Grand Pretentious Bio Cliche of the Year

Rating: 5/10 (1 July 2019)

Hmmmm, very scattered, unfathomable and pretentious fragmented film in epic identity crisis. Under the shadow of Bohemian Rhapsody there seems to be a onslaught of bio pics and musicals coming through theaters. This film is problematic from the get go as it tries to figure out whether it's a bio pic about Elton John, the human rock star, or a grandiose spectacle to proclaim admiration and worship of Elton John the unfathomable rock god.
There are some good takeaways, some flashy sparkly cinematic tricks and musical dance choreography but the story gets lost. The whole film gets lost like one long song pieced together by songs we recognize and love but ultimately it's song without a hook. Without spoiling the film, a big show at the Troubadour is not American bandstand or BBC. I mean, really? This should be one film or another. I don't feel like I know anymore about Elton John than I did walking into the film except that he didn't write any of the songs, unlike Mercury. However, if your a junky for cover band shows or karaoke then I should just shut now, but if you're like me hearing someone sing Elton's songs like an amateur was all the fuel I needed to leave the film early. I'll go home and read his Wikipedia while I listen to his albums. My imagination is better than this half musical/ half bio pic fail. I predict 6-6.5 stars by the time it hits streaming.