the Rennaissance of the musical genre continues

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2019)

Elton John accompanies my passion for pop and rock music for nearly 50 years. I confess that I was not an unconditional fan of Elton over all these years, the celebrities with bizarre behavior have not been and are not my cup of tea, but this musical directed by Dexter Fletcher managed not only to captivate me and make me vibrate (again ) to the music, but also to bring to light some of the roots of his way of being. Now, when Elton John's career seems to get close to an end (at least the touring part), there are chances for me to return to the ranks of his fans, thanks to this film.
Dexter Fletcher should initially have directed 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and he was the one who finished the film after Bryan Singer left the production. In 'Rocketman' producer Elton John entrusted him from the very beginning with responsibility of making a film about his own biography, childhood, coming to age, building his artistic personality and personal crises. He was right, I guess. Fletcher demonstrates again his huge talent in making the audience live again the atmosphere of the British pop world of the years of glory and to get to know the heroes of this revolution with their musical genius, but also their personal problems, the confrontation with life as stars, with drugs, alcohol, sexuality. His contribution to the revival of the musical genre can not be disputed, but I think it's more than that, because Fletcher combines in his films the limits and freedoms of the 'musical' genre, which became part of the mainstream in Hollywood in the 1950s and 1960s and the vibration of British rock. It is, if you want, a cinematic equivalent of the fusion that took place half a century ago between the pop in England and the rock and soul coming from overseas, from America.
The fact that Elton John is an executive producer of the film may, on one hand, be an assurance to viewers that the biographical information presented in the film is accurate and verified, but may also raise the suspicion that the film conceals some less comfortable details. It seems to me that the latter doubts can largely be eliminated. The script written by Lee Hall does not make many concessions to the characters of the singer's parents, nor to the ones of the more or less true friends who accompanied his career, and especially not to Elton John himself. The singer is shown in the periods he searches to define himself as a musical personality but also as a human being, including in the uncomfortable relationships with those around him, with his loneliness and the crises that brought him to the verge of suicide just when he was reaching the peak of his career. Homosexuality issues are addressed much more directly than in the 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The choice of Taron Egerton for the lead role of the artist's maturity period seemed to me to be excellent. The little-known actor shows his talent becoming Elton John on screen (including singing the musical part). The film is much less a musical biography in the strict sense of the cinematic genre and much more a true musical, with songs and dance numbers inserted in the story, not as entertainment but as a way of expression in the most dramatic points. But the film is entertaining, and sensitive, and a pleasure to watch and listen to. It's a good substantial musical that has the chances of winning new fans for Elton John, now and in the future.