Ugh!
ROCKETMAN is five hours of self-loathing mixed with production numbers. It’s as if Eugene O’Neil wrote a jukebox musical.
And again, I love Elton John.
There’s not a moment of this movie you haven’t seen in seventeen other rock star biopics. Unhappy childhood, identity issues, stardom, unable to handle it, unloved, drugs, breakdowns, redemption.
Twenty minutes in you’re screaming: “ WE GET IT!!!”
Every point is hammered home seven times, just in case you missed it the first six. Oliver Stone might even think they were laying it on too thick.
Did I mention Elton John is one of my favorites?
Taron Egerton does a terrific job portraying Elton. The wardrobe budget on his glasses alone had to be more than the cost of GODZILLA. The person who comes off the best is Bernie Taupin, well played by Jamie Bell. The film is sort of a love letter to Bernie Taupin.
But then the clichés are all there. Withholding father, mother who lays on mind trips, the meteoric rise, dumping the original people who believed in him, the ruthless manager, wallowing in excess, fame and fortune at the expense of his soul, tantrums, ambulances. Even the montage of LA that includes the Hollywood sign and driving by palm trees.
And for all the tedious repetitive scenes telling us things we already know going in, the one thing the film doesn’t bother to explain is how a shy kid doesn’t just become a performer but becomes this wild flamboyant showman. Where did that impulse come from? We see all of the costumes; we don’t see what about his personality would guide him in that over-the-top direction. Was it his savvy, knowing how to really entertain an audience, or was it just an alter ego that he would use to release all of his inner frustrations? That might’ve been interesting to learn rather than twenty scenes showing him drinking and snorting coke.
If you like Elton John my suggestion would be to watch one of his concerts on line and have Spotify make you a playlist.
I now live in fear that next year we get the biopic of Tiny Tim.
46 comments :
Every minute of publicity I saw for this film foretold the cliché-fest it would be.
Plus, no portrayals of Long John Baldry or Elton Dean, but we could have predicted that.
Thanks for the review. I too am a big fan of E.J. and had been planning to go to see the movie. But now I'll probably wait for the DVD.
My friends and I used to hang out outside his house in the Hollywood hills. We'd meet other fans there as well. And we would regularly get chased away by the Bel Air Patrol.
Some of my friends have seen Elton in concert several times including the Dodger stadium show, but I never have. For some reason every time E.J. came around I was unable to go. I've seen his concerts on video, but it's just not the same.
Oh well
M.B.
I loved Bohemian Rhapsody, but was not crazy about this movie. I do remember that my wife and I went across the street after watching the movie in the Issaquah Highlands to a restaurant and by coincidence, the food server had close cropped hair and large glasses.
How is it that big budget movies constantly get made with scripts that would get a C- in script writing 101?
Also, one trend in movies that has bugged me. I don't mind "musicals", but a musical should be a musical. Lately, there have been movies where people burst out in song, in the middle of a story, maybe once or twice during a movie. Not enough times to qualify it as a musical.
That just doesn't sit well with me.
Like you, I am a huge Elton John fan. When I was a kid, he was my #1 favorite musician. I had all the albums and still know every deep cut from "Empty Sky" through "Rock of the Westies" ("Blue Moves" was where he started to lose me.) But I have not yet seen this movie, which would have been a "camp out to get tickets" event when I was 16. I think my reluctance is because I already know so much about Elton's life and career that when I heard how fast and loose it plays with facts and chronology, I figured that all the inaccuracies and dramatic license would leap off the screen and ruin it for me. Sounds like I was right. I think I'll wait for it to hit Netflix.
BTW, if you want a more entertaining rendition of Elton's life, I'll loan you my original pressing of the "Captain Fantastic" LP that includes the souvenir booklet with his story in comic book form.
I've not seen this but here's some fun trivia. Rocketman is directed by Dexter Fletcher, who started as a child actor in Alan Parker's Bugsy Malone. He became best known for playing a wisecracking American in a very popular kids TV show here in the UK called Press Gang, written by Steven Moffat. Press Gang was one of my favourite shows as a child and for years I assumed he was American. This was before the internet obviously. I was shocked when I discovered he's actually a Londoner.
