The circle of life

Rating: 6/10 (9 August 2019)

Following hot on the heels of Bohemian Rhapsody. Comparisons are inevitable especially as Dexter Fletcher, the director of Rocketman was brought in to finish Bo Rap. Both films also feature the character of John Reid as business manager for both Queen and Elton John.
The film is framed with a rock bottom Elton John (Taron Egerton) wearing a heavy costume going into rehab for his various addictions and talking about all the issues in his life.
Reg Dwight was a child prodigy on the piano. His life changed when he met Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) and Elton put music to Bernie's lyrics.
In the 1970s came big success and battle with his demons. From 1975 Elton admits to being a twonk to his friends and family as he got addicted to booze and drugs. A year later his homosexuality became public.
The framing device works well. Elton felt a lack of love from his parents especially from his distant father. When Elton found success, he found his business manager and lover John Reid more interested in Elton's career than providing him with love and affection.
The songs weave around the film and sung by the cast. It seems the writer Lee Hall took the songs and built the structure of the film around the lyrics, you could easily guess what the final song was going to be.
Like Bo Rhap it is not chronologically accurate. Elton John married Renate in 1984 when the film reaches its natural end in 1983.
I did feel Rocketman was lightweight even when it goes into Elton's darkest aspects of his life, it just seemed too tinged with sweetness. A surprise because Elton John has never shied away from talking about his dark days so it could never had been a contractual thing.
Egerton does well as Elton but it is a performance that never blew me away. Bryce Dallas Howard surprised me with her English accent as Elton's mother.
Like a lot of other recent films based on true events. The film wants to blow its own trumpet by showing how much detailed they have gone to recreate the sets and costumes. Then you realise what was the point? Part of the story has been fictionalized for narrative purposes. I liked it much more with some nice humorous bits such as when John Reid strokes Elton's receding hair and some of it falls off on his hands.
I saw Elton John in concert some years ago. His core band have been with him for decades, half are from Britain and the other half are from the USA. I would liked to have seen how they reacted to Elton John when he was loaded on drugs, did they try to wean him off or just joined him. The film does not tell you.