so I seem to be in the minority.) I’m not sure why they let him sing the songs; Elton’s voice is too recognizable to get away with it. On the other hand, Jamie Bell, the original film Billy Elliot, excelled as Taupin.

On the whole, this material would work better as a stage musical, which could replicate the excitement of live performance. I suspect that the restrictions of the stage would force them to cull the excess and get more to the heart of the story, which is Elton’s need for acceptance on a more personal level. I’d be first in line for that.