Rocketman

"Based on a true fantasy."

2019 2h 1m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 5,100

MusicDrama

Synopsis

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The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.

“Based on a true fantasy.”

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Cast

Taron Egerton
Elton John
Jamie Bell
Bernie Taupin
Richard Madden
John Reid
Bryce Dallas Howard
Sheila
Gemma Jones
Ivy
Steven Mackintosh
Stanley
Tom Bennett
Fred
Matthew Illesley
Young Reggie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dexter Fletcher
Writers: Lee Hall
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

363+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dexter Fletcher, shot by George Richmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Matthew Margeson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chris Dickens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Taron Egerton and Jamie Bell and Richard Madden carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dexter Fletcher directs. George Richmond behind the camera. Matthew Margeson scores. Chris Dickens cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.2× over at the box office.
2Released 7 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4363+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Dexter Fletcher, shot by George Richmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Matthew Margeson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Chris Dickens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Taron Egerton and Jamie Bell and Richard Madden carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Based on a true fantasy.".
10IMDB entry: tt2066051 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "london, england", "drug abuse", "pop star", "1970s".

The technical file

Cinematography: George Richmond
Original score: Matthew Margeson
Editing: Chris Dickens
Production design: Marcus Rowland
Costume design: Julian Day
Makeup / hair: Hanna Canfor
VFX supervisor: Brooke Lyndon-Stanford
Sound: Matthew Collinge
Stunt coordinator: James O'Donnell
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $40,000,000
Box office: $167,300,000
Return: 418% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Rocketman (2019)

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Dexter Fletcher

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Community reviews

What people are saying

SWITCH.2019-05-29
★ 6/10
There’s so much that works about ‘Rocketman’, so the fact it never fully commits to its musical fantasy conceit is a bit of a disappointment. It ends up aligning most with Julie Taymor’s curious 2007 Beatles musical ‘Across the Universe’ - a really great idea and approach to the work of a musical artist that never finds its feet or the bravery to fully be itself. It’s still a moving and occasionally stirring portrait of Elton John, and while the lack of emotional or narrative detail in the screenplay never allows Taron Egerton to fully unleash his potential, he’s still a terrific Elton John and sings the hell out of these amazing songs. In the end, despite a refreshing honesty and some fascinating choices, ‘Rocketman’ is never as daring as it so desperately wants and needs and deserves to be, a film on the road to somewhere but never quite getting there. - Daniel Lammin Read Daniel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-rocketman-a-fascinating-musical-biopic-that-never-finds-its-feet
garethmb2019-05-31
Elton John has had a career that has spanned decades, millions of albums sold, packed venues, awards, and more than a few headlines. In the new film “Rocketman” audiences get a look behind the man thanks to the amazing and Oscar worthy portrayal by Taron Egerton. The film opens with a flamboyantly dressed John entering rehab in one of his stage costumes. As he opens up with his group, he shares the story of his childhood as a shy child who is desperate to have his father show him any signs of approval or affection. When it is discovered that he has talent with the piano; his grandmother encourages him and even takes him to apply for a position at the Royal Academy of Music. His mother (Bryce Dallas Howard) is moderately supportive but is more focused on her social life brought on by her failing marriage. As the film unfolds; we see Elton working in a backup band and in time answering an ad that puts him with an agent. Paired with the man who would eventually change his life; Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), Elton and Bernie combine to write a series of songs which in turn leads him to a series of gigs in Los Angeles. The film shifts into high gear at this point as we see how their music becomes a smash and leads to a series of parties, drugs, and money. Elton meets Manager John Reid (Richard Madden), who becomes his partner both socially and professionally as Elton embraces his Homosexuality which he has kept largely hidden. As the record sales and hits mount, so does the destructive behaviors which leads Elton down a destructive path that threatens everything he has worked for. The movie is a masterpiece of music and story and it cleverly uses musical montages and segments around the performances to outline various segments of his life and his rise to stardom. The performances are amazing and Egerton was simply amazing as he not only captured the complexity of his character but performed all the vocals of the hit songs himself and they were spot on. During our Press Screening I noticed many people singing along, tapping their feet, or bobbing their heads along with the music which helps to underscore just how timeless and popular his catalog of music has been as the songs have endured the test of time. The film also evokes some unexpected emotion as there were more than a few people wiping their eyes during the film which at its core is a store of a young, shy boy desperate to be accepted and loved. I truly hope the film is recognized come Awards season as it is a wonderful and memorable cinematic experience. 5 stars out of 5
Gimly2019-09-11
★ 6/10
Rocketman tries to walk a line between the paint-by-numbers musician biopic bog standard, and epic musical fantasy. A lot of the time when a movie tries to be a blend of two things, it ends up being neither. Rocketman, conversely, ends up being both, just never at the same time. It's basically two movies, and that epic musical fantasy movie I was talking about that's in there, that's a great movie. Unfortunately, the other one, is not so much. I'm still gonna come away giving it a recommendation, because there is enough in there to mean that I enjoyed it, especially in the core casting, all of which is great, not least Egerton. But I was little disappointed, not because my expectations were too high going in or anything, but because every time Rocketman began to slip into a euphoric high, it was moments later wrenched back to, well... Reality, I guess. Albeit a reality we only see on a movie screen. And we see on every movie screen when it's a musician biopic. I mean, this is Elton John we're talking about, if there was ever a moment to reject the mundane and fully embrace the over-the-top flamboyant fantasy it was here. But Rocketman just kind of Awkward Christian Camp Side Hugs the over-the-top flamboyant fantasy. Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go.