Though I quite like Queen, I ultimately skipped out on watching Bohemian Rhapsody because I read that it’s a very straightforward and conventional biopic. I have much less affection for Elton John but I heard that this is very stylistic musical and so here I am. Ironically though the directorial credit for Bohemian Rhapsody goes to Bryan Singer, it seems that he left before finishing the film and it was completed by Dexter Fletcher who is the director of Rocketman.
Elton John recounts the story of his life through the framework of a rehab therapy session. Born as Reginald Dwight, his parents are at best indifferent to him and only his grandmother shows him any affection. However his talent at the piano is quickly recognized and after he gets lessons, he is recommended to the Royal Academy of Music. Soon enough, he starts performing at local pubs and is hired to tour with American bands. A turning point comes when he is put in touch with Bernie Taupin, who would go on to become his lifelong friend and lyricist. Their original songs become huge hits and taking the stage name Elton John, he becomes a superstar. Even so he continues to wrestle his homosexuality, his seeming inability to earn his parents’ affection and his deteriorating relationship with his lover and manager John Reid. This causes him to descend into a destructive cycle of drugs, alcohol, sex and conspicuous consumption that threatens his life.
In terms of theme or story, there’s nothing new in Rocketman and indeed one is tempted to eye-roll at yet another iteration of a fantastically wealthy and talented pop star whining about how his parents never loved him and consequently had to resort to drugs to make himself feel better. At least the film blames no one but John himself for his addictions and I found it remarkable that it was John and his current husband David Furnish who has been pushing for this project of nearly 20 years. I suppose they really had a strong urge to share this story with the world. Also fascinating is that it depicts John himself as having major hang-ups and guilt about his homosexuality, even going to the extent of briefly marrying a woman to see if that was the cause of his unhappiness. Yet it doesn’t matter at all to most of the people around him and they keep telling him so to no avail.
The main draw of the film is the sheer spectacle as the music is directly woven into various scenes out of John’s life. The camera is unbound to roam with wild abandon and there are special effects galore as the film seeks not to achieve a realistic portrayal of events but a highly stylized and entertaining version of John’s creation myth. Lead actor Taron Egerton performs all of the songs and while his voice isn’t as good as the real Elton John, he makes up for it with youthful energy, visual pizzazz and excellent choreography. It can be a little confusing that the film draws on songs from across John’s career in anachronistic order but pairing the themes of the songs with moments from his life works very well.
It wouldn’t do to expect too much out of a biopic about a pop star but this does impress with how it integrates the music directly, making it proper musical instead of just one that has musical performances in it. Even if you aren’t a big fan of Elton John’s music, this makes for a rather fun movie.