Film / 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."

"There are moments in a rock star's life that define who he is. Where there is darkness there is now you, and it's going to be a wild ride."

— John Reid

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, Richard Madden as his manager (and lover) John Reid.

Previews: Teaser, Trailer.

---

Rocketman contains examples of:

• 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.
• Adapted Out: Long John Baldry, 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.
• 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.
• 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 mentions Heather, and how Bernie always left. Bernie doesn't know how to respond to this except to gently tell Elton he knows what he needs to do before leaving, to let Elton figure it out.
• 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 with his husband David Furnish being a regular producer 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.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: Elton's incredible ear for music is shown early on, with his ability to play classical pieces from memory after hearing them once.
• 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.
• Bifauxnen: Some of the ladies Elton interacts with at the fairgrounds during the "Saturday Night's Alright" number, to visually demonstrate Elton's struggles with his sexuality during this time of his life.
• Blunt "No": Someone at the AA meeting asks Elton if marriage made him happy and responds, bluntly and with a bit of annoyance, "No, 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.
• 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 invokedWord 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.
• The Conscience: Bernie is this to Elton. They start writing songs and building their career together. When Bernie wanders off to sleep with American groupies, John Reid makes his move on a depressed Elton.
• Cool Old Lady: Reginald/Elton’s grandmother Ivy. She’s his only emotional support growing up and remains very supportive of him after he becomes famous. She’s also very supportive of his talents and is flat out shown being responsible for getting him proper training.
• 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.
• Deadpan Snarker: Elton has some moments of this.
• 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 — not because it's a gay relationship, but 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. Then he becomes emotionally abusive the minute that Elton signs him on as a manager, even hitting John when the latter is in the middle of a breakdown after coming out to his unsympathetic mother. Later on, after Elton catches John cheating on him, John callously says that it doesn't matter what Elton does; he'll be earning his twenty percent since Elton didn't read the contracts he signed.
• 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 invoked 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.
• 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: Mostly stemming from Elton's 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.
• 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.
• 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 became this eventually. While Elton loved Bernie, the latter softly establishes that he only sees Elton as a brother and isn't gay. Bernie leaves the music business for a while and begs Elton to come with him to his ranch so they "can write like [they] did." He later returns to give Elton a wakeup call that he's killing himself, and that he deserves better than a manager like John Reid. When Elton checks himself into rehab, Bernie visits, with relief, and gives him song lyrics. As the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue details, they are still good friends.
• 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 later'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.
  • Despite his homosexuality, Elton gets involved with two women and even marries one of them. Neither relationship works out, obviously.
• 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."
• Jerkass: John Reid and Elton's mother and father. Was there any doubt?
  • Elton himself had instances of this. Bernie's attempts to snap him out of his destructive choices is met with Elton snapping at him, including accusing Bernie of telling him how to do his job when in reality, the talk came out of a place of love and genuine concern for his happiness and success. This is somewhat averted when Elton apologizes for lashing out at him. Also, unlike the case for his mother and John, he has the excuse of struggling with trauma, sexual frustration and the many addictions he has that collectively keep him from being healthy.
• Jukebox Musical: Rather than being a movie with music in it, Rocketman is a full-blown jukebox musical with numbers and everything.
• Keet: Even before the cocaine and costumes, young Reggie was practically beating the shit out of those piano keys.
• 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 sequences play this way, particularly surrounding his suicide attempt, in a way to express how glazed over he was during his touring and didn't know where he was or what day it is.
• 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.
• "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 are still good friends to this day, the movie heavily implies that Elton continued to pine for Bernie before entering rehab.
• 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!"
• Platonic Life-Partners: Though Elton is shown to be in two relationships with women in his early life, they both take a backseat to his friendship with Bernie; justified in that he's gay and was never truly into either of the women.
• 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.
• Precision F-Strike: "People don't pay to see Reg Dwight, they pay to see Elton fucking John!".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
  • A subtle, possibly unintentional one from Stephen Graham, who plays record executive Dick James. While in a meeting with Elton, Bernie, and early manager Ray Williams, he suggests that Elton and Bernie should be in a "beat combo." While this is acceptable slang for a 1960s pop group, Combo also happens to be the name of Graham's character in the This Is England series — arguably his breakout role as an actor.
  • A small, possible one to A Streetcar Named Desire in the scene where Elton first meets John Reid; the latter mentions relying on the kindness of strangers in echo of the famous line, "Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."
• 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.
• Slap-Slap-Kiss: 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.
• Stepford Smiler: 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.
• Straight Gay: Played with, as noted under Camp Gay. 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: Which is played in a climactic scene.
• 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.
• 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.

---

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

---