History Film / Rocketman2019

* BluntNo: Someone at the AA meeting asks Elton if marriage made him happy and responds, bluntly and [[AskAStupidQuestion with a bit of annoyance]], "No, I'm gay."

* ArtisticLicenseHistory / VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: 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 [[EnforcedTrope John himself]] giving permission for it to take artistic license as necessary (complete with the TagLine "based on a true fantasy"). As such, the film deviates from history at several points:
** Both of Elton's parents are presented as [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade 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 RockBottom. 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 Music/JohnLennon. It actually came from Creator/LongJohnBaldry, 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 ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''. 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 [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart 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 RealLife, 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 RealLife, Elton recorded the song in 1983, when he was still drinking heavily, and he didn't seek out recovery until 1990.

* ButNotTooGay: Actually averted here. Whereas ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' (which this film has been often compared to) was criticized for shying away from showing Music/FreddieMercury's sexual relations with men, ''Rocketman'' has a handful of sex scenes between male characters. It's [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/news/rocketman-blazes-trail-as-first-major-studio-film-depict-gay-male-sex-1210947 reportedly]] the first ''ever'' major Hollywood production with gay male sex scenes.

* PowerWalk: The first shot of the movie is Elton marching down a hallway in slo-mo wearing his bedazzled devil suit.

** Elton did ''not'' get the "John" part of his name from Music/JohnLennon. It actually came from Creator/LongJohnBaldry, 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 ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''.

* AdaptedOut: Music/LongJohnBaldry, who (and not Reggie/Elton) had fronted Bluesology in real life, is not featured, despite the meaningful role in Elton's life and career -- as mentioned below, actually inspiring his stage name and saving his life after a suicide attempt. In addition, he was an openly gay musician among his colleagues well before Elton was.

** Elton did ''not'' get the "John" part of his name from Music/JohnLennon. It actually came from Music/LongJohnBaldry, 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 ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''.

* BeautyInversion: Creator/BryceDallasHoward plays Elton's mother, and is made up to look heavier and be more frumpy than she normally is. Becomes more apparent in [[PlayingGertrude old age make-up decades later]].

* BeautyInversion: Creator/BryceDallasHoward plays Elton's mother, and is made up to look heavier and be more frumpy than she normally is. Becomes more apparent in old age make-up decades later.

* PlayingGertrude: Creator/BryceDallasHoward plays Elton's mother, even though she is only 8 years older than Egerton. Justified in that Elton is a child when we first see them, so the age difference between Egerton and Howard isn't an issue, but it's noticeable when Elton grows into adolescence. Even when Howard is made to look older later in the film, she still doesn't look ''that'' old.

* TheAlcoholic: 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.

* ProductPlacement: Every piano on which the maker can be seen (both in the film and on some of the posters) is a Yamaha, even [[CriticalResearchFailure the one at the Royal Academy of Music]] where Elton auditioned [[AnachronismStew in 1958]].

!!!'''[[SimilarlyNamedWorks You may be looking]] for ''Film/{{RocketMan|1997}}'', a 1997 sci-fi comedy directed by Creator/StuartGillard.'''

* AdultFear:
** In rehab, Elton opens up about how he wishes that his parents were more affectionate and that they wouldn't use him as a pawn in their squabbles.
** The one time that Sheila is completely sympathetic towards Elton is when he tries to drown himself in the pool, and all she can say is "Baby!" in an anguished tone. No matter their bad blood, she doesn't want her son to die in front of her.
** The whole relationship between Elton and John Reid. Reid brings him a drink, seduces him, and then takes over his finances as his new manager. When Elton is having a breakdown after coming out to his mother, John ''slaps'' him so hard that the bruise is still there when he has to go for makeup, because he has to go onstage in ten minutes.
** Bernie is heartbroken when seeing Elton drink and drug himself to death. He talks some sense into him and is visibly relieved on visiting his best friend in rehab.

* BastardBoyfriend: John Reid is Elton's first boyfriend as well as his manager, and he is shown to be a cold and emotionally manipulative man who prods Elton into indulging in the darkest excesses of his fame, resulting in Elton hitting RockBottom. [[spoiler:He also turns out to be both embezzling from and cheating on Elton]].

** A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it one to Music/{{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 ''Music/ANightAtTheOpera''. Possibly doubles as a shout-out to ''Film/BohemianRhapsody'' (which was partially directed by ''Rocketman'' director Dexter Fletcher), whose title track is part of said album.

* RealMenWearPink: 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.

* RealMenWearPink: 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 wear Elton's flashiest costumes and [[RealMenWearPink still exude an air of masculinity]], like Elton.

** A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it one to Music/{{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 ''Music/ANightAtTheOpera''. Possibly doubles as a shout-out to ''Film/BohemianRhapsody'' (which was partially directed by ''Rocketman'' director Dexter Fletcher), whose title track is part of said album.

* CampGay: 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 StraightGay. 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 TruthInTelevision, as various WordOfGod statements note that Elton himself is actually quite traditionally masculine or "blokey" when not performing to an audience.

* ForcedOutOfTheCloset: 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 [[TheBeard basically lying to this woman]].

!![[SimilarlyNamedWorks You may be looking]] for ''Film/{{RocketMan|1997}}'', a 1997 sci-fi comedy directed by Creator/StuartGillard.

!![[SimilarlyNamedWorks You may be looking]] for ''Film/{{RocketMan|1997}}'', a 1997 comedy sci-fi film directed by Creator/StuartGillard.

Not to be confused with ''Film/DisneysRocketMan'', the Harland Williams vehicle where he plays an astronaut (both films use the same song, however).

** 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. [[spoiler: 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 [[TheUnfavourite he ever was with him]].]]

** 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. [[spoiler: 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.]]

* CampGay: 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 StraightGay. This is both intentional (Edgerton, 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 TruthInTelevision, as various WordOfGod statements note that Elton himself is actually quite traditionally masculine or "blokey" when not performing to an audience.

* AutoErotica: Young Reggie comes across his mother and [[YourCheatingHeart a man who is not his father]] making out in a car.

* YourCheatingHeart:
** Elton catches his mother making out with another man in a car, and shortly after his father leaves them.
** At one point, Elton walks in on his partner/manager John cheating on him with the secretary. John shows no remorse when confronted with this.

* CampGay: Played with. Elton John has been one of the biggest poster boys for stage camp. Sure enough, this movie puts Elton in the flamboyant costumes he's known for and some new costumes inspired by his iconic outfits, from a massive orange winged number embellished with Swarovski crystals to a Queen Elizabeth gown. However, various WordOfGod statements note that Elton himself is actually [[StraightGay quite traditionally masculine or "blokey"]] in real life. Lead actor Taron Egerton strove to reflect this in his performance, sharing to British GQ magazine in September 2019 that — especially as Egerton is heterosexual in real life — he felt a responsibility to the LGBT community not to depict Elton as an overly campy caricature.