Rocketman

seen on 3 June 2019

Dexter Fletcher directs Taron Egerton as Reginald Dwight, aka Elton John, with Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin and Richard Madden as John Reid in this biopic tracing John's rise to superstardom and his crash into rehabilitation (it does not go further than the early 1990s).

The film has both the drawbacks and the advantages of dealing with a subject who is still alive, and who has supported the project. Inevitably, one feels, there must be distortions due to external intervention; on the other hand, songs can be used, and interestingly, quite a few punches are not pulled. The family life of the young Reggie is by no means glamorised, and the resulting bitterness is at times painful to witness. Though much of this is presented from Reggie's point of view, and John's later grief (or possibly self-pity) when recounting it, the deployment of a song about the lack of love amongst all the characters, not just the boy, is surprisingly powerful and moving. Elsewhere, more upbeat songs prompt inventive and delirious 'movie musical' scenes to erupt into the more conventional narrative.

Elton John's increasingly extreme costumes are cleverly referenced in collage shots of concert appearances, though the idea of his turning up to his first therapy session in an outrageously gorgeous devil's costume is perhaps a gimmick too far (his appearance gradually tones down as the sessions and the film proceed). Everything here depends on Taron Egerton's portrayal, which is utterly engaging without being merely mimetic. He has the energy, the charm, the wry awkwardness and the developing arrogance to portray a complex man struggling with any number of demons, and he performs and sings the numbers with gusto. The supporting cast is also excellent, with a particularly affecting portrayal of the long-suffering lyricist Bernie Taupin from Jamie Bell.