How Rocketman Ignored Elton John's True Story

No one’s life can be completely boiled down to a two-hour movie, so biopics are often foced to make some changes to tell a more streamlined story. In fact, the ones that try to cram a whole life into one film are often criticized for being bloated and lacking focus.
The Elton John biopic Rocketman opts to not be a straight retelling of events, trying instead to capture the emotions and essence of the man. However, there are still some fictional details in the film that viewers might assume are fact. Let’s take a look at some ways in which Rocketman ignored Elton John’s true story.
#EltonJohn #Music #Movie
Long John Baldry | 0:00
The other brother | 1:34
Aftermath | 2:29
Famous and absent | 3:24
Half in the closet | 4:34
The missing obsession | 5:29
Off the wall | 6:24
The Bernie breakup | 7:15
Instrumental changes | 8:36
A royal affair | 9:31
Read Full Article: www.grunge.com/153627/how-rocketman-ignored-elton-johns-true-story/

[@GrungeHQ]

Do you think the parts of Rocketman that weren't true to life made it a more interesting movie?

[@Erin-Thor]

Credit should be given where credit is due. The trouble with inaccuracies in documentaries is that they can become factual cannon. Years from now it may not matter, but I’d like to think it does matter.

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

I think they had to have Elton come up with his fictitious name from a famous person, even though it was faux in the film. Otherwise, they’d have to have a bit about his work with Long John Baldry, which would have unnecessarily elongated the movie. Only real fans know who Baldry was; having Elton chose his new last name in the film without showing his work with Baldry would have confused most folks.

[@Jennifer12342]

@@Erin-Thor This isn't a documentary. It's creative non-fiction.

[@Jennifer12342]

It's a two hour movie, not a 1000 page autobiography. You have to have creative licensing or it would be heavy and boring.

[@clifffor1179]

No. Definitely not.

[@meaganelizabeth601]

Rocketman is supposed to be partially fantasy. Elton John and the others who worked on the film have even said so. It’s how he wants to tell his story and Taron had even read his diaries to better act out the scenes. I don’t think the movie got anything “wrong” at all, it’s just a piece of art with some truth to it about Elton’s past

[@RCSVirginia]

Exactly!

[@davidr3857]

True Meagan but also a whole lot of fucking omissions as well. Not nice.

[@amyd3047]

Yep

[@davidr3857]

@Ethan Lowe A musical that makes Elton the poor widdle victim when it needs to.

[@davidr3857]

@Ethan Lowe So its not a musical it's a rewrite of history for poor Reggie. I like EJ up to 1991. From then on he lost the plot like so many greats. I saw him in Sydney in 1990 and he was great. Just 2 years later and he was a ghost of himself on a health binge. He should have retired then. Rewriting history is just one more boring nail in the coffin.

[@hannahdahlberg2198]

Short answer: Rocketman didn’t ignore Elton’s true story. Period.

[@nolanhewitt2563]

love the hamtaro profile pic

[@sassy5764]

they did :/

[@seanchukwuezi3079]

And Elton John prouduced the movie .

[@seanchukwuezi3079]

@@sassy5764 in the movie crocodile rock was Reggies big break even elthon john had songs before crocodile rock the movie says the song was made in 1970 when the was made in 1973 but this smart move on the director cause it was a lie but it pushed the story and characters.

[@jaxsienplays9884]

@@sassy5764 are you an idiot you know elton john worked on this movie right? this biopic wasnt supposed to be 100% accurate its based on a true fantasy

[@alissasousa5370]

Yeah, except this isn't a biopic. It's a (fantasious) MUSICAL. They advertised it that way.

[@kungfuwomn]

This picture would have been 13 hours if they actually covered elton's full career? They only covered him until Rehab which was fine by me one of my all-time fave movies ever!!

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

Thank you, my friend with obviously good taste and wisdom.

[@TheEpicFail79]

The movie also was given a two hour limit so they did what they could within that time. It is my absolute favourite movie!

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

TheEpicFail79 you’re a wise person with excellent taste!

[@embrianne2286]

UHFStation1 I wouldn’t. I loved the movie but that’s too much

[@jdenino6022]

Very true, I've been researching his life since I saw the movie 8 months ago and there's a lot to know about him. It could be a miniseries.

