Elton John Gets High on Psychotherapy: The Musical

Rating: 6/10 (2 November 2019)

Another musical biopic of a pop star from Dexter Fletcher, who was also behind completing "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018), "Rocketman" is an improvement upon its predecessor in some ways, but an uneven movie in still others. Taron Egerton makes Elton John his own, and unlike Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in the prior picture, reportedly does his own singing. This one is also different in that it's an integrated musical instead of a backstage one; that is, characters break into song and dance during their daily lives and, thus, the musical numbers are more ingrained in the narrative. "Rocketman" is like "The Wizard of Oz" (1939); whereas, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is nearer "A Star Is Born" (1954, or the two later ones, too). (I also recently viewed "Judy" (2019), another backstage musical biopic, and with Elton singing about "the yellow-brick road," well, you get the idea....)
At best, this integrated format supports a seemingly drug-induced momentum, from one stage in the star's life to the next, which is entertaining spectacle, including the dreamlike imagery. It's also apropos given the focus here on Elton's drug and other addictions. I'm less fond of the psychotherapy framing device, though, whereby he faces his mommy and daddy issues and related desires to be loved. Not exactly profound insights there in a production that's largely an Elton John vanity project in itself. Meanwhile, his music here largely does appear to come to him easily, which his mother criticizes of his life in general in one scene. Ditto his flamboyant concert performances. At least, in "Bohemian Rhapsody," there was a bit covered of the experimentation and genre-mixing that went into the success of Queen. On the other hand, "Rocketman" benefits from being rated R and so doesn't fear some depiction of drug abuse and gay sex, which is more than can be said of the PG-13 "Bohemian Rhapsody," where Mercury's romantic life was mainly and outrageously represented by his relationship with a woman. Like many others, I enjoy the rock and roll of Elton John and Queen, and these movies are pleasant vehicles for that, but they're also flawed and flimsy pictures otherwise.