wide reading #6- Rocketman

Title: Rocketman

Director: Dexter Fletcher

Text type: Film

2019

The film rocket man is a film based on the real-life events of the singer/piano player Elton John. starting from when he was a young child and just starting off with piano lessons then to when he got noticed and started getting gigs with bands and travelling around the world on tour. This film follows Reggie now known as Elton John on his life journey to the man he has become today.

The first character I found interesting was Elton john (the main character). I found him interesting because of the way he dealt with all the hurdles life threw at him and the way he evolved as a person throughout the whole movie. He didn’t have the easiest childhood and has always struggled to connect with his younger self because those memories were painful for him. At the end, he understands that he has to forgive and forget in a way because its all in the past. whereas the Elton 6 months ago wouldn’t have dreamed of it. I relate to Elton in a way because of the way he’s shy and reserved. Elton’s grandmother said, “He’s shy its, He’s always been shy”. I feel as though I can be shy when people first meet me then I come out of my shell and show people who I really am. The second character I found interesting was Bernie because of the way he dealt with Elton and managed to always connect with him. After everything Elton has gone through with him he always manages to stay close and never lose him, He was always here when Elton needed him. He always supported him even when he tried to push him away. Bernie said to Elton, “I love you man, always have, always will”. this shows the factor of friendship which is highly needed in the world today, trying to find someone loyal and a good enough friend is hard so having someone that never gives up on you like Bernie did for Elton is worth keeping.

One of the messages I took away from the text was, It’s ok to ask for help when you need it. After Elton sought out help “I’m here because I want to get better”, His life became so much better and he became so much happier with himself “I hope you can forgive me because I released that’s what we need to do now”. I think this message also hit home for a lot of people and for myself because I think we’ve all known what it’s like to not like something about ourselves at least once, I know for a fact that I have and its not a nice feeling. The message is that you should feel ok about talking about it. And if you’re struggling with something, It’s ok to ask for help. This sends a powerful message to society, and may even help people get up enough of their own courage to seek help for themselves. 

I believe Elton John lived a very challenging life as a whole, but I would say one of the biggest hurdles he had to jump was his drug addiction “Let ’em know who you are. Just don’t kill yourself with drugs”. He was starting to lose himself but he plucked up enough courage just in time”The pain, and the joy, and the sorrow — you turn it into songs that people love”. The way he dealt with drug addiction was just ripping the band right off. He faced all his mistakes and fears head-on all at once and managed to overcome the burden that was holding him back. I feel that he is very courageous and brave for doing that as it is a very challenging thing to do.

The film was named after one of Elton’s top singles (Rocket Man). I believe that the name of the film worked really well as rocket man was meant to symbolize a feeling that Elton john felt at one point in his life “I’m not the man they think I am at home. Oh no no no, I’m a rocketman!”. He felt that he was too full with emotions and like at any time he would explode and it would send him shooting up to space “I’m… a homosexual. A poofter… a fairy… a queen… well say something!”. He wanted to embark on a mission to space, leaving his friends, family, and the stress of life behind. The title of the film sums up how Elton was feeling at the lowest point in his life. 

I would highly recommend this movie to others because it portrays a very powerful message and is based on his real-life story of Elton Johns life. It really shows the emotions of someone who is struggling with very serious problems and how they deal with them “Real love’s hard to come by. So you find a way to cope without it.”. everyone struggles and deals with their problems in their own ways, I know that when I have an issue I will deal with it very differently to how my friends deal with their issues. I would recommend it to people who want to watch know the full extent of what Elton had to go through “I just hope you realize you’re choosing a life of being alone forever.” and all the trama that he had to go along with it.

I thought the overall way the actor portrayed the character was remarkable and he really showed true emotions. I really enjoyed getting to know more about Elton’s history and rough childhood. It made me be able to relate and to understand the ideas behind the movie because Everyone knows what it’s like to be in a bad place. And we all need to learn how to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and keep going. I found Elton John’s love for music hard to relate to because I myself have never enjoyed playing instruments, but I do enjoy listening to it. I still thoroughly enjoyed the film and would watch it again.