Movie Review: "Rocket Man"

"Rocket Man": B.  The year 1970 was one of the most interesting and important in the history of pop and rock music.  Of course, it was the year that the bickering Beatles officially dissolved.  It was the beginning of the period when songs getting radio play were more likely to be four and a-half minutes long instead of two and a-half.  People seemed to start paying more attention to lyrics.  That impression is supported by the popularity of such singer-songwriters as Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, who each made their Billboard debut in 1970 with Big Yellow Taxi and Fire And Rain, respectively.  Cat Stevens just missed the "cutoff" with Wild World, which hit the charts in mid-February, 1971.  The ensuing decade saw the emergence of what, today, we call "classic rock" bands, such as Journey, Styx, Heart, Boston and Foreigner.

Another singer-songwriter who came along in 1970 was Elton John, whose Border Song and Your Song both appeared on the Billboard charts that year.  The film Rocket Man is his story, taking us through most of the '70's by which time he was an international star.  Even though the movie is about a musician, I did not know beforehand that it was a musical.  Thus I was taken by surprise when the opening scene segues from a support group conversation, not unlike an AA meeting, into a full-fledged song and dance extravaganza to the tune The Bitch Is Back.  As it turns out, virtually all the characters with speaking parts are called upon to sing.

Twenty-nine year old British actor Taron Egerton, an Elton lookalike who does his own singing, plays the troubled entertainer.  In addition to vocal talent, the role calls for a display of a variety of emotions, mannerisms and oddities.  Egerton nails each challenge.  In fact, as I shall attempt to explain below, it is the performance of Egerton that justifies my grade of B for this film, which otherwise merits a B-.

Much of the story takes place via flashback, beginning with the sad childhood of Reginald Dwight, the real name of Elton John.  His mother, Sheila (Bryce Dallas Howard), is practically a floozy, while his father, Stanley (Steven Mackintosh), is as psychologically abusive as they come.  (Since director Dexter Fletcher takes great pains to match the sound track's many hits to the context of the respective scenes during which they are played, I wish the Foreigner song Cold As Ice had been an Elton song.  It would have fit perfectly when Stanley was on-screen.)  Were it not for little Reginad's kind-hearted paternal grandmother, Ivy (Gemma Jones), he may have run away from home.  It was Ivy who encouraged his musical gift and saw to it that her grandson found his way to London's Royal Academy Of Music.  In a predictable but still tender scene, Reggie astonishes an academy instructor who is auditioning him by performing a short complicated piano piece from memory.  Nine year old actor Matthew Illesley is adorably cute playing the part of young Reggie.

Once Reggie is on his own he changes his name to Elton John, a metaphorical act to put his childhood behind.  According to the film, he chooses "John" as his new surname on the spur of the moment while glancing at a picture of John Lennon.  I do not know if that snippet of information is fact or fiction, but it does beg the question of what name he would have chosen had a picture of Ringo instead of John been on the wall.

The film delves into Elton's sexual orientation without leaving much to the imagination, at least for a mainstream musical.  Early in his career Elton is outed by a member of a singing group for which he'd been hired as a sideman.  But it isn't until he crosses paths with manipulative manager John Reid (Richard Madden) that his private life turns in a decidedly different direction.  How will his relationship with Reid affect his acceptance with music fans, disc jockeys and record label execs?

Apparently it's standard that a story about a rock celebrity should include a manager who is either deranged, diabolical, disapproving or dishonest.  Examples include Brian Wilson's manager, Eugene Landy, in Love & Mercy (reviewed here June 20, 2015; B),  and Freddie Mercury's manager, Paul Prenter, in Bohemian Rhapsody (reviewed here January 29, 2019; B-) .  In Rocket Man we get a double dose with Reid, whose unethical professional practices contribute to Elton's drug addiction, and record label exec Dick James (Stephen Graham), who for the longest time fails to see the musical brilliance of his prospective client.  To give credit where it's due, however, James is responsible for setting up Elton with a gig at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, the gateway to success in America.  (Note: The film's most ludicrous episode shows Elton taking the stage for the most important moment of his career without rehearsing even one song with the house band which will be backing him up.)  

Among the shortcomings of Rocket Man is the short shrift given to two female characters.  The marriage of Elton to Renate Blauel (Celinde Schoenmaker) is possibly the low point of the movie. Who is this bride, what is her background, and how did Elton meet her?  None of these questions is answered.  My guess is that director Fletcher thought he needed to check that particular box, heterosexual marriage, to make the biopic complete.  I don't believe Schoenmaker is on the screen more than ninety seconds.  Secondly, I was dismayed by the failure of the movie to give any information whatsoever regarding Elton's duet partner, Kiki Dee (Rachel Muldoon), who teamed up with him on the hit Don't Go Breaking My Heart, one of my three favorite Elton songs.

The hero of the story is Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell).  Introduced to Elton by Dick James, Bernie was the guy who furnished the lyrics to Elton's music.  Bernie stood by Elton through all the ups and numerous downs.  In one memorable early scene, Elton makes a romantic pass at Bernie, who by this time knew Elton was gay.  Bernie, a heterosexual, smoothly and without insult, tells Elton, "I love you, but not in that way."  Message delivered.  Leave it to the man who makes his living with words to come up with the right language to say, in effect, "no" without severing the friendship and partnership.  Without Bernie's relatively unheralded contributions, we may never have heard of Elton John.