Old subjects handled creatively and with integrity

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2019)

Unhappy childhood? Get in line. Successful people indulging addictions? Been there done that. On those levels Elton's life is rather typical, but somehow this story hits the right tone and even flights of fancy don't detract from Rocketman's authenticity. The music is MY story as a 1973 high school graduate; I remember exactly where I was when I heard Your Song for the first time; ditto Rocketman and other hits. That might make the audience for this film smallish, except the magic, cautionary tale, and struggle to reconcile makes it damn near universal. How sad it was that the previews I watched while waiting for Rocketman included an upcoming Judy Garland biopic Under The Rainbow -- wherein Judy's sad life from childhood to barely middle age is told anew accompanied by her stellar talent and indelible performances. Judy couldn't figure it out while Elton apparently has. Who should we try to emulate? In Rocketman I was also impressed by the perennial dilemma of how to film the creative process, including connecting with creative lyrics and doodling on the piano; in almost all other movies about composers the light bulb moment is comical but for some reason I can't pinpoint here it seemed real or at least plausible. Elton John is a rare talent who found himself in the right place at the right time and made the most of it. He could have easily been just another rock star dead in his 20s but he caught himself in time (with a little help from some of his friends). Rocketman deserves to do very well at the box office.