Rocketman (2019)

You may be looking for RocketMan, a 1997 sci-fi comedy directed by Stuart Gillard.

"You could be the bestselling artist in America if you desire."

Rocketman is a 2019 biographical jukebox musical directed by Dexter Fletcher (who finished the filming of Bohemian Rhapsody) and starring Taron Egerton about the life and career of Reginald Kenneth Dwight, better known as Elton John. Elton himself and his husband David Furnish serve as executive producers under their company, Rocket Pictures.

The film tracks Elton's rise to fame as he struggles with his sexuality and substance abuse.

Co-starring in the film are Jamie Bell as Elton's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, Bryce Dallas Howard as his mother Sheila Eileen and Richard Madden as his manager (and lover) John Reid.

Previews: Teaser, Trailer.

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Rocketman contains examples of:

• Abuse Escalation: John starts out charming and friendly, courting a lonely Elton and keeping his promise to meet him in London. He then nudges him into a heavily hedonistic lifestyle, which resulted in Elton's many addictions, though he's still portrayed positively at this point. A moment during "Honky Cat" shows him beginning to cheat, which he'd eventually start doing very blatantly. After becoming Elton's manager, he loses his facade scene by scene. First he fires Elton's old team and dismisses Elton's sadness about losing Ray, before pressuring him to come out to his parents. He mocks him when he's scared to talk to his mom and even admits he doesn't care about Elton's feelings on the matter. When Elton does leave to tell her but jeopardizes a concert by doing so, John's mask drops completely as he storms over, grabs him, shouts at him, and then hits him. He's completely unfazed when caught cheating in a later scene, proceeds to mock him more when Elton's justifiably furious, and even insults him while he's being rescued from his attempted suicide. By the end, John has become so toxic that Elton fully believes John hates him and isn't capable of love, as he spends his last two scenes ridiculing him, dismissing his problems, and prioritizing money above Elton's safety.
• Abusive Parents: Both of Elton's parents are portrayed as different shades of neglectful and emotionally toxic to him.
  • His mother Sheila is portrayed as callous and narcissistic, doing very little to encourage her son's interest in music until her mother convinces her to do it. She openly cheats on her husband with the man she eventually remarries with. When Elton confesses to her that he's gay, she tells him he'll never find love because of it. At the height of his success (and his various addictions), all she can talk about is how she is affected by his antics, dismissing his success as though his feelings mattered less than hers.
  • His father Stanley is portrayed as emotionally muted, doing everything to avoid any emotional bond with his son. Whenever Elton tries to get any affection out of him (like asking for a hug after his father promised to give him one the other night) or is exposed to anything slightly feminine (like Sheila leaving a fashion magazine out), Stanley denies him these things under the assumption that they will turn him into a "fairy". When Elton tries reconnecting years later after he becomes a star, Stanley acts as though he is a complete stranger, insisting that he autograph a record not for himself, but for a coworker. It is especially painful for Elton when he sees that not only does he have two new sons in his new life, but that he is way more affectionate with them than he ever was with him.
  • His stepfather, though, is portrayed as more of a Ditz than as abusive. He's always nice and friendly to Reggie/Elton (if not a little snarky) and even helps him get started on a path to Rock n' Roll.
• The Alcoholic: One of the many addictions he develops after becoming famous. At one point, Elton pours half a bottle of vodka in a tall glass before mixing it with orange juice, as part of his morning breakfast. He quits drinking when he goes into rehab and has remained sober ever since.
• Amicable Exes: Elton and Renate's marriage quietly falls apart for obvious reasons. However, their final exchange on-screen implies both separated on good and understanding terms, even if Elton felt remorseful for hurting her.
• Amoral Talent Agent:
  • Downplayed with Dick, Elton's first manager. He's rude and hard to impress, and his business-oriented focus means that he's not immediately into Elton and Bernie. He's uninterested when he first meets them, doesn't find their first few songs good enough, and later suggests that they make Bernie the singer because "he's the good looking one" — something he says right in front of Elton, and which is swiftly shut down by Bernie. But Dick ultimately ends up firmly on Elton's side and believes in him enough to get him a gig at the Troubadour, which is a huge gamble at that point. His argument with John makes it clear that he likes working with Elton and is offended by being replaced, even if he's still got a bad attitude.
  • After he and Elton date for a while, John is signed on as his new manager. This turns out to be a huge mistake. John proceeds to remove people who like and care about Elton and justifies it as a business move. He becomes openly motivated by money; he calls "rock and roll" a business, and is dismissive of Elton's work and problems, only caring to the extent that it impacts his ability to profit. By the end of the movie, he's not only failing to do the bare minimum and sell the music, but he's willingly putting Elton's life at risk with nonstop shows just after a bad overdose. This was all calculated; his contracts were written to allow him to profit even if Elton dies, and he'd convinced Elton to sign them while they were still a couple, before dropping his mask; John smugly explains this to him, and exploits it gleefully.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: During their last conversation before Elton decides to go into rehab, he angrily confesses he always needed Bernie, and his best friend was never around. He doesn't outright say it, but brings up how Bernie left him for Heather with a decent amount of distress. Bernie doesn't really know how to respond to this, but does seem a bit shaken and tries instead to get through to him one last time before leaving.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: In a group therapy session, Elton shares that his addictions include booze, drugs, sex and shopping. He manages to kick all of them but the last.
• Autobiography: The film is a musical retelling of Elton John's rise, fall, and rehab, and while John didn't write the movie, he was an executive producer^note  and called most of the shots.