In recent years, he's been the voiceover of countless cringe worthy McDonald's commercials. They're so awful, I can no longer stand his voice. Rocketman is doing well at the box office, so my hope is that he makes enough money from it that he stops doing these godawful adverts.
It strangely reminded me of La La Land - good story and then a song and dance number - Elton John mentioned he was involved in the making of this film. You are correct - his concerts online are amazing - those are worth watching - however the “Dad” scenes were brutal.
I love Elton John and his music too, but FIVE hours? No intermission, I presume. I guess the target audience for this movie is people love Elton John who also have Hindenburg-size bladders. And I guess there's also the going-through-every-room-in-the-mansion-I-just-bought-in-one-shot scene as well. Seriously, though, I heard where Elton John said he would have been perfectly happy being a songwriter and not a performer and invented all the flashy stuff to get his songs heard. That would have made a compelling story, especially in an epic biopic. As David Lean's movies show, you can be as large-scale as you want, as long as there are intimate scenes that flesh out the characters to balance things out.
It's a pretty good rule of thumb that a biopic of a living showbiz figure will always suck. Either it's unauthorized and it aims to take the person down a few notches, or it's like this one: authorized and, for all its intended truth-telling about sex and drugs, basically painting the person as a well-meaning genius. The central figure of Bohemian Rhapsody had been dead for years, so the filmmakers could be a little more even-handed.
Ken, I'd be interested in seeing your review of YESTERDAY, the new Beatles-themed movie. I thought it was a bit of a jumble story-wise, but was certainly entertaining, for Beatle fans especially. Hearing so many of their songs on the screen again, there was no way I couldn't leave in a good mood.
(But beware of the online reviews, which give away far too many plot points, jokes and twists.)
Some years ago, after moving into a new address with a new phone number, I received a bizarre telephone call. After picking up and saying "Hello", I was greeted with silence and the sound of whispering voices in the background followed by giggles. Finally, someone spoke (in what sounded to me to be a very fake British accent), saying how terribly sorry they were to disturb me, but could they speak to Sir Reginald Kenneth Dwight. I replied that they had the wrong number, and the speaker then said,"Oh, well perhaps you'd know him better as Elton John", before bursting out laughing (and I heard other people laughing in the background),and hanging up. I ,obviously, immediately surmised this to be a prank call, but I was completely perplexed as to what the prank was supposed to be. I mean, is the hip new thing kids are doing these days calling random numbers and asking to speak to Elton John? Is it the 21st century version of "Is your refrigerator running?"? Is it some sort of meme? Is it a joke everyone but me gets? Is it from an alien who doesn't know how jokes work? I even checked around to see if Elton John had made news recently, but didn't find anything.
Years went by, and I occasionally thought back on the call, as puzzled as ever, until one day, while looking for a repair man's phone number in the telephone book (remember those!), I decided to look at my own number, which I never actually had before. It actually took a little extra looking because it turned out that they had misprinted my last name, which, combined with my first initial, meant I was listed as "E.John". I immediately recalled that prank call, and was relieved to finally know that it was just stoners flipping through the phone book, and not an extraterrestrial or avant garde comedian.
The film is not REALLY five hours long. It's 121 minutes long. Ken was using hyperbole.
the concert scenes were fantastic, but the endless scenes where they burst into song and dance were simply a waste of time and money. The movie just dragged to a stop while the audience waited for the plot to resume, such as it was, and for another live concert moment. The other thing that really bothered me, as someone old enough to remember the incredible excitement his music generated among we junior high schoolers, was that throughout the movie they showed him at concerts set at a specific time (e.g. the Troubadour shows) playing songs that were not released till years later. Apparently this bothered Bernie Taupin as well, at least he complained about it in a review of the movie. It was, after all, supposed to be a biopic, not a fictional account of a guy hit by a truck and wakes up to a world where he is the only one who remembers Elton John's music.
