Film review and podcast by c d kaplan
In a summer featuring a spate of films centered on rock & roll — a good thing — the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” is the stand out so far.
John himself is the executive producer, so it’s a vanity project of sorts. But no punches are pulled. It’s as if the singer/ songwriter, almost thirty years sober now, is using this exposition of his life as part of his recovery process, to continue to purge himself and maintain equilibrium. Not a bad thing.
The movie is told in flashback, with tales of young Reggie Dwight’s unhappy home, his nurturing grandmother, the propitious meeting with lyricist Bernie Taupin, the acceptance of his sexuality, the rise to fame and the sex, drugs and rock & roll. And his recovery.
So, the film illuminates.
But it’s also quite entertaining. Taron Egerton, who plays the star, does his own singing. Suffice it to say, Elton John he is not. But it is a reasonable compromise, and does not adversely affect the experience. The two hour film breezes along.
For more insight, listen to the podcast above.
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