• Auto Erotica: Young Reggie comes across his mother and a man who is not his father making out in a car.
• Babies Ever After: The ending reveals that he and his husband David have two children at the time the film ended.
• Bait the Dog: John Reid makes his entrance by bringing a drink to a despairing Elton as he watches Bernie walk off with a woman named Heather. They talk, hook up, and promise to catch up. John then does find him in England, and they get together. The minute John becomes his manager, however? John becomes abusive, emotionally and physically, and pretty much tells Elton he's only interested in the man's money.
• Beauty Inversion: Bryce Dallas Howard plays Elton's mother, and is made up to look heavier and be more frumpy than she normally is. Becomes more apparent when she wears old age make-up to portray the character decades later.
• Be Yourself: As Elton's personal life begins spiraling out of control thanks to emotional and substance abuse, Bernie notices and pleads with him to for once drop the flamboyant paraphernalia and try playing as Reggie Dwight. Elton is furious at the notion and proclaims That Man Is Dead. It's only when he goes to rehab that he reconnects with his Reggie persona and takes a long-needed break from being Elton John, eventually finding his funk again and managing to find a path to happiness finally.
• Big Entrance: Subverted. The opening of the film shows Elton John walking into the camera in slow-motion, framed by blinding lights behind him that heavily shadow him, wearing one of his famous flamboyant costumes featuring goggles, sequins, devil horns, and huge red wings... only to walk into a rehab group, sit down, and begin talking about his many addictions, eventually admitting that he needs help.
• Blunt "No": Someone at the AA meeting asks Elton if marriage made him happy and responds, bluntly and with a bit of annoyance, "Not really, I'm gay."
• Bungled Suicide: At one point Elton tries to commit suicide, though he is revived by emergency medical technicians. His survival was a Foregone Conclusion even to those who don't know that he's still alive in real life, because he's describing this at rehab after the fact.
• Callously Casual Cheating: As a continuation of his generally abusive nature, John Reid had the tendency to cheat on Elton — and did so in plain sight, adding to the nastiness of it. The tension around it grows each time it happens. First, he was shown flirting with someone in the middle of "Honky Cat", but Elton didn't catch it. Later, Elton and Bernie spotted him leaning over someone in the hall before a concert, implied to be more flirting. Though Bernie tried to encourage him to stand up for himself, Elton was not in the position to address it yet. His last straw comes when he catches him getting a blowjob, outside his house, from his secretary, in broad daylight. He immediately calls him out and dumps him, but John has no remorse, dismissing it as "rock and roll" and mocking Elton for being upset about it by saying he's "predictable".
• Camp Gay: Played with. Naturally, as Elton John is one of the biggest poster boys for glam and stage camp in rock music, the movie reflects that by putting him in many of the iconic flamboyant costumes he's known for (as well as some original costumes inspired by them, such as a massive orange winged number embellished with Swarovski crystals and a Queen Elizabeth gown), and he certainly hams it up when on-stage. He is also shown to have a lot of stereotypically "gay" interests in things like fashion, clubbing, shopping, etc. However, the movie also suggests that a lot of this is just part of his stage persona; off-stage, he's not especially camp and in fact generally comes across as rather Straight Gay. This is both intentional (Egerton, as a straight actor, commented in several interviews that he felt a responsibility to the LGBTQ+ community to not depict Elton John as an overly campy caricature) and apparently reflects Truth in Television, as various Word of God statements note that Elton himself is actually quite traditionally masculine or "blokey" when not performing to an audience.
• Child Prodigy: Little Reggie is shown playing music by ear after only hearing it once, including part of Mozart's Rondo alla turca.
• Conservative Dad, Liberal Mom: Downplayed with Elton's parents, in that their views aren't terribly different. Stanley is transparently homophobic and concerned with a view of masculinity so strict, he insults his son for simply wanting a hug. He also seems to have no respect for his wife, and remains unable to tolerate Elton's lifestyle even when he's a famous and wealthy rockstar. Sheila is a bit better, as she's more tolerant of her son's path and even allows him some unique expression, like getting an Elvis haircut. When he comes out to her over the phone, however, her claim that she already knows and doesn't care that he's gay is quickly ruined by how she goes onto tell him he'll be alone and unloved forever, as well as that he's "too open" about it (despite that he's closeted). Ultimately, while she's not as outright traditional as her husband, she's not much better when it comes to actually accepting Elton's sexuality and lifestyle. Stanley and Sheila got divorced after a few years, and Elton's stepfather Fred turned out to be the most accepting of these things, never expressing conservative viewpoints and encouraging his stepson's passions right away.
• Cool Shades: All through the movie, including a scene of Elton with a suitcase containing nothing but his fancy glasses.
• Creative Closing Credits: The end credits feature scenes of the movie interspersed with photographs of the actual real life events.
• Darker and Edgier: Compared to Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman isn't afraid to show a warts-and-all depiction of Elton John. Its R rating means that we see Elton going on coke binges; orgies are more openly depicted; the dialogue swings into Cluster F-Bomb territory (with occasional heavier language); and a much darker side of show business is seen. John Reid's character is also more sinister and manipulative than he was in Bohemian Rhapsody. Despite that, however, the film ends on a hopeful and upbeat note.