[@jeebns]

HE REALLY SAID THAT ELTON LIED ABOUT HAVING NO FRIENDS HUH. going through the shit he did, he was ALLOWED to feel like he had no friends, even if people cared for him, addiction and mental illness prove otherwise to the person whos struggling with it. the movie was portrayed beautifully and i LIVE by that. also i think majority of the brothers weren't really mentioned for privacy reasons, as well as close friends and such. plus the movie was about him, portraying other celebrities would've made it distracting to some.

[@katarzynamedynska1682]

Amen to that! 🙌

[@andyep.1752]

This movie was focused on Elton's family and drugs issues and how he still standing after all of that. Not a bio pic

[@ariesradio]

I’ve recently read Elton John’s new book “ME”, everything you highlight as being left out or changed in the film Rocketman, is gone over in depth in the book, so it’s not as if he’s hiding anything.

[@Soulboy63]

Very true , it's on audible as well

[@johannaschopf1619]

The way I understood this movie is that it portrays the way Elton felt in that time of his life... how certrain events felt to him, maybe he felt lonely even though he had friends... i'm sure many of us can understand that feeling... the movie didn't ignore his story... it makes us see his story through his eyes and memories...

[@jadynvieira2547]

no offence, but they actually didn’t shy away from anything in elton’s life. they weren’t afraid to show the ups and the downs. this film was so honest and genuine and id go as far to say that this was one of the best modern musicals of all time.

[@revengebella]

elton himself said it best, he said it isn't all true fact but the culmination of all the scenes is the truth. it's all used to paint the truth where as bohemian rhapsody just lied lol

[@Stormsmustfade]

Re fuckin tweet to that

[@angeliquereg]

ok this is so off topic but... i absolutely love your profile picture, lucy boynton is my QUEEN. but yes i do agree with your comment, bohemian rhapsody was extremely exaggerated and the sad part is that those who watched the movie and didn't know much about queen in the first place ended up walking out of the theater thinking that everything /most of the things that occurred in that movie happened in real life. don't get me wrong i absolutely love the cast, but the writers of the film probably should have taken true facts into consideration while making the movie.

[@revengebella]

angelique agreed!!! also me too id die for her

[@fionadevlin361]

Elton John has said it is not a bio pic

[@premieretrailers]

NEGUS MBARKA can you just accept that it’s not a biopic it has more musical Elements than it does as a biopic.

[@psychdlc]

I kind of feel like it's more of a celebration of Elton's creative and cultural contributions than an historical document. As an artist, he's always been fun and exciting, and I think this movie captures that vibe. It doesn't pretend to be journalism.

[@rachaelholland1942]

I'm pretty sure I heard in an interview that the movie was ment to show the struggles of Elton's love life and fame more than his entire career/ life.

[@kerriemccoy1647]

Ever thought the reason why Elton's half brother from his mum's second marriage wasn't mentioned in the movie is because he didn't want to be in it.

[@charlenewhite2127]

Or the fact that it wasn’t about his half brothers at all, but the frustration and jealousy Elton felt about his brothers getting love and affection from his father, where Elton got none.

[@lucasoheyze4597]

I'm sure Hitler didn't want to be in Downfall either, but he was.

[@kelseyllama4701]

They didn’t ignore anything. The movie was portrayed through Elton’s eyes and how he felt during that time in his life. And Elton worked with the director in the movie. If you would like to know the facts about his life then read his autobiography. It is a great book. I loved it.

[@magali1867]

The movie is perfect as it is.

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

I had a huge crush on Elton as a child. When he came out as bi, the other kids teased me, but I ignored them. Like I was gonna marry the dude! When he fully came out of the closet, my crush had waned, but I still loved his music. I still do, and I am so thankful for his contributions to fighting AIDS (my cousin died of AIDS in the late 1980s). Elton and Rod had a falling out, so maybe that’s why the Rod friendship wasn’t explored (they have since made up). The soccer aspect would have been boring; we were there for the music. I loved that they emphasized the relationship with Taupin. I would have liked it if they had some scenes showing his “Lion King” success and Broadway triumphs, but you can only put so much in a flick. Same with his vocal changes. All n all, I thought it was a very enjoyable movie. Elton was pretty much the Beatles of the 1970s - his popularity was astonishing. Indeed, when The Rolling Stones invited him to sing at one of his concerts in the 1970s, the crowd was more excited to see Elton than it was the Stones. Jealousy ensued, and the Stones were very rude to him on the stage as well as thereafter. They may have made up since then, I dunno or care. Again, stuffing his friendships with the royal family in the film would have unnecessarily prolonged it. Most audiences are there for a two-hour flick; to include all this stuff would have made it more than 3 hours or so. Yeesh.