Elton John, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and many others (I could add KISS, if anyone cares to) brought enough high-profile theatricality to rock music in the 70s. Do we really need a re-enactment of it all? There is plenty of film footage as it is.
These are all worthy musical groups, and I'm a fan of all of them (Ok, not KISS). What's the point in these movies?
Ah yes, the original point. But really, do these films even make that much money?
Five hours...is that a typo?
Sean
And I think its gonna be a long long time...until I watch this movie
Vincent, Ken was obviously making a joke about how long it felt to sit through. It's a 2 hour film.
WarnerMedia are apparently looking into bringing back Family Matters and Perfect Strangers for their streaming service.
A while back, I joked that it was only a matter of time before Small Wonder is rebooted. Now it doesn't seem so unlikely.
I figured this wouldn't be all that interesting. I once saw Elton on a talk show....(maybe Oprah?)...and he was handed a text book, and scored the music to the words in the book (on the fly)...and did so brilliantly. I've never seen Elton in an interview where, (in my opinion) he presented himself all that well. He has, however a great body of work, given much to charity and there is much to be admired. In contrast, Bernie seems very grounded...a true poet and intellect. They made a great team. I most enjoy the music of their joint collaboration.
@Frank Beans - Rocketman's gross to date - Domestic Total as of Jun. 30, 2019: $84,240,262.
Signed, Not really Anonymous
I agree with Gary- I'd love to see what you think about Yesterday.
"It’s as if Eugene O’Neil wrote a jukebox musical."
The matinee must be a long day's journey into night.
Peter - oh, I loved Press Gang, haven't thought about that show in years! Didn't know Steven Moffat had written it, also didn't know Dexter Fletcher was now directing. Will have a look at what the other kids are up to these days, I remember Julia Sawalha was on Absolutely Fabulous but that's it.
It was, after all, supposed to be a biopic
But, the thing is, it's sort of... not. It felt a little bit like Alex Cox's _Sid & Nancy_: taking the lives of famous musical figures as a point of departure for something fantastical. It was like a music video based on Elton John's life, with music video logic instead of narrative logic. But I'm not sure the movie fully committed to being as fantastical as it could have been, and kept lapsing back into biopic conventions instead, which made the tone a bit off.
FRIDAY QUESTION
Max Wright unfortunately passed away a few days ago which was relatively big news in Germany. Pretty much everybody in this neck of the woods 40 years of age or above will exclaim "Willie Tanner from ALF!" if shown a picture of Max Wright. ALF was a tremendous ratings hit in this country.
I noticed that Max Wright guest-starred on several shows you were involved with (OPEN ALL NIGHT, AFTERMASH, CHEERS). Do you by any chance have an anecdote to share?
Having grown up loving Elton John, and knowing this bio pretty well, many facts were twisted for no apparent reason. I enjoyed the montage at the end with the authentic photos, told more of the real story. Where the parents really such evil creeps? Why put Renata in a RED wedding dress when you have famous wedding photos in a big, white dress? No rhyme or reason for playing with facts that have been in the public for a long time. They even got how he chose his name wrong - no mention of Long John Baldry. Songs used early in the film would not have been written yet in the timeline. It's clear this was made as preview to a jukebox touring production. That's it. I TOO LOVE ELTON JOHN, since the beginning, and always will. Agree that the biopics are much more interesting and endearing. Bernie Taupin, love the guy, nice tribute to him. NO mention of the band members either. Hmmmm...
Adding to your excellent review. No mention of Elton’s longtime loyal band mates. The groundbreaking “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” album was treated as an afterthought.
Hi Ken
This is totally off topic (Haven't seen Rocketman), but I had to say I was reading back through your posts (nearly back to the first year). I came across a reference to a program I had never heard of you mention call "Cop Rock", which was a cop drama/musical, that lasted about one episode.
I just wanted to say thanks, as I googled it and found a few clips on youtube, and it seriously has to be one of the funniest, cheesiest, cringeworthy things I have ever seen
It made my day....Probably my week.....If I find more, my year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLm5Sn1cMyQ
I loved it!