• Descent into Addiction: A central theme. Elton becomes addicted to drugs, materialism, and sex. At one point during an orgy, there's a shot of Elton looking distraught while on the floor, surrounded by dozens of writhing bodies; he's aware that he won't be satisfied after relying on these things for happiness, but it'll take a while until he can break this pattern of self-destructive behavior. (And meet his great love, David Furnish, an event that isn't in the movie but is a Foregone Conclusion.)
• Destructive Romance: Elton's relationship with John is portrayed in this way, because John more or less introduces Elton to all the vices that'll plague him in his career.
• Disappeared Dad: Elton's father was physically there but absent emotionally from him as a child. Cold and distant, he showed no interest in him, before leaving entirely when Elton's mother had an affair. Later when Elton tries to reconnect with him, he's only marginally better, and he's very hurt at seeing his father lavish far more affection on his half-brothers than he'd ever received.
• Domestic Abuse: A rare male-on-male example. John Reid is portrayed as a predator who uses Elton for sex and his earning potential. He starts out nice, buying Elton a drink when the latter is pining after Bernie and comforting him about his great performance. When they start dating, he's the one who gets Elton to engage in what would become his many addictions, even labeling his humble life as "embarrassing" and egging him on to want more. Things get much more overtly toxic when he's signed on as Elton's manager. He starts by removing Ray, someone Elton genuinely liked. From there, he turns up the emotional abuse and bullies him into coming out to his mother, only to hit him when he's having a breakdown over her nasty reaction. Elton breaks up with him when he catches John cheating, but by then, the contracts have been signed and John sticks around as his manager; he continues to treat him terribly while collecting his cut with even fewer attempts to hide it, even rubbing it in that Elton has no way to get rid of him and that he'll get his money even if Elton kills himself.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: When the film starts, and Elton first arrives in rehab, he is wearing an orange costume with horns. At the climax, when he leaves rehab and has cleaned himself up, he's wearing a white suit. In a sense, kicking his addiction and facing the problems that drove him to them can be seen as an escape from Hell.
• Driven to Suicide: At one point, during a party at his house, Elton takes a large amount of pills, downs them with alcohol, walks to his pool and falls off the end of the diving board. The thing he says right before he falls in makes it clear this was no accident.

  Elton: FOR MY NEXT TRICK!... I'm gonna fucking kill myself.

• Earn Your Happy Ending: As we all know, Elton eventually becomes sober, reconciles with Bernie, and finds himself a loving husband and Career Resurrection. He still is a shopaholic but is much healthier and happier after checking into rehab. While his parents are still terrible, he resolves to stand up to them and their pettiness, and take refuge with people who actually love him.
• Ending the Abuse: Implied at the end of the film. Elton, finally done with his story, starts to see imaginary versions of important people from his life. This includes his Abusive Parents, as well as his abusive ex-boyfriend and manager, John. The way they speak to each-other here represents their relationships and how he feels about them now, even if they aren't actually there to be addressed. He directly apologizes to his mother and says that they need to try forgiving each-other, and when his father insults him (causing his mother to get annoyed), he firmly tells them both to stop and that they can't talk to him like that again. This makes it clear that, while he's not looking to cut them out, he won't let them treat them badly anymore. As for John, while contracts prevent him from being sacked and there's no chance of repairing their relationship, his responses to the insults makes it clear that he won't be standing for his abuse anymore, either.
• Foil: The trio of Elton, Bernie, and John form multiple foil relationships with each-other, as each of them have clashing personalities and motivations that come out when they interact.
  • Elton and Bernie start out in similar places, as lonely and insecure artists that find their big spark when they work together. However, when they hit it big, they end up going down wildly different paths. Elton, as the public performer, suffers from immediate stress, which quickly gives way to more serious mental health issues. He dives into the rockstar lifestyle head-first, and ends up with multiple addictions, a troubled social life, and the rejection of "Reg Dwight". While he becomes incredibly rich, he's also miserable, and becomes wrapped up in his own problems. Bernie, as the behind-the-scenes songwriter, isn't nearly as impacted by their fame, and thus retains his rational, stable personality throughout. He acts as an outside observer into Elton's life, being uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the increasingly extreme productions and stage gimmicks. It's implied that he's not as wealthy as Elton, but he's happier, and is the only person who's consistently shown being concerned for someone other than themselves. When this divide occurs, Elton's increasingly prickly nature is made more obvious as he reacts with unwarranted aggression to Bernie's reasonable advice and supportive comments.
  • Elton and John share similar vices and personality flaws, such as substance usage, fiery tempers, and the use of personas. However, Elton is struggling from poor mental health and the stress of stardom. His over-the-top persona acts as armor, and dismantling it in rehab only reveals the troubled, yet normal, man beneath. Additionally, he cares deeply about his relationships, and failing to salvage them only makes his issues worse. His recovery involves confronting his issues in an honest, mature way. John, meanwhile, is a hedonic sociopath who willingly engages in these things for pleasure. His persona is a mask of compassion and charisma, which goes away as soon as he secures his position, to reveal the Jerkass beneath. He doesn't care to preserve his relationships, to the point where he cheats on Elton and laughs when being dumped. His seemingly calm facade only contrasts the insulting, dismissive attitude he takes whenever he's criticized. Many of their interactions serve to make Elton seem more obviously naive, angsty, and/or powerless, whether it's their first meeting at a party or their final argument in Elton's office.