[@rop888]

That's really sweet! Glad you didn't let people change your mind about him. And agree a lot of this stuff would just make the movie bloated.

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

paradoxical yeah it would be a mess. I was lucky enough to have parents who always instilled in me never to be a bigot. My beautiful cousin who died of AIDS was one of the most brilliant, kindest person ever. Thanks for your kind words.

[@emmaw7500]

Elaine Snow finally someone posts something good here. This is one of the only comments that isn’t stupid

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

Emma W thank you, friend

[@emmaw7500]

Elaine Snow ✌️👍🤞

[@Skatejock21]

You do realize that Elton John helped produce the movie and he hand picked Taron Egerton. I’m sure Elton John knows his story better then you do

[@queenheart6167]

i agree.

[@_thebusphotograher_cali]

Skatejock21: Elton was involved in this movie he was ok with it.

[@batfreeze56]

In a dream or memory, you don't always remember all the little details. It's the event that stands out to you. And that's why I think Elton John didn't include these little details. Baldry may have been impactful, but not as impactful as the event he set into motion. The brother was important, but not so important as what was taking up Elton's mind: the deterioration of his family.

[@heathercamball4691]

It showed as Elton John remember ed it Elton was one of the producers and taron did amazing as Elton he deserves a Oscar

[@dx.feelgood5825]

Taron was amazing. Several of his emotional scenes brought tears to my eyes from the raw power. Especially when he comes close to breaking down after his mother hung up after he came out to her

[@dylanmccool22]

That’s a complete lie Elton made the film with producers that’s how he wanted his life and I think he would know more than some KZbin critics

[@Amaiii]

Imagine making an entire video about how it ignored his real story, when Elton John himself was literally one of the directors and wanted it to be mostly a musical.. big brain time

[@folkjam]

You do realize the meaning of MUSICAL FANTASY right..?

[@dx.feelgood5825]

I don't think anybody understands the word "fantasy" here

[@topofthepodiumwrestling9833]

The most glaring omission is not including the relationship with Ryan White. Elton has often admitted that it's Ryan White and his family that caused him to go to rehab and save his life.

[@jessicadepaula539]

He is mentioned in a deleted scene which implies Ryan's story partially helps him to reach out for help; I wish it made it into the final film!

[@jtmcf]

Due to time they had to cut out any trace to the ‘90s and decided to end it in early ‘80s

[@Ol_Lochy]

@@jtmcf well Elton went to rehab in the 90s and dodger was in the early 80s so I think it still happened in the 90s just without mention of Ryan

[@tikitorchgamin1842]

I understand that the movie wasn't perfect. But I think they did a pretty damn good job. Taron Egerton was amazing as Elton John. This movie made me cry and my mom and we literally never cry lol. I suggest this movie 100% still.

[@shutuppabs323]

The fact that this opens up by basically saying other biopic movies are more accurate... is insane lol

[@MrBelter]

More musical than biopic, anyone that has seen you could tell you that.

[@peculiarlyreading]

They even said in an interview that they added elements of fantasy because they were making it how Elton felt at the time, or how he remembered it. And they didn't include everything because that would have taken way too long in the movie, so they had to cut it down. I've seen a few videos were they fail to mention that Elton was actually there and giving the ok for what they were doing in the movie. Not to mention that it even stated on the cover and plot outline that it was based on true story, meaning that not everything is going to be completely factual

[@TheAcrux]

I think it is important that Elton John had a big part while producing the movie. So he could decide which part he wants to show and the less important parts didnt take place in the finished movie.

[@toasterwaterr]

Elton John was on the set for rocketman in order to make the movie as accurate as possible. He showed us what he wanted us to see and how he wanted us to see it.

