The upcoming 'musical fantasy biopic,' Rocketman, based on the life and career of pop music superstar Elton John, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews this past Thursday.
At the end of the screening, the audience - with John, star Taron Egerton and director Dexter Fletcher — reportedly burst into applause.
Egerton was seen tearing up at the response:
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 16, 2019
The reviews so far have been strong, especially for Egerton:
"He (Egerton) doesn’t disappear into the role, exactly, but he accomplishes something nearly as remarkable, which is to locate subtle depths of feeling in a character we first see wearing a devil-horned chicken costume." - Los Angeles Times
"It’s a biopic and a jukebox musical and a romance, and also a movie about addiction, all crammed into a frenetic, jewel-studded ecstasy of a movie." - Vox
"All white men fortunate enough to commission big-screen versions of their own life stories should be so lucky as to have someone as casually adorable as Egerton play them on screen — not because he’s an especially strong actor but because even with various unflattering wigs and a gap-toothed bridge ... Egerton has a hard time looking dumpy." - Variety
And, of course, there are the inevitable comparisons to last year's box office smash Bohemian Rhapsody, which focused on the life of Queen frontman Freddy Mercury, which many felt was straight-washed in terms of Mercury's homosexuality.
"If Bohemian Rhapsody were the cheeseburger of music icon biopics, then Rocketman is the sirloin steak – with lobster on the side." - The Sun
For those who can't wait until May 31, there are special, limited Early Access screenings beginning today via Fandango.
The producers have also released a new song penned by Elton and partner Bernie Taupin for the end credits titled, "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again," performed as a duet between John and Egerton.
In addition to creative expression, I'm sure it's also Elton's bid for another Oscar for "Best Original Song," as catalog tunes don't make the cut at the Academy Awards.
Check it out below.
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