  • John and Bernie don't have a ton of screentime together, but they have similar roles as Elton's business partners and closest companions throughout the film. Their differences come out in their actual relationships with Elton, as well as their general personalities. Bernie is the sweet, supportive, and loyal songwriter. Despite their Incompatible Orientation, he genuinely loves Elton, and tries to get him out of his spiral, ultimately being the one to give him the wake-up call that saves his life. John is the harsh, unemphatic, and selfish manager. He and Elton get into a romantic relationship, but he turns out to be toxic and abusive; when Elton starts struggling, his response is to simply insult him and dismiss his problems, making the situation worse. Whenever they share screentime, they're reacting in different ways to Elton's situation, and their opposing personalities become clear — Bernie displays obvious concern and focuses on Elton's wellbeing almost exclusively; In these same scenes, John is either bored or hostile, and is also easily distracted due to his lack of genuine interest.
• Forced Out of the Closet:
  • Elton early on is outed to Bernie by a member of the American band they're performing with. It's not treated as much of a dick move as it was, however, both because at-the-time this wasn't seen as being as horrible as it is now, but also because the performer (who was gay themselves and had just had earlier had a fling with Elton) had just heard that Elton was dating his landlady, and he was annoyed to hear he was basically lying to this woman.
  • Less directly than the above, but this happens again when John Reid forces Elton to come out to his mother, as much as he doesn't want to. It clearly upsets Elton a lot to do so, making it clear he was not at all ready to come out to her, even if she already knew.
• Funny Background Event: As Bernie gets fed up with Elton and leaves him in a restaurant while singing "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," you can see and hear Elton complaining about Bernie leaving him with the bill.
• Futureshadowing: Not exactly a secret that Elton John is gay, but the movie displays hints of his sexuality before it's fully and finally addressed.
  • Young Reggie takes a passing interest in a female fashion magazine but is told by his father to not look at them because he's "not a girl." This also ends up being a nod to Elton's eventually infamous Unlimited Wardrobe.
  • Reggie also displays genuine discomfort when someone says "fag" (the slang term for a cigarette).
  • The "Saturday Night's Alright" sequence shows a teenage Reggie clearly ogling some men and at one point the choreography symbolically implies that he attempted to be interested in or had been asked out by girls, but his orientation inevitably kept coming back.
• Gayngst: Elton struggles quite a bit with his sexuality, stemming from his Incompatible Orientation with Bernie and his ex-wife Renate Blauel, as well as his mother's callous declaration that his sexuality will never grant him love. By the end, he's practically breaking down when he tells his mother that he's tired of hiding who he is, in a conversation that happens just after divorcing Renate.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Deconstructed; John hits Elton as the latter is in the middle of a nervous breakdown ten minutes before a show. The breakdown is because Elton came out to his mother over the phone, and is upset that she told him he'll never find love. John hits him for being late, and for being upset. It's the red flag that makes Elton realize that he's in trouble.
• Gilligan Cut: The film starts with these as a Running Gag, with how Elton is a Stepford Smiler about his life. He says his dad was a good person, when cutting to scenes of his father shutting him out. His landlady took him being gay well — she didn't toss his piano and sheet music off the balcony, no sir. The one Played for Drama is that he says he and Bernie never had an argument, when they had several disagreements. With that said, they did remain friends.
• Good Stepmother: For all of Elton's contentions with his biological parents, he has a good relationship with his stepfather Fred, who supports his rock and roll interest and takes him to get an Elvis cut.
• Good-Times Montage: The "Honky Cat" sequence show a dramatization of Elton John and John Reid riding high on Elton's newfound fame and fortune.
• Hate Sink: Stanley is depicted as being thoroughly rotten and unsympathetic, with none of his scenes depicting him in a good (or even ambiguous) light. He's mean to both Elton and Sheila regardless of the circumstances, and is otherwise just detached, neglectful, and harsh. He appears to be targeting his son primarily out of general, unwarranted disdain that later turns into bitter homophobia, even when he does something as minor as look at a fashion magazine. When Elton sees him as an adult, it almost seems like he's become a better person with the way he treats his new sons, but it's dashed, as he proceeds to double down on how he treats Elton and makes it clear he wants nothing to do with him or his career. Ultimately, he's pretty much the only character in the movie depicted without any appealing or sympathetic qualities, and is instead just purely unpleasant and hate-worthy during his relatively short time on screen.
• Heroic Bystander: When Elton attempts to drown himself, several of his party guests dive to the bottom and pull him to the pool surface, to deliver him to emergency technicians.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Elton and Bernie's friendship is portrayed as a deep, serious connection that borders on them being soulmates. "Your Song" is interpreted as something of a love song that the two are creating for each-other. When Elton attempts to kiss Bernie during a vulnerable moment, he's rejected softly, with Bernie outright saying that he does love him — just not romantically. Their relationship struggles following the Troubadour concert, where Bernie met Heather and Elton subsequently met John, but through the bickering and frustrations, it was made clear that Bernie never stopped caring about Elton. He's the one person who sincerely tries to help Elton after he's spiraling, and reaches out in ways only he can, such as trying to get him to play a concert as Reggie, offering him some time away at a ranch to work on music, and later trying to give him the wake-up call that he's killing himself. For Elton's part, while his issues cause him to start lashing out, he's deeply hurt whenever he thinks Bernie will leave and does try to salvage things in his own ways. During rehab, when Elton is confronting visions of important people, "Bernie's" appearance involves reassurance that he's loved, suggesting that Elton always knew this deep down; later, it's Bernie who visits him for real, bringing music and encouraging him to keep playing.
• Historical Beauty Upgrade:
  • Taron Egerton is certainly a lot more traditionally handsome and physically fit than Elton ever was. Lines about him being a fat kid remain, which is really hard to see.