[@Gnomereginam]

Well, the focus was clearly on making a brilliant, cohesive movie with a clear point to it. You can't fit the entire life of a person into a movie like that. I think the use of metaphors and the whole concentration on loving yourself are just amazing.

[@squamish4244]

John is such a complex person (one of the reasons he is so loved - everyone can see part of themselves in him) that you couldn't possibly form a complete picture of his life from a two-hour movie. And as many people below have said, it is not a biopic, it is how Elton sees his life. For instance, by all accounts, including Elton's, his parents and stepfather were kind people who were very supportive of his career. But he still felt a sense of alienation, which could have caused him to see his parents in a different way than they were. Or, in general, parents' personalities can be changed to effectively portray the son's alienation in an artistic representation, which is what I believe they did here. It does no harm now because John's parents and stepfather are dead.

[@trevorrandom]

The real story about Elton is to shocking to be made into a movie!

[@gamerunicorngurl8686]

IT's not a Biopic stop saying that IT is I loved this movie

[@minnowthewarlock5988]

@NEGUS MBARKA bro you good

[@minnowthewarlock5988]

@NEGUS MBARKA Yes you just sound like your hating on Elton for existing but I wasn't sure lmao- I mean- I hope your not doing that at least but who knows

[@dwho432]

@@minnowthewarlock5988 who cares what he thinks. He's rude

[@anne-mariebrask4704]

They did actually 'mention' Elton buying Watford. Half-way through Hunky Cat you see him signing the contract

[@TheInfiniteSheldon]

*From the video's description:* "Rocketman proudly identifies as an "epic musical fantasy" *The video's title:* "How Rocketman Ignored Elton John's True Story" In a shocking twist that no one could have foreseen, it turns out that true stories and epic fantasies aren't the same thing.

[@KhayJayArt]

Yeah, people on this website are stupid.

[@XLadyClaireX]

Read his book ‘Me’ if you want his full story. I thought the film was wonderfully entertaining and it would have been impossible to include every exact detail that has happened throughout Elton’s life.

[@meagansanders2520]

If they added all of the stuff and people in this video to the movie it would be so crowded and hard to follow along with. Movies like this have to be diluted in order to be cohesive. If it actually were a biopic, then yeah it'd be missing a lot. But it isn't a biopic.

[@f.airyfeller399]

It is not a biopic though so it doesn't have to be completely true and they worked with Elton and that's how Elton wanted it to be like

[@jtmcf]

I still consider it both a musical and a biopic cause it still delivers on both

[@pc.raahauge]

It was a breath of fresh air to see a biopic outright say that it's not all truth, unlike most others who pretend to be the whole truth but isn't.

[@Zachary-vw7dc]

You just set up the MCU (Music Cinematic Universe) mentioning Rod Stewart,Freddie Mercury, and Elton John wanting to creat a band

[@timmy841212]

I wish biopics were more honest.

[@mrottott5810]

It's not a biopic it's a musical fantasy

[@sarahkesseler7561]

Good thing it’s not a biopic lmao

[@Mal-eg3km]

1)it’s not a biopic 2)it went through all his drug use and wild sex life so it was pretty honest it’s rated R duh

[@fairwayfever2883]

Nose teeth and hair. Damn history that we didn’t get that.

[@lexdunn4160]

It's NOT a documentary - enough of those have been done. It was billed as a Rock & Roll FANTASY. Look it up.

[@dwho432]

I followed Elton in the 70s and he went thru all of this.

[@Mr.E723]

Rockman has probably just as many inaccuracies as Bohemian Rhapsody, however in Rockman they’re forgivable, Bohemian Rhapsody they’re not, I feel this way because Rocketman is clearly supposed to be a musical fantasy not a biopic, you know that it’s clearly not how it actually all happened but there’s also still a lot of truth to it. Bohemian Rhapsody it’s basically “yes this is exactly what happened, I mean we did twist a bunch of details around and make up whatever crap we felt like to just throw in there, but...... yeah this totally happened”

[@jamescook8536]

They didn't ignore it, he wanted to have a fictional movie about his life.