It just seemed 5 hours long.
Boring.
I rarely watch biopics, especially musical biopics.
I think it was a huge missed opportunity for really fun storytelling. I mean, it starts off with him in rehab telling everyone about his life - so why not lie? Make it far worse, or far better, covering everything up with larger than life ideas while the horrible truth peaks around the edges? The whole movie should have been like one of his costumes, so obviously false and fake, but really fun and cool. My favorite moment was the scene in California at his first big show there, when everyone levitates. I wanted to see more magic and gonzo hyperbole. It should have been a cartoon, with record executives played by giant demons that eat babies. I didn't need a summary of the facts of EJs life. I can get that on wikipedia. I wanted to know what it felt like to be EJ.
Still, it was kind of fun, and I love EJ, so what can you do?
I have always said. All city police departments performances should judged on their ability to solve crimes, the quality of their protective equipment for their officers, their transparency and the size of their briefing room synthesizers.
I wonder how many takes it took before the poor actors playing the officers could be stopped cracking up laughing
I think it's interesting that the president of the United States, Vladimir Putin, censored the gay sex scenes in that other country he runs.... insisting all the while he really is a great E.J. fan.
"I now live in fear that next year we get the biopic of Tiny Tim."
Ken, my money's on David Bowie.
But if we lived in a just world, we'd get a biopic of Jim Croce.
A friend suggested that we see Rocketman when it opened. I thought about it and decided to pass. I figured I already knew the whole story; the miserable childhood, the matching of Elton with Bernie Taupin, the wild life of the rock star, Princess Diana and his eventual sobriety. The only part that would have interested me was Ryan White's effect on Elton's life. I remember Elton playing Farm Aid the day Ryan White died.
"I now live in fear that next year we get the biopic of Tiny Tim."
That would actually be pretty fascinating. Why couldn't a good movie be made about someone who was briefly a cultural icon, if all the movies about Living Legends suck?
Mike Royko wrote a column about Tiny Tim in later years, contrasting his behavior while in decline with that of Frank Sinatra, who had been in the news for bullying casino employees.
Steve Lanzi - I might watch a biopic of Jim Croce. Or Carole King.
Anecdotes of Elton? I went to a grammar school in Ealing in the 70's, not far from the Questors Theatre mentioned here a few times. Walking home one afternoon past the local fleapit cinema, closed and used as a rehearsal room for various local acts like the Rolling Stones, and a limmo pulled up at the kerb. Elton John got out. Another limmo pulled up, and Rod Stewart got out. "Hello Rod." "Hello Elton, how you doin'?". 17-year old mind blown. Would have been around 1973.
Second anecdote: Went out with a girl once, who was a big fan of Jonny Cash. "He's been to prison, you know. I had to explain to her he only did a show in prison, he wasn't jailed. "Oh", she said, then announced she really fancied Elton John. "He's so sexy" Again, I had to explain she probably wasn't his type.
I saw a great story on Croce on You Tube. He was an incredible artist. I think his story would make a great biopic, especially the fact that he did his last concert, according to the story, to make up for a cancellation.
Sadly, I don't think many people remember his name, although his songs are definitely memorable.
I liked ROCKETMAN more than you did. And if you're an EJ fan, it's definitely worth checking out.
But really, do these films even make that much money?
Box Office Mojo figures through 01JUL:
Rocketman -
Production Budget - $40-million
U.S. Receipts - $85m
Overseas - $83m
Bohemian Rhapsody
Production Budget - $52-million
U.S. Receipts - $216m
Overseas - $687m (damn)
It was interesting to see a documentary (on YouTube) of his Dodger Stadium concerts (1974 or '75). He brought his family in for the show. Quite the contrast next to the movie portrayal of them - they seemed quite normal.
So... You're not interested in reading my "Through the tulips" screenplay?? Bummer.
Will any Elton John biopic ever top his John Lewis Christmas ad?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNbSgMEZ_Tw
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