  • John Reid, a more average-looking man in reality, is played in the film by the notably more good-looking Richard Madden.
• Historical Villain Upgrade:
  • Elton's half-siblings (among others) have argued that Elton's parents were nowhere near as abusive as they were in the film. Zigzagged if you read Elton's memoirs, where he purported that his biological father was even worse, being physically abusive for arbitrary reasons. In fact, Elton was thrilled when they finally divorced and he preferred his stepfather Fred as a dad.
  • While the film takes a peek into Elton John and John Reid's rocky relationship and the latter's infamous temper, their affair was nowhere near as toxic in Real Life as it was in the movie, with the real Elton and Reid having made amends since their break up and lawsuit.
• Hope Spot: When Elton comes out to his mother, she reveals she's suspected for years and it doesn't bother her... before going on to coldly lecture him on how she believes he will be forever alone and never know true love.
• How We Got Here: The opening scene shows Elton walking into rehab with an orchestral version of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" playing. Towards the end of the film, he and Bernie sing the song, during which Elton, wearing the same costume as the opening, bails on a concert and checks himself into rehab.
• Incompatible Orientation:
  • Elton attempts to kiss Bernie at a vulnerable point for himself, which the latter gently refuses, explaining he loves Elton but not in that way. However, Elton still pines for him throughout the film, with some clear jealousy as Bernie goes off with Heather after the Troubadour concert.
  • Despite his homosexuality, Elton gets involved with two women and even marries one of them. Neither relationship works out, obviously.
• Inner Child: As Elton attends addiction rehabilitation therapy and recounts his life and career, he ends up confronting his inner demons (in the form of his dismissive mother, his absent father, and his toxic ex-boyfriend) before literally embracing his childhood self, Reggie Dwight.
• Innocently Insensitive: Bernie never seems to take into account that even after he affirms they are still good friends and gently turning him down, Elton might still have lingering feelings for him. As a result, he unintentionally keeps flaunting his heterosexuality in front of Elton, who is clearly hurt by these gestures and what seems to finally drive him to attempted suicide is when Bernie enters his bedroom with two hot women and asking him why he's not happy.
• Innocent Swearing: The movie opens with a boy singing "The Bitch Is Back."
• Jealous Romantic Witness: Though Elton tries to act like he's okay with it, seeing Bernie spend time with women does hurt him, and unfortunately, Bernie has the tendency to do it directly in front of him. On two occasions, having to see Bernie date or flirt with women contributes heavily to his emotional down-spiral.
  • At the afterparty for the Troubadour concert, he's left behind as Bernie goes off with Heather, and is reduced to long, troubled stares from across the room. This is what leads into "Tiny Dancer", as Elton is feeling alone and out-of-place, and continues to watch Bernie and Heather right up until John shows up at the fire. Elton brings this night up later on, to make it clear to Bernie that this whole thing really did make him feel hurt and abandoned, and still does years later.
  • A darker case happens at Elton's house party. He's alone in his room while everyone else is celebrating, too hurt over things like being cheated on by John and having his sexuality harshly critiqued by his mother to enjoy it. Bernie shows up, seemingly to try and get him to join the fun, but he makes the mistake of bringing two women with him. Elton isn't in the mood to entertain this, and swiftly shuts Bernie's efforts down by being rude and snarky. Bernie gets the hint and leaves, but his choosing to go off with the women instead of sticking around seems to contribute to Elton's attempt to drown himself.
• Jerkass:
  • Stanley is cold and harsh towards his son, refusing to spend any quality time with him, dismissing his interests, and denying him any affection. When Elton sees him as an adult, he's still distant, and even kicks the dog by having him sign a record before suddenly telling him it's for a coworker.
  • Sheila takes more interest in her son's life and is around throughout the film, but is still rather callous towards him. When he comes out to her, she remarks that he'll never be loved and tells him she wished he wasn't so open about it. She later tells him that she's disappointed to be his mother, despite previously asking him to buy her a house.
  • John Reid gets Elton into his various vices before revealing himself to not actually care for him. He forces him to come out to his mother and then hits him when he's breaking down about her response, cheats on him casually and at his house, yells at him after his suicide attempt, and then digs the knife in by telling him that thanks to contracts, he'll still get his 20% even if Elton kills himself.
  • Played with for Elton himself. As the film goes on, his personality grows more abrasive and distant. He takes to snapping at Bernie, the one person who is genuinely just trying to help him, and otherwise has very few civil or rational conversations for a good chunk of the movie. He even snaps back at his audience at one point, before aggressively launching into "Bennie and the Jets". However, this is the culmination of his trauma, poor mental health, and various addictions; he's lashing out to protect himself and deal with his volatile emotions, rather than out of actual malice. This is reflected in his immediate apology after yelling at Bernie in one scene, and how he's much more calm and rational after going through the healing process, standing up to the visions of his abusers in a much more productive and confident manner.
• Jukebox Musical: Elton's music in the movie is used to tell the emotional journey of Elton and those around him, with full-blown musical numbers and the cast themselves singing the covers.
• Keet: Even before the cocaine and costumes, young Reggie was practically beating the shit out of those piano keys.
• Kick the Dog:
  • Stanley was already pretty mean to begin with, but he at least had the motive of not wanting his son to be "abnormal". By the time Elton is an adult with an extremely successful music career, though, it crosses the line into pointless cruelty that serves mostly to make him feel worthless. In particular, he gets his hopes up by asking him to sign one of his albums, something that he surprisingly bothered to own in the first place; however, when Elton is already writing it for "dad", he suddenly tells him it's for a coworker instead, crushing him entirely as he's now forced to cross off what he originally wrote.