[@thomasboreman1415]

Dont all of these music movies fake the story a little bit? Lol I mean they do change things to dramatize things.

[@pilkpepsimilkk]

THOMAS BOREMAN I don’t know man, Elton John turned into a rocket and blasted off into space in real life. At least they got that part right.

[@MKida]

I mean it's not a biopic...

[@minnowthewarlock5988]

@@pilkpepsimilkk ah yes, I remember that very well.

[@RobertSmith-ej1zp]

I finally got to watch rocketman and while it may have left out key note times in the mans life it clearly showed the reasons for alot of his behavior and feelings . My heart hurt for him as I watched the movie and I kept haveing to remind myself it was a movie ..I am gladd he finally found someone who showes him reall love and he is finally happy after yrs of unhappiness ...everyone deserves true love and happiness.

[@AtomicLimelight]

"or as elton would call it, football" as if that's not the name of the game everywhere else besides the US.

[@lucasoheyze4597]

Soccer is just as correct.

[@arishiakoneko]

It's presented as recollections given from Elton John while in Rehab. Of course he embellished on some things and omitted others... he was sharing what he felt was worth sharing. It doesn't mean that the movie missed these things, it just means they didn't come up as Elton recounted his ups and downs. It's a musical for one thing, and right up front you're made aware that Elton is telling these stories while sitting in rehab.

[@nickymo]

I just saw Judy and I loved how focused it was on mostly one time and aspect of Judy Garland’s life. Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody don’t even have a plot, they just cover everything in such broad generic terms the two movies come off as just dumb commercials for their respective bands’ music, which is exactly what they are. Neither are really about anything

[@viviwasfound8361]

This is so fake, Elton was a worker in the movie and was happy with how he wanted it and besides you can’t get everything right in a movie that takes years of hard work, I’m not wrong am I?

[@rocketman0324]

I can live with all of it except for the awful portrayal of his mother. She had NO redeeming qualities in the movie and from what Elton has said previously, from actual videos I've seen and the Christmas commercial that came out just before the movie that showed his mother as very caring. It's just so far from the truth that it bothers me that Elton approved this.

[@YGardenRose]

They couldn’t possibly fit in everyone and everything into the movie. Fantastic movie. Taron Egerton was absolutely fabulous as Elton, did his own singing, and owned that role. One of my favorite movies - ever.

[@avalamingfonseca7406]

Elton was the film producer, he knew what the movie was about, so i think he choose those decisions

[@Biasilvinha]

Did you want a movie or a trilogy?

[@Ocrilat]

As a fan, the biggest disappointment was the film completely edited out the band and producer Gus Dudgeon. When Elton's career exploded, his band was a trio...with Elton, and drummer/vocalist Nigel Olsson and bassist/vocalist Dee Murray. The three of them performed at the Troubadour, and all three were brilliant. The Davey Johnstone joined the band as guitarist/vocalist...and they became unstoppable. They were not only integral to the live shows, with Elton's brutal schedule, but were indispensable in the creation process. Bernie wrote the lyrics and Elton the music, but each band member wrote their own 'parts' to each song, with no input from Elton at all. So the songs ended up being created more or less as a live jam session, so when in the studio they created on average 4 songs a day. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, with 22 original songs (including songs that didn't make it to the album and were used on the b-sides of singles) was written, recorded, and produced in 2 weeks. The band also wrote and recorded their own backing vocals. Elton's output would not have been possible without them. When Elton started to crack up from exhaustion and drugs, he firedhis original band members Nigel and Dee, and created his so called 'Super Band', which fell apart a year later. Elton's career went into a slump that didn't recover till he reunited with the original band for Too Low For Zero. Back on top...he fired them again. That the band was completely edited out of the story is sad. The music media also follows Elton's lead and ignores the band/crew, until one of them dies. So eventually people like Dee Murray and Gus Dudgeon got recognition, but only after their untimely deaths.

[@jdenino6022]

all of that information is online and I spent loads of time researching this...thank god there are documentaries online from early on for us to see.

[@Ocrilat]

@@jdenino6022 There is a great documentary out there on the making of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, with extensive interviews with Elton, Bernie Taupin, Gus, Nigel, and Davey, plus others. It's really great, and a must-see for any fan.

