Some fine story elements, but in an unusual mix that's alternately exhilarating and almost mundane

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2019)

After seeing "Rocketman" I firmly believe this film has a sizable target audience - and I'm not in it. And perhaps that's exactly as the director intended.
From the beginning, we are led on a few false starts, on what type of movie this is going to be. Is it a musical? At first yeah, later no. Is it a biopic? At first yeah, later, no. Is it a coming out story? You get the idea.
Where the direction and the acting succeeds is portraying the conflicts inherent in one man's story of massive musical talent, world-class wealth, deep-rooted parental issues, and life lived in the public eye as a closeted homosexual. But the character's narrative, while very strong, is often not only uneven, but uses production values that at times are much too sparse. To me, the budget constraints were frustratingly obvious during much of the film and detracted from the story.
The actors are all stellar and because of this, the strong performances are what gives this film the power it has. Particularly good were Bryce Dallas Howard, as Mum (Sheila Dwight), and Richard Madden (Robb Stark in "Game of Thrones") as Elton's treacherous lover Jon Reid. And Taron Egerton's powerful portrayal of Elton John utterly steals the show, in an Oscar-caliber performance.
But as I tried to describe, this movie is not perfect, and the events and themes shown in "Rocketman" are not for everyone. The themes of the gay life-style and homosexual relationships are at times quite graphic, and might make some viewers very uncomfortable. And for that reason, the R rating for "Rocketman" is to be taken seriously, especially for viewers with young children.