Rocketman Fizzles Out

Rating: 2/10 (21 June 2019)

I'm not sure if I saw the same movie as everyone praising it. I thought it was okay, but definitely not an 8 or 9 out of 10.
There are many problems with this film. The main issue, which I didn't realize until someone pointed it out in their review, is that the magic of listen to Elton John singing his songs is missing in this one. If you compare it to a recent, similar film by the same director (half directed by him), Bohemian Rhapsody, we get to hear Freddie's voice. Malik lip syncs to it, but that's why we fell in love with the artist. Taron does a good job singing, and performing, but he's NOT Elton John, vocally.
Second issue is that it's tonally all over the place. It wants to be a musical, or it wants to be a drama, it can't be both. Usually musicals are more upbeat. But I think the placing of a music scene is critical, and it just felt very repetitive in this movie. In fact, I took a bathroom break during one of the middle music scenes because I didn't feel compelled to stick around. I felt the drama scenes were worth more to sit through. The uneven tone just kept kicking me out of the movie.
The makeup for Bryce Howard was horrible when she was playing the older version of the mother. It looked like all they did was make her face lighter, it was pretty lazy. And why was the step father/boyfriend not considered a supportive person in Elton's life. I get that the mother and father were not as warm, but the step father, in addition to his grandmother, seemed to be a pretty good father figure.
Ultimately, this film fails to make Elton a sympathetic character. At least with Freddie Mercury, we did feel emotion for him and his plight. With Elton, it just felt more like 'woe is me' x 20, i.e. over and over again. Then the movie ends, and you're like 'okay, what was the point of this movie?' There is no point, no message. We just watch Elton's life set to a Mamma Mia-esque framework, with mediocre results.
If you have to choose to watch Bohemian Rhapsody or Rocketman, choose the former.