225. Rocketman; movie review

ROCKETMAN
Cert 15
121 mins

BBFC advice: Contains drug misuse, sex, very strong language

The number of people who had asked me whether I had seen Rocketman was becoming embarrassing.
It seems that the world and his dog had taken in the Elton John biopic before Mrs W and I attended Nottingham Cineworld.
Thankfully, credibility is at least slightly restored because it is in the bag.
But, more importantly, what did we think of it? Well, she "enjoyed it" and I did with same caveats I had for Bohemian Rhapsody.
Indeed, in common with the Freddie Mercury biopic, Rocketman has a brilliant central performance (this time by Taron Egerton) and fabulous music.
But there are two central problems - this is how Elton John wants to be seen rather than warts and all and, surprisingly, there are moments which seem out of kilter with the real-life timeline.

It all starts stirringly when it appears that the story of John is going to be a fullscale musical.
The skip through the former Reggie Dwight's childhood, with ladles of criticism of his mother and father, is arguably the most interesting because they are the most revelatory.
Dexter Fletcher's movie begins with the pop star's difficult home life with an unloving step-father (Steven Mackintosh) and flighty mother, played with an accomplished English accent by Bryce Dallas Howard.
This background in which his greatest motivation was from his grandmother (Gemma Jones) is seen to underscore the rest of his life.
It then moves through the time of his first manager (Stephen Graham), meeting with his great songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, (Jamie Bell) and on to his first love and second manager, John Reid (Richard Madden).
Along the way, there are some classic songs, sometimes sung by Egerton alone but often including the rest of the cast.
And, boy, does the movie look good. The costumes, based on John's originals, are spectacular and the recreation of the different decades of his life is impressive.
To be fair, the movie goes quickly and there is an acceptance that John's behaviour has been far from model until he met up with his now-husband David Furnish (who produced the movie).
But we also had a sense that he has been looking for someone else to blame for his excesses and his parents and Reid are certainly in the firing line.
It would be interesting to know what they would have made of Rocketman.

Reasons to watch: One of the acclaimed films of the year
Reasons to avoid: Elton as he wants to be seen

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Elton John owns over a thousand pairs of glasses. Indeed, in 2013 he had to deny claims that he always booked a second hotel room just to store his glasses in. Ironically, in his early performing days he didn't need them, wearing them only as a tribute to his hero, Buddy Holly.

The final word. The movie is still intended to be joyous and uplifting. I think Elton finds himself quite amusing. He will talk about a particular bit of bad behavior, and he kind of laughs at himself. He knows that it's absurd. Something of that lack of preciousness has found its way into our film.

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