Clicking heels, shuffling chairs and a sequined devil confessing to a ‘life of excess’ marks the beginning of the Rocketman story. Elton John as a persona is slowly deconstructed as his character (performed by Taron Egerton), unveils himself from the devil costume before the audience. Listing a series of addictions and issues from cocaine to bulimia, Elton appears non-plus and restless within the support group. A struggling artist ‘blinded by the lights’ is a Hollywood and music biopic cliché, yet irrefutably this cliché gets ‘bums on seats’ as last year's Bohemian Rhapsody and the fourth retelling of ‘A Star is Born’ demonstrates (not to mention all the musical biopics before it). Before you groan about truisms and collapse into smugness to only see the movie anyway, be aware that this film is a bit unconventional in its’ telling and despite all its predictability – it is enjoyable, even for the cynics. The confessional narration of Elton John through his experiences of group therapy serves as the backbone of the film, despite its unoriginality the method ties together a splintered story across time and personas.
During the early stages of the film, we are introduced to Reginald Dwight a round-faced boy living at the end of an English suburban colder sack, who would later become the efflorescent and supposed ‘saviour of rock n roll’, Sir Elton John. Reginald Dwight’s ‘ordinary’ childhood is explored through quick 50’s inspired dance ensembles and clever staging of character conflict within the family home. Dexter Fletcher’s strength as a director lies in his ability to grasp the slippery and uncomfortable moments of childhood, without making the audience bored. Scenes of young Reginald cautiously flipping through his emotionally distant father’s record collection feel intimate and almost tactile, the audience can feel the folds of plastic envelopes and the glare of his father. The influence of his free-spirited Mother and adoring Nan are hinted at with the gifting of records and their encouragement to attend music school. Further, still scenes of Reginald entering the kitchen after school provides insight into what would later inspire the artist, his mother stubbing cigarettes out in the kitchen, comparing vibrant dress patterns across the table with his beloved Nan.
Suburban daily routines are interrupted within the film by glimpses of Reginald’s natural talent, such as in one scene where he easily mimics the radio on the family piano. Music becomes a form of escapism, wherein childlike wonder he takes to conducting orchestras in the shadows of his bedroom with torchlight. The film bears similarity to the 2007 film Across the Universe in that it embraces the unseen and creative bending of narrative, whereby characters’ imaginations are brought into obstructed reality. The impossibility of orchestras hidden in childhood bedrooms become possible and alive within the film.
The film naturally progresses to a teenage Reginald performing at local pubs, whereby a rough and ready ‘Regie’ sings ‘Saturdays Are Alright (for Fighting)’ to a brawling audience. Scenes of breaking windows, speeding cars and night-time carnivals are hijacked by Reginald’s music and his brigade of teenage dancers. Reginald’s talents lead him to play for American soul bands such as The Isley Brothers and Major Lance, it is at this period that we see a turning point between the ‘boy’ Reginald and the artist ‘Elton John’. Reginald’s life was intensified in this period by the possibility of stardom and the realisation of his sexuality, prompting the artist to question components of his identity, the past and his ability to become a successful artist. Reginald is advised by a seasoned musician that in order to ‘make it’ he needed to “kill the person you ought to be, to be the person you want to be.” Introducing himself as Elton John whilst pitching to a label identifies the embodiment of a new chapter within the film.
Elton John’s inability to write lyrics is never shied away from within the movie, the friendship between Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) is a constant. The success of the musical partnership made evident by the electric performance of ‘Crocodile rock’ by star clad Elton John at the Troubador, the performance literally raising the artist and audience alike. The Troubador performance alone projects Elton and Taupin into immediate stardom. It is from this stage that the film becomes more colourful both visually and through its musical score. The pace of Elton’s life picks up experientially with a relationship with music Manager John Reid (performed by Richard Madden), long tour dates and chaotic parties. Yet this lifestyle proves to be unstable with Elton’s life growing tumultuous due to an excess of drugs and sex, comparable to most biopics on musicians. Similarly, Elton’s family relationships become complicated by his success and their taking issue with his sexuality, the phone both and dining room scene, in particular, explore these themes and are a testament to Egerton’s acting abilities. The depiction of tensions between Elton and his family, specifically his father, are central to the narrative. The eagerness to appease family and at the same time struggling with becoming the person he wants to be, appear at odds and principal to Elton’s struggles.
In one particularly vulnerable scene, Elton is met by his younger self clad in an old fashion diving suit at the bottom of a pool. The multiple meetings of young Reginald and Elton throughout the movie, begs the question ‘can you kill the old self and make a new one?’ Rocketman itself is easily homogenised into the ‘biopic’ category, but in essence, the film itself slips between ‘biopic’, ‘musical’ and ‘drama’. Rocketman demonstrates the tensions of becoming and unbecoming through the meeting of Elton John’s personas, despite this Elton’s story finishes happily with a cringe-worthy photo slide. Unlike films such as I’m Not There depicting Bob Dylan or Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, this film lacks nerve and takes calculated risks to appease a collective audience. Rocketman is indeed an enjoyable film its vibrancy appeasing an audience made up of fans and those new to Elton John, the film's ability to bring pleasure should not be lapsed by its lack of convention or presence of creative truths.
Elizabeth Ralph