I had heard a lot of buzz about this movie back when it
first came out. There were many who liked it, but a whole lot of people who
said it sucked. One thing I learned long ago, I don’t listen to the critics. I
have to see the film and formulate my own opinion. There have been many movies
that I absolutely loved, but that got panned by the film critics and the public
as a whole. By the same token, there have been Oscar winning movies that I
thought were simply awful. Another thing
that kind of gets my goat is the “political correctness” issue. Never in my
life would I imagine that a movie would be judge by (a) how many females are in
the movie or directing (b) how many minorities are in the movie. Extra points
if the movie has a gay story, men on men action, woman on woman action,
transgender love. . . those are just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t be mad at
me, you know it’s true.
Rocket Man is a film about the famously gay rock star, Elton
John. So was Bohemian Rhapsody, but that one was slammed by many for “toning
down” Freddie Mercury’s gayness. Huh? I loved the movie for the music, and the
guy playing Freddie was uncannily Mercury like.
Rocket Man is a good movie, but very different from
Rhapsody. This one is done as a rock musical. Remember Tommy? My description to
anyone who asks me is, “it’s a cross between Bohemian Rhapsody and La La Land.
It goes without saying that the music is incredible. For those
of us who grew up with Elton’s music blaring out of our transistor radio, the
movie is a welcome tribute to songwriters Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The
actor who plays Elton nails it in all of his gap-toothed glory. And the guy who
plays Bernie is equally perfect casting.
Using the songs to illustrate moments from Reginald Dwight’s
life brings to mind not only the movie version of the Who’s Tommy, but also the
sub-standard seventies film Sgt Pepper’s Lonley Hearts Club Band, an all-star
flop starring the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton. Rocket Man is not bad like
Peppers, but for anyone looking for a straight (no pun intended) telling of
Elton’s life, may I recommend his biography. A good read. But if you love the
Broadway-esque, over the top production of La La Land, you will love this one.
By the way, it’s a very positive look at kicking drug and alcohol addiction.
Four Stars
-Michael Buffalo Smith
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