  • Sheila has the capacity to care for Elton and isn't as outright nasty as her ex-husband; however, she still dips into being needlessly mean for no apparent reason other than, seemingly, that she gets some kick out of it. The main example occurs when he's coming out to her. She casually says that she already knew he was gay, but then launches into a lecture about how he's choosing to be alone and will never be loved properly. The fact that she smiles at the end of saying this cements this as the pointless bullying that it is, especially as she gets nothing out of telling him this and doesn't seem to have any sort of issue with John Reid as a boyfriend.
  • For the most part, John's abuse of Elton serves some selfish goal, often based around milking as much profit from him as he can or simply indulging in his own pleasures. Even the punch coincided with his attempt to get him to focus on the concert instead of his feelings. However, there comes a moment where all pretenses are off, and he dives into petty cruelty for the sake of petty cruelty. When Elton is calling him out for not selling his music and never understanding him, John just begins insulting him and tells him that he doesn't care if Elton actually makes any music. Elton tries to fight back by pointing out the end of the profit, only for John to calmly tell him that he'll continue to get his money no matter what happens, including if Elton kills himself. It's this line that takes him from a standard greedy scumbag, to someone who is actively malicious for little gain, given that he'll get what he wants regardless.
• Laziness Callout:
  • During their confrontation at the restaurant, a bitter Sheila accuses Elton of not having had to work for anything due to his natural piano talent. This is a case where the call-out is portrayed as cruel and undeserved, as it not only dismisses all the work Elton has put in to be successful, but she's a hypocrite about it, as this dialogue comes right after she tries to make him buy a new house for her and Fred.
  • Soon after, when Elton's at a restaurant with Bernie instead, it's Elton who is using this same sort of language when ranting about how Bernie always left while he was stuck doing the bulk of the work. He snaps that he can't just sit at a desk all day, and is the one who actually has to deal with the consequences of being the public celebrity. Once again this is depicted as unwarranted, though it's coming from Elton's deep frustrations more than actual anger or pettiness. Bernie just quietly reminds Elton that when he offered help, he was told to "just write the music"; Elton dismissing that as having been a test he'd failed is what finally makes Bernie leave.
• Line-of-Sight Name: How he is shown coming up with the surname to his stage-name; he sees a photo of The Beatles and zeroes in on John Lennon.
• Living Emotional Crutch: Bernie Taupin is presented as something like this for Elton; the two are practically platonic soulmates, Bernie is pretty much the only main character we see who seems to unconditionally love and value Elton simply for who he is, and it's pretty telling that Elton finally seems to realise the depths he's plummeted to and that he needs help when even Bernie walks out on him.
• Meaningful Background Event:
  • One in the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue; Reggie is indeed seen in the back of a photo as the piano player for a backup band.
  • The musician on the TV screen when Elton is coming out to his mother? Fellow closeted gay pianist Liberace.
• Mushroom Samba: Some of the musical numbers simulate the drugged-up, burnt-out state of Elton. For instance, "Pinball Wizard" features a rapidly rotating scene where Elton keeps changing outfits; he then snaps awake, sweating in bed, not knowing where he is. "Bennie and the Jets" turns into a bad drug trip part of the way through, when during an orgy that followed heavy alcohol and drug use, he starts getting flashbacks and ends up on the floor breathing heavily.
• Mythology Gag: Elton is wearing a flamboyant bird costume for a concert after he has a big fight with John, in full Stepford Smiler mode. He actually wore something similar in real life for The Muppet Show, and Elton hadn't wanted to wear it for the performance.
• Nobody Touches the Hair: Elton consistently gets uncomfortable and angry whenever someone is touching his hair; while he doesn't outright flip-out, he does express that it's something that upsets him, and from Bernie's dialogue, it's implied that this has happened multiple times before we ever see it happen on screen. He instantly gets to his feet when someone tries to style his hair during "Honky Cat", which results in John stepping in to make them back off. Later, he directly smacks his mother's hand away when she touches his hair in front of other people. The only person shown to get away with it is John himself, but Elton still seems unsettled when it happens — he just doesn't make an effort to stop him, which reflects more on their relationship dynamic than anything.
• Normie Dates a Celebrity: Once he starts to become a sensation, Elton meets John Reid, the first man who he's able to form a romantic relationship with. John became intrigued by him during his show earlier that night, and seized the opportunity to meet him while he was alone and downcast at the afterparty. While John is already in the music industry at this point, his career doesn't have an impact until Elton hires him as his manager; at first, they're simply dating. "Honky Cat" shows the two riding on the high of Elton's fame and fortune, while Elton finally begins to engage with the true rockstar lifestyle with John at his side. Unfortunately, once John does become his manager, things take a dark turn, as it turns out that Elton's status and money was all John actually cared for.
• "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer: Elton's flamboyant wardrobe is given a side-by-side montage in the end credits showing that yes, everything was based in reality.
• The One That Got Away: While they remained good friends, the movie heavily implies that Elton continued to pine for Bernie before entering rehab.