[@jdenino6022]

@@Ocrilat I've seen that documentary and it's really great. I've seen most of the documentaries on yt about EJ. Thanks.

[@kent787]

I noticed that the movie did not get the origins of his stage name right. It would have been nice if the movie had included his bandmates Nigel Olsen, Dee Murray, and Davey Johnston more.

[@faithmosio7551]

kent787 our of all the artistic license, I didn’t understand this either. I mean sure John Lennon, but Long John Baldry was a major influence/stepping stone for Eltons career. Just as they took that little scene for Bluesology...why not do a flash or Long John Baldry? However you have to take into account that some people...the royal family, rock stars, his personal family, to name a few, may have not wanted to be included in this rendition of his life.

[@lhirsch1]

I don't consider Rocketman a biography/biopic of Elton John. I consider it as a story about his struggles with his sexuality and drugs with some connective plot elements in a fantasy environment. That's the story that he wanted to tell because it was such a part of his life. However, it would be nice to see his life story.

[@harolddburke4726]

As my older friends were always a source for music and information . When I was listening and commenting on how good a singer and player Elton John was they were quick to give some credit to the Eltons Lyricist Bernie Taupin. All those great lyrics makes the music uplifting and inspirational...

[@breeperlman4385]

Sometimes stories are more true than facts and events. The best stories speak amazing truth that is not so much understood by the mind but by the soul. Music is lyrics but its also....moods and feelings.... Some music is beyond any rationality...its something magical and every life is a song.

[@Harvey.M_Theater]

Still though, it is a great and rather impressive film. 👍🎉 Elton you are awesome!!! 🤩

[@robj7481]

We rented Rocketman and found it unwatchable. I expected a drama with music, like Bohemian Rhapsody. Instead, we got Elton: the dancing/singing musical. I realize now it’s supposed to be fantasy, but it’s not my cup of tea.

[@Raider577]

Rick Jasper Exactly what I thought. I was expecting Bohemian Rhapsody. I've seen more interesting documentaries about Elton John.

[@kelseygibbs9758]

It’s Elton’s life and story and he worked with them on the film. It’s exactly what he wanted

[@eoo1882]

I think they wanted to show the fact that he has been sad constantly no matter what he was doing. Because when you have problems like that having fun blurs the sadness just for a while. And then it's back to feeling very low. But it's bad that they've changed some really important bits like the John name inspiration or his friendship with Freddie.

[@forbiddenyoungones]

Thank you for pointing out the inaccuracies which also bugged me. My biggest bug bear was there was no recognition for his band which helped to shape his music, what would it have sounded like without Davey Johnstone guitar work , together with Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray and Ray Cooper. However the film was a fantasy and not a biopic which is the mindset required for watching it. Also I thought with a few tweaks it would have been better as a stage show.

[@TheGlssr60]

I thought it was funny when you quipped that Elton John's manager/lover went from MANagement to MIS(S)management.

[@LittleBaldieVanZandt]

"Or as Elton would call it, football". Don't you mean what the entire world minus America would call it?

[@MandrakeMoorglade]

Elton John's life has enough events to fill 20 movies, but this movie chose to focus on his addiction. My biggest problem with the movie is how it portrayed his father and Reid. They were too one dimensional and it was obvious they were beating us over the head with them being the "bad guys" of the film. In real life people are much more complex and nuanced so you have to be careful when you portray real people so one dimensionally.

[@janetphillips2875]

You hit the nail on the head!! Best comment on here!

[@claireneville4613]

rocketman was basically a musical, using songs from Elton johns albums to create key parts of his life that the creators wanted to show

[@GREGGSOHO]

Ok, first of all, anyone that is a huge Elton John fan, like me, knows that the music and the way it was placed into scenes, was incorrect. Just like the Freddie Mercury movie. I guess they have to do this to appease the people who are younger & don't know a lot of EJ's music...Overall, Elton John has been in my life, whether it was me seeing him at Madison Square Garden was i was really young ( In my teens) or watching bthis amazing man finish his career, one thing is certain. He is the greatest singer/pianist that has ever lived. PERIOD. Forget Micheal Jackson, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Elton John has more hits, more music, and has made the most $$$ out of all of these great artists..... There will NEVER be another artist like Elton John, he is simply the best.Ever.

