Rocketman
Cert: 15A; Now showing The 1997 feature documentary Tantrums and Tiaras was a candid portrait of Elton John that almost gloried in the diva-ish exigence of the gaptoothed pop monarch.
A dramatic treatment of his life has been in development in the 20 years since. But the world has changed quite a bit in that time, and John, now 72, probably has as well. Rocketman (co-produced by John’s husband David Furnish) is more sensitive to the personal problems of its subject, the things that were at the root of not just his outbursts, but his battle with booze, drugs and his own sexuality.
Committed to paper by Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall and directed by Dexter Fletcher (who took the reins on Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer’s withdrawal), this biographical musical is a lesson in biding your time and getting the recipe just right.
Bookended by therapy sessions, Elton (Taron Egerton) flashbacks to his early years — the buttonedup suburban childhood as piano-mad Reggie Dwight, the apathy of mum Sheila (Bryce Dallas Howard) and absentee dad Stanley (Steven Mackintosh), before a meeting with lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) saw the awkward, gifted musician find his elixir.
A meteoric rise and impending collapse follow, but it is the charade put on for wider society, even during Elton’s torrid tryst with manager John Reid (Richard Madden) that you feel was most destructive.
This is perhaps painting a rather gloomy picture when Rocketman is anything but. In fact, so ebullient and vital are the musical interludes, the dance choreography and the embrace of its subject’s flamboyance, that it occasionally threatens to burst out of the screen and dance up the aisle, showering you with goosebumps as it passes.
After a few duds, Egerton arrives with a bona fide star-making turn. On his axis turns a carousel of fragility, redemption and outrageousness. Throw in that catalogue of hits and you have quite the cocktail.