• Obeying Under Protest:
  • Deconstructed. When John forces Elton to come out to his mother, he's terrified about how she'll react, and initially protests. John is apathetic to his feelings, only really caring about how these things will impact Elton's career. As a result, when he proceeds to be mocked for sulking about it on the way to a concert, Elton snaps, shouts for the car to be stopped, and storms out to talk to her immediately. When John tries to remind him about the concert, he shouts back about how he'll be busy breaking his mother's heart. Even while doing the call, he's impatient and tense, and his coming-out speech is delivered rather defensively. However, this rebellion doesn't help him; he's accosted by a furious John minutes later, who even ends up hitting him in the face for prioritizing his feelings over the show. He's dragged off for the concert and retreats into the Stepford Smiler act that would become his default.
  • A more comedic take happens later. Elton, already angry about John cheating on him, must immediately go and host a house party before he's been able to cool down. His first guests are his parents, who brought their neighbors along. It's very difficult for him to pretend to be enjoying their presence, and his frustration becomes even more obvious when he's made to give a house tour — his tone is deeply unenthusiastic and irritated as he agrees and realizes that it's happening immediately.
• Open-Minded Parent: Played with. When Elton comes out to his mother, her initial response is a very casual reveal that she's known for years and doesn't care, but she also says that this lifestyle means he will never find true love (Ambiguous Syntax in play, as she could mean either the gay life or the rock star life, or both).
• Parents as People: Elton's stepfather Fred is portrayed as this. He makes his entrance as Sheila's affair boyfriend, but honorably moves in and marries her when his biological father leaves, so that she and her son won't be left high and dry. Fred encourages Sheila to buy a rock and roll album for "Reggie," and says if the boy wants to be a star he needs the right haircut, taking him to get it styled like Elvis. Elton fondly calls him dad and has a pretty good relationship with him, all things considered. Later in life, Fred seems at a loss for how to counsel Elton when his stepson's life is going down the toilet and is an Extreme Doormat in Sheila's presence.
• Parental Neglect: Neither of Elton's parents are portrayed as very hands-on in his life, as his father leaves the family early in Elton's life and barely keeps in touch with them, while his mother is distant and not especially supportive with Elton as a kid, leaving his grandmother to do much of the parenting.
• Pet the Dog: Three from Elton's mother Sheila.
  • Sheila nods approvingly when Elton suggests what dress she should make for herself.
  • At the end of "Saturday Night's Alright," she applauds his performance.
  • The one time that Sheila is shown to be genuinely compassionate towards her son is when he nearly drowns himself, and she cries out, "Baby!"
• The Power of Friendship: In the end, it's ultimately Elton's friendship with Bernie that helps him overcome his vices and recover from his addictions.
• Product Placement: Every piano on which the maker can be seen (both in the film and on some of the posters) is a Yamaha, even the one at the Royal Academy of Music where Elton auditioned in 1958.
• Raised by Grandparents: Downplayed in that Elton's mother was around when he grew up, but his grandmother was the closest thing he had to a universally attentive and supportive parent as a child, and was the only one who really encouraged his musical talent.
• Real Men Wear Pink: A major example, given that it's Elton John. But Elton's own husband and one of Rocketman's producers, David Furnish, stated that Taron Egerton was cast in large part because they needed someone who could successfully pull off Elton's flashiest costumes and still exude an air of masculinity.
• Recording Studio Scene: There are two scenes that focus on Elton being in the recording booth, though each moment gets derailed by something.
  • About halfway in, he and Kiki Dee are recording "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", with Ray recording the track and also dancing along... until John suddenly walks in. Elton, fully distracted by the return of the man he loves, forces the recording to stop. An amused Kiki is sent out of the booth so that he may talk to John in private, while a confused and annoyed Ray is told to "go for a pint" just before he follows John into a closet to make out.
  • Later, he's moody and annoyed while listening to music in the studio, even to the point of refusing to listen to the song again because he hates it that much. Renate is there and notices his anger, offering to get him tea and complimenting the music. He switches his attention to her and they begin to sing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" together... before cutting to the two of them getting married, presumably because she was sweet and he was desperate for affection, given that they were doomed to fail.
• Rule of Symbolism: The orange winged outfit already has the accessory of heart-shaped glasses to symbolize Elton's yearning for love, but lead actor Taron Egerton's Word of God confirms that the outfit itself — specifically the horns and wings — is indeed meant to further represent the heart motif.
• Sad Clown: Elton's humorous, exuberant facade reaches the point of bravado. Probably best exemplified in the film when he mirthlessly announces that for his next trick, he's going to kill himself.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here!: Bernie finally loses patience with Elton's downward spiral and walks off, singing "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".
• Sharp-Dressed Man:
  • Elton is almost always dressed stylishly when not going over the top with his stage costumes.
  • John is practically never seen outside of a sharp black suit and tie combo, which he even wears at the Troubadour, where everyone else is dressed much more casually.
• Shout-Out: A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it one to Queen — when Elton is lazily looking at his records prior to his outburst at John Reid, the most visible album cover in the bunch is A Day at the Races. Possibly doubles as a shout-out to Bohemian Rhapsody, which was partially directed by Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher.
• Significant Wardrobe Shift: The movie uses Elton John's famous Unlimited Wardrobe to visually show his descent into manic depression and using his career to cover it up. In rehab, he progressively discards his lavish devil-like costume as he opens up about his issues and his recovery truly begins when he's dressed modestly for the first time in years. His final musical number is performed in a sharp but comparatively understated white suit.
