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| Courtesy of Paramount |
The Premise: Much like last winter’s Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody, Hollywood has taken the title of a famous song and turned it into a biography of a famous musician. The same way Bohemian Rhapsody was about the struggles of British rock legend Freddie Mercury to find success and his place in the world as a gay man, Rocketman is about the struggles of British rock legend Elton John to find success and his place in the world as a gay man. But the two films approach that similar theme in very different ways (I’ll have more about that in my 100 word review in just a moment). Rocketman features Taron Egerton (star of the two Kingsman films) as John and it touches on key moments in the singer’s life as far back as early childhood, when he first began playing the piano. The movie uses elaborate musical numbers to tell the story of John’s relationship with his family (including mom, played by Bryce Dallas Howard), his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), and his manager John Reid (Richard Madden from Game of Thrones). Though Elton John was an executive producer on the film, it does not shy away from depicting his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.
The 100 Words: More honest, edgy, and creative than the straightforward Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman tackles serious issues as it takes us on a trippy journey. Egerton is a force of nature, absolutely magnetic as he puts his own emotive spin on the classic songs. The first half is brilliant, but the picture drags a bit in the final third. Some may be turned off a bit by the zaniness in some of the musical numbers, but the end result is well worth it. You won’t be sorry you saw this film when it deservedly earns a lot of award nominations later this year.
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