The musical biopic is a rote and tired genre, with the same beats being repeated over and over. Childhood with disapproving parents, playing in small venues, the big break, the rise to stardom, failed relationships, problems with drugs, and ultimately a redemption. Rocketman features all of these tropes, yet what it does differently from all the other biopics is embrace its subject matter fully, and is unapologetically a razzle dazzle, full on jukebox musical.
The film opens with a bedazzled Elton John (Taron Egerton), adorned in an orange sequined horned costume, entering rehab. Admitting himself for drug and alcohol abuse, Elton launches into the story of his life while in group therapy, and the movie almost immediately hits you with a musical number set to The Bitch is Back, transporting us back into Elton's childhood in Middlesex, where he just wants affection from his father and approval from his mother.
The film moves seamlessly through various songs and set pieces representing different parts of Elton's life, from his first signing, to his meeting with writing partner Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), to his explosion up the charts and acceleration to stardom. The hits keep coming, and Egerton proves he has a perfectly capable voice to carry Elton's tunes.
The songs are staged as lavish musical numbers, with not only Elton singing but other members of the cast belting out into tune as well. The film is a hybrid of biopic via jukebox musical, and while this has been done on the stage before, it's not something we've seen too much on the big screen, much less in a film released by a major studio.
Speaking of things not often seen on the big screen, this film will be notable for featuring a gay sex scene that doesn't shy away from its more explicit elements (still safe enough for an R). The queer elements have already been reportedly edited out of versions of the film screened in countries like Russia (even Bohemian Rhapsody, which was criticized, rightly so, for playing down Freddie's sex life, was edited down for China). It's a short scene, but the fact that it's there should be noted; Elton insisted the film be rated R rather then a more box-office, family friendly PG-13.
One can't help but call to mind another recent biopic I just mentioned, Bohemian Rhapsody. For one, both are about iconic homosexual rockstars form the 70s and 80s, and both feature manager John Reid (played here by Richard Madden). And while both share a similar penchant for clichés, it's important to note what makes Rocketman work so much better than Bohemian Rhapsody. Rocketman fully embraces its high concept, running with the clichés, and scrambling the timeline with glee. Looking at articles about what's accurate and what's not, Rocketman clearly takes liberties, same as Bohemian Rhapsody.
But what's important to distinguish is that I don't feel like Rocketman is trying to tell me "this is the way things went down." There's several fantastical embellishments throughout, including a floating audience, a duet between Elton and his younger self at the bottom of a pool, and musical numbers segueing into Elton waking from a drug-crazed dream. In contrast, Bohemian Rhapsody presents itself as straight fact, as this is the way things played out, and even assassinates the character of Freddie Mercury by suggesting his hubris and partying broke up the band for a brief period of time before he comes crawling back to the band begging for forgiveness. Not to mention rearranging Freddie's AIDs diagnosis to before their Live Aid concert, giving character motivation. It's not important that a movie gets the details or even the order of events right in a person's life (after all, life does not lend itself to a nice 3-act structure). But it is important that the film feels honest the spirit of its subject, and Rocketman excels where Bohemian Rhapsody fails.
It's not a perfect movie, but it is a ton of fun. Egerton is mostly good as Elton, and the rest of the supporting cast fills out the film nicely (although Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton's mother is a constant distraction, mainly for her thick accent). Anyone who loves Elton's music will enjoy this film immensely, and anyone tired of biopic tropes will find it a more enjoyable journey than most of its ilk. It doesn't solve the biopic problem, but it becomes an infinitely more enjoyable experience than most.
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