Elton John is one of the most larger than life figures in musical history, donning ridiculously over-the-top outfits as he belts out tunes on his trusty piano. As such, one would expect a biopic about the man’s life to delve deep into the factors and events that made John the icon he is today, both the good and the bad. Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman certainly delivers in being larger than life – a true story told in the style of Mamma Mia – with characters bursting into song in the middle of a scene and a powerhouse performance by Taron Egerton as the Rocketman himself. The choice to incorporate these fourth wall breaking musical performances into the story is also something of a double-edged sword; lessening the impact of the story that should be told.
Rocketman explores the life of Elton John from his experiences as a child – under his real name Reginald Dwight – dealing with his parent’s divorce through to his life of rock and roll excess until his inevitable fall from grace and admission into rehab. Throughout all of this there is the common theme of Elton’s search for love that he has been denied his whole life. He is constantly derided by his parents and those around him – apart from his grandmother (Gemma Jones), who supports his initial musical endeavours, and his best friend and writing partner Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) – and as a result Elton surrounds himself with people that he mistakenly trusts with his wellbeing who are actually after his fame and fortune – enter John Reid (Richard Madden), Elton’s lover and business manager. The film focuses on the toll this struggle takes on Elton and the physical and mental effects that inhibit his ability to truly connect with those around him as his star burns brighter and brighter in the musical world.
What differentiates Rocketman from its contemporaries is the way in which the story is told, with most scenes transitioning into full fledged musical numbers featuring the hits of John. These scenes serve as visual representations of Elton’s emotional state over the course of the story and are generally extremely well performed – often relying on the full cast to help belt out the tunes. Whilst entertaining, these sections of the film also take away any opportunity for real investment in the plot. Every time the film gets close to some sort of a realisation or major moment in Elton’s life, a song and dance number breaks out with everyone involved. It’s frustrating and I often found myself getting invested in a scene only to be taken out by some ridiculous aspect of a musical number – such as Elton floating mid-concert as if on the moon. It’s almost as if the real Elton John, executive producer of the film, didn’t want to paint himself in any negative light and so used these musical performances as a way of skirting around uncomfortable interactions where he admittedly has done some pretty terrible things. It is a real shame given the life the man has lived, with audiences surely looking for a biopic that told the story in all of its detail – good or bad – rather than this airbrushed attempt at telling the highlights of Elton John’s life while literally dancing around the darker side of his actions.
Due to this odd story structure, it’s no surprise that the character we spend the most time with is Elton himself, who is played to perfection by Taron Egerton. From a purely physical standpoint, the effort that has gone into making Egerton look like Elton is astounding, from the teeth and the way he smiles to the outlandish outfits and the way he carries himself in them. Egerton is the only actor in the film with something of a narrative arc as he plays the transition from an innocent outcast in the streets of England with dreams of being a rockstar to the drug addicted mess that Elton ultimately becomes believably, making the audience empathise with him in the brief moments before a musical performance beats them over the head. There is a strong supporting cast around Egerton who rarely get time to shine due to the laser focus on John, but Jamie Bell as Elton’s best friend and confidant Bernie Taupin is a highlight and the best performance after Egerton. He plays the role with a sense of wonder and innocence at the musical world, with less drive to succeed than Elton. Where Elton is critical and unsatisfied, Bernie is simply happy to be around these people he has admired his whole life and Bell brings a lot to the table – making Bernie the most relatable character in the film. Bryce Dallas Howard and Richard Madden both deliver good performances as Elton’s mother and business manager/lover but they are ultimately thankless roles, written as one-dimensional plot devices that get Elton from point A to B.
Rocketman is a film that could have been great. With a truly incredible performance from Taron Egerton and the story of one of music’s biggest icons to follow, it’s hard to see it play out so wrong. The bizarre and jarring style of presenting the musical performances as asides to the narrative, rather than as performances in the narrative of the film, means that the plot is robbed of any urgency and weight – ultimately making the whole affair feel irrelevant. This glossy, one-sided film is not the full account of this legendary rockstar’s life fans came to see, and one can only hope that a filmmaker comes along in the future with a clearer vision – one that doesn’t have Elton John himself on the payroll.
Rocketman stars Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden & Bryce Dallas Howard – In cinemas now.
