“You’re my brother.”

From Rocketman.

As a boy growing up with very dysfunctional parents (Bryce Dallas Howard and Steven Mackintosh), Reggie Dwight (Matthew Illesley) was a shy little boy with a strong love and talent for music.  As he got older (Kit Connor), the only person in his life that looked out for him was his grandmother (Gemma Jones) who encouraged him to continue playing and writing music in a wide variety of musical genres.  As an adult, Reggie (Taron Egerton) takes the stage name Elton John and adopts a wild persona and look in an attempt at fame.  Elton gets himself an agent (Stephen Graham) and a manager (Charlie Rowe) who connects him with songwriter Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell).  Elton and Bernie became an unstoppable music powerhouse with one writing amazing lyrics and the other easily composing them into brilliant songs.  When sent to New York for a show, the success of that night explodes Elton and Bernie to worldwide success with the next few years full of record-breaking hits.  As a gay artist, Elton struggles to find love and it seems that he found it all with his new manager (Richard Madden); however, the better he did as a artist, the more toxic every area of his life becomes.  As his success increases, so does the speed with which Elton spirals downward with no one there to pull him out except Bernie, who Elton continually pushes away.  With no way to express himself except through music and a lifestyle that was slowly killing him, Elton must decide what to do with the rest of his life before it is too late.

This musical look at the real life events of Elton John is highly imaginative and unapologetically bold.  Egerton is the perfect casting choice to play the lead role, bringing the musical icon to life in a way that is at times undistinguishable from the real man. Despite all the catchy music, great costumes, and amazing choreography, the movie is tainted by a seriousness that it can’t seem to shake, even with the resolution found at the end.  John’s addiction-riddled lifestyle makes this movie too intense for younger viewers, but adult fans of Elton John and his music will find Rocketman an interesting look at one of music’s most vibrant stars.

| Rated: R | Running Time: 125 minutes |Genre: biography/music/drama |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 5* of 10|Nudity: 1 of 10|Sexuality: 3 of 10|Gore: 0 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|