Love Elton John, Thought the Film was OK

Rating: 6/10 (18 April 2020)

Reginald Dwight grew up in a loveless home on the outskirts of London. A shy, musical prodigy who could play classical pieces by ear, the only support he finds is from his Grandma, who encourages him to develop his gift. Ignored by his Dad and shunned by his Mom, Reggie takes delight in Elvis Presley records and decides he wants to not only pursue music, but rock music. From forming his high school band Bluesology to meeting young lyricst Bernie Taupin, Reggie's career takes off. Eventually he changes his name to Elton John (though the movie lies about how he came up with the name for some reason), adopts a flamboyant stage persona complete with gaudy costumes and loud accessories and becomes one of the biggest rock stars during the 1970s. As success grows, so too do bad habits, leading a fast downfall and the question if Elton John would ever regain his fame and popularity that he had in his heyday (which, unless you've lived under a rock for the past 30 some years, you know the answer to that question).
I will give this film credit. Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody, which carefully protected some of the more dark elements of Freddie Mercury's life, John lays bare all his warts and short comings. He had a lot of demons and darkness during his career. However, the overall execution is spotty. It can be campy at times, which fits with John's stage persona during this time, but sometimes it goes way beyond, to the point where it's uncomfortable to watch. The actors are good and some of the scenes are very powerful, but then others fall flat. I also would have liked maybe cutting down on some of the stuff (maybe shortening the musical numbers. That "Saturday Night" number goes on way too long) and touching on his "revival" in the 90s, when he did the duet with George Michael, wrote the soundtrack for The Lion King and wrote the biggest selling single in Billboard history with the Candle in the Wind tribute to Princess Diana. Nothing from this timeframe is shown in this movie, and it would have been a good conclusion to the darkness and despair that is throughout his life in this film.
Overall, better than some of the bio pics I've seen, but some weird artistic choices leaves it lacking in some areas as well. If you like Elton John or rock music from the 70s, watch it. If not, you might want to pass.