Be uplifted with Rocketman
You may not be transported to outer space, but Rocketman is sure to make your spirit soar. It’s such a pleasure to see a film with a killer soundtrack, amazing performances and costumes that make you want to dig out your platform shoes and join the fun. Yes, there are some dark moments in this Elton John biopic and there’s no sugar-coating depression and suicide–but it’s a tale of triumph that leaves you tapping your toes.
The trajectory of shy music prodigy to gay icon who’s an AIDS activist that has raised millions for HIV research with the Elton John AIDS Foundation, starts amusingly-enough, in an Al-Anon meeting. There’s a dimly-lit circle of folding chairs that can’t contain this out-size personality…let alone his sequined costume. Welsh actor, Taron Egerton, gives an incredible performance as Elton John. We open with the star having hit the skids and looking to save his life. Taron Egerton does all his own singing and it’s a transformation that Elton himself has applauded.
Director Dexter Fletcher who picked up the reins on Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was fired, doesn’t shy away from the homophobia of the time. The young British boy, Reggie, is shown living a typical schoolboy life. He seems repressed and gets little support or attention. There’s an implication that his lack of physical affection and parental neglect lead to his constant search for a loving relationship.
The relationships that do bolster our aspiring musician; his grandmother, who was an early supporter of his music and then his writing partner, Bernie Taupin (played with charm and serenity by Jamie Bell), seem to be enough to sustain him till the crushing pressure of performance, drugs, alcohol and a manipulative manager/lover take their toll. There’s a great montage of Elton at the piano in his crazy costumes rotating thru concerts around the world. It’s fun to see the actual costumes at the end to see what a smashing job the costume department did on this film.
What didn’t work for me was the casting of Elton John’s mother. Bryce Dallas Howard is lovely but she’s too kind to portray this unfeeling, selfish character…it feels like too much of a stretch and came off false. Her aging make-up adds another layer of falseness in a film that seems to be aiming for a true representation of Elton’s life. Her portrayal seems a caricature.
There was a horrific attack on a British couple in the news recently: lesbians, beaten when they wouldn’t kiss for the pleasure of bunch of brutes on public transit. Watching this film, with it’s celebration of a Rock Star who has made his life a crusade to end homophobia, feels like a way to fight that darkness. Rocketman embraces the belief that you can live your life—gay, straight, bi, trans–and be fabulous. What a hero Elton John has been! Photos of Elton John and husband with their two darling boys living a happy life is a triumph over all of those brutish bullies.
Go see Rocketman for a much-needed lift!
