Rocketman

So it was 1971 and there was a song on the radio ..."Your song" by Elton John....and I loved it...

...and it was 1973 and I bought an album....Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.  A double album, probably Elton's best....played it over and over and over again...

So of course you knew I was going to see Rocketman.


The movie tells the story of Elton John's life from his childhood in Middlesex, England through his entering rehab in 1990, with a focus on his career in the 70's and the 80's.  But it is not the traditional, straightforward biopic.

Instead, it is a musical fantasy, a surreal tour inside Elton's mind, a jumble of images and feelings. the movie begins with Elton in one of his flamboyant, over-the-top costumes, literally running from a concert venue straight to group therapy at the rehab facility.  The therapist asks about his childhood.  enter Reginald Dwight, age 5, singing "The Bitch is Back" while friends and family engage in a dance routine.

As the movie progresses, Elton begins to remove the costume.  The facade continues to fall as he examines his relationships and comes to terms with his homosexuality and his various addictions. The audience gets to see the rock god with his amazing performances, but we also get to see the real man beneath the glitter.

It was an amazing journey.

Drew couldn't help but notice that some events were not in chronological order, that "Elton" was singing songs years before they were actually written, etc.  I said the details didn't matter, that I didn't care what songs Elton really sang at his debut at the Troubadour, that the movie was taking artistic license so that the audience could better understand what's going on in Elton's mind.

So after the movie I started Googling, and found this article:  ‘Rocketman’: Fact-Checking the Elton John Biopic.  It discusses all the historically inaccurate moments in the film, and why it doesn't matter -- the film is outlandish fun, just what you'd expect from Elton John.


Of course, Drew and I were both lip syncing to all the songs....

We both wanted to see the farewell tour (he'll be on Long Island in November), but we couldn't get tickets (and the secondary market is cost prohibitive). so we'll have to content ourselves with this movie and all the many videos....

Yeah, you knew there were going to be videos.

First from the movie:





And then the original:

Comments

  1. I read that that movie took many liberties with his life, that it wasn't a straightforward bio pic. Which probably works for the subject. Too often biopics get stuck in the idea that they have to be a certain way. It's good to break the mold.

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  2. It would be fun as long as people realize it's not a straight biopic. If you are expecting such, you are going to be very disappointed. For example, knowing my husband, he wouldn't last five minutes in a movie like this if he doesn't know what to expect. Or maybe I underestimate him. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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