• The Sociopath: John is depicted as cold, unempathetic, manipulative, and outright incapable of love. He acts perfectly charming when initially courting Elton, but this quickly proves to be superficial and fake. Instead, he turns out to be violent, money-hungry, and unfaithful, prioritizing his own desires over Elton's physical and emotional wellbeing. He maintains a calm demeanor for the most part, but quickly turns cruel whenever Elton makes any effort to fight back and deflects any attempts to criticize him. By the end of the movie, his true colors are on full display as he dismisses a conversation about Elton's near death in favor of pushing for extra shows, and is rather smug about "getting him back on his feet", before ending the call entirely the second he's questioned.
• Stepford Smiler: Elton throughout the movie is putting on an act for his audience while being depressed off-stage. Two standout moments reflect this duality.
  • Before one concert, Elton is staring into a mirror and literally forcing himself to give a cheesy, fake smile that would be funny if you didn't know his emotional turmoil.
  • Right after his suicide attempt, Elton is shown getting dressed for the Dodger's concert; he's clearly miserable and out of it until handed the bat, at which point he snaps into a large grin and goes on stage to perform.
• Straight Gay: Played with, Off-stage, Elton generally comes across as a lot less campy and more traditionally masculine than his stage act would suggest, and the movie at times suggests him to be a bit uncomfortable with some of his more "extreme" camp depictions but is simply going along with them because he feels that it's what people want from him rather than his true self. However, even off-stage he is still shown to have some traditionally "gay" interests (fashion and clothes, partying, etc.) and is clearly comfortable with a certain degree of flamboyance in his personality and style.
• Titled After the Song: Titled after "Rocketman", which is played during the dramatic moment of Elton's attempted suicide, his swift recovery, and the Dodger's concert soon after.
• Toxic Lover Influence: Once they get together, John is shown as the one who introduces Elton to his many vices — sex, alcohol, drugs, and shopping. Before this point, Elton lived at his mother's and seemed to have no great desires aside from simply being with John, a life that John described as being "so humble, it's embarrassing". Things quickly get worse as John turns out to be abusive and money-hungry, which pushes Elton even deeper into his vices, at which point John just dismisses his struggles and accuses him of being "self-indulgent" and "myopic". It takes going to rehab to get Elton back on track, and he acknowledges that he lost everything to keep a love that never existed at all.
• Triumphant Reprise: Of the orchestral version of "Yellow Brick Road" from the opening scene at the start of the film; the melody plays out at the beginning as part of a triumphant entrance, showing Elton at the height of his career and fame, only to reveal that he's entering rehab at his lowest point of despair. The ending repeats this scene, except now it's not played as the dark and desperate situation that it first seemed; it's Elton's first step back on the road to dealing with his problems, respecting himself and taking back his life.
• The Unfavorite: When an adult Elton goes to visit his father, he discovers that he now has two young half-brothers. While his father is still incredibly cold to him and can barely hide his contempt, he's far more affectionate with his new sons; what gets Elton to break down is seeing him physically carry them inside while talking to them, while he couldn't even get a hug when he'd asked for one.
• Unlimited Wardrobe: Truth in Television, Elton had a different flamboyant costume for every performance and his personal style even among friends and family was not much different, like leopard robes and silvery swim trunks. The end credits even show a montage to prove it wasn't an exaggeration.
• Unreliable Narrator: In the beginning, Elton claims he had a good relationship with his father. Cue a Gilligan Cut to his father neglecting him so he can listen to jazz music. Ironically, the real Stanley did have a much better relationship with his son than the film character.
• Very Loosely Based on a True Story: The film is a musical fantasy that takes inspiration from Elton John's life and career told from the eschewed perspective of the man, with John himself giving permission for it to take artistic license as necessary (complete with the Tag Line "based on a true fantasy"). As such, the film deviates from history at several points:
  • Both of Elton's parents are presented as more callous and unaffectionate than they were in reality.
    • The film portrays Stanley Dwight as an emotionally distant figure who wants nothing to do with his son even before Elton plans to come out to him, merely asking for an autograph on a friend's behalf. In real life, Elton kept in contact with his father following his parents' divorce and remained on good terms with his stepmother and half-siblings.
    • Sheila is portrayed as carelessly dismissing Elton when he comes out to her, which the film shows as contributing to Elton hitting Rock Bottom. According to John himself, his mother showed no disappointment of his sexuality and was actually fully supportive of his lifestyle.
  • Elton did not get the "John" part of his name from John Lennon. It actually came from Long John Baldry, a friend of Elton (and the actual frontman of Bluesology) who saved him from a suicide attempt in 1968 and aided in him coming to terms with his homosexuality. The alteration may be due to the fact that Baldry is a fairly forgotten figure in the music community nowadays, known mainly as the voice of Dr. Robotnik in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. It may also be partly a nod to the fact that Elton also became a very close friend of Lennon throughout the 1970s.
  • A young Reggie did, in fact, play a complicated classical piece perfectly by ear while at the Royal Academy of Music, but the actual piece, a four-page Handel composition, was replaced by Mozart's Rondo alla turca, which is more well-known.
  • A young Reggie starts singing "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" at a pub, transitioning to show an older Reggie before he gets his first record deal singing it with the band Bluesology, implying it to having been written by a younger Reggie before he meets Bernie and sung in the mid-to-late 60s when the band was active. In Real Life, it was written based on Bernie's troubled youth and would not have been written and released until 1973.
  • "I'm Still Standing" is the final song of the film and is used to represent Elton's full recovery from substance abuse. In Real Life, Elton recorded the song in 1983, when he was still drinking heavily, and he didn't seek out recovery until 1990.

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Elton John: Maybe I should have tried to be more ordinary.
Bernie Taupin: You were never ordinary.

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