[@user-zm9gj1pc7i]

Amen!

[@musicandfilmedits9840]

I mean....😂...technically technically his brother was mentioned. During the Resturant scene with his mum and step dad she says “I should’ve never had children” therefore hinting to the fact she had more than one

[@mrottott5810]

No she only had one

[@callmeerrol]

Brandon Grant , yeah, I don’t know where this video came up with Sheila and Fred (“Derf”) having a child. Never, in the 47 years of being an Elton fan, have I ever seen the slightest hint of that. I am trying to remember if Fred was married previously. If so, maybe that is where “Frederick” came from. (Although using the word “children” in the movie, as hamez bonder quotes, did seem odd to me.).

[@TheScooby405]

I have always adored Elton John, no matter what, always have been and always will be. I can't explain it but it seems like the movie Rocketman just seems to be missing something.........I will see it before I actually make a judgement on it, hopefully what ever I feel is missing will be in the movie somewhere.

[@Zarathustran]

Her Majesty the Queen (paraphrased): “We are not celebrities. To be royal is something very different“. I don’t think as different as she would have herself and the rest of us believe. Narcissism insists it is singularly unique, somehow different and more special than what it envies. Fooling herself to imagine she’d ever have been satisfied is also consistent.

[@dessertdeb1]

The film was great, I saw it 2 hrs before I saw him in concert. They can't introduce everyone, it would be to confusing. I liked it much better than the Queen movie, they seemed to know how to make a movie better.

[@AnthonyGarcia-it1bt]

Only problem i have wuth this video is that it should have more of a message that Elton John didn't tell the movie to omit these facts...Hollywood pics what parts makes the best story and rarely acknowledge the entire truth for the sake of the story

[@lilysommer7553]

That's true it's still a beautiful emotional movie

[@AllYouNeedIsLove601]

As much as I love Elton John as a recording artist, composer and musician and entertainer; he is a musical genius and legend, I was a disappointed in the film. I have been a big fan of Elton since the 70’s. I know all the words to his most popular songs and have most of his albums and as a young teen I attended one of his concerts in the pouring rain but overall I feel the film was a misrepresentation of his true life. It left out so many important events and people that played a vital part in his life. I assume that those people/events were too painful for him and he has some guilt about them so he left them out or maybe there just wasn’t enough time to portray everything in his life so he left the most painful events out. Unfortunately for those who are old enough to know about his past are probably feeling the same disappointment as I did about the movie.

[@wendybabendy]

A lot of what they talk about here is on the cutting room floor - there's a good deleted scenes vid out there - just saw it a couple of days ago... though the scenes they cut would have given some continuity, they also slowed the movie considerably.

[@lionheartroar3104]

I was disappointed in the Queen bio, so I skipped Rocketman

[@magali1867]

Rocketman is everything that Bohemian Rhapsody wasn't. Best film of the year by far

[@Vintage_pete]

We will read about it in his autobiography

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

Can’t wait - have pre-ordered my copy!

[@tansleypotts9486]

You will enjoy it I'm halfway through mine

[@shimmeringfairydust3275]

Tansley Potts I read it in one day. Very enjoyable!

[@tomaspaul8104]

OMG PEOPLE WILL DO ANYTHING FOR ATTENTION!!!! Elton was a PRODUCER HIMSELF, he wanted it to have creative licence, don't forget Paramount Studios only gave them 2 hours and to cram everything into such a short span would be an unrealistic expectation. They covered some immensely important parts of Elton's life and I think they did a BLOODY FANTASTIC JOB!!!!!!

[@dougdoesall]

Speaking of lessening the role of Lennon in Elton's life it would've been interesting if the film included a short scene in elton's not known early struggle days where he hung out at Abbey Road and watched them...even spoke with and watched McCartney rehearsing 'hey jude'.

[@joanbianchi6712]

I just love everything about him. Always have and always will.

[@roberttrevino8960]

"You can't well sleep, without a Cantwell Mattress" E.R. Cantwell--------------1920

[@preesi1403]

Rocketman ignored NOTHING! But it shortened and made the stories leaner to fit the 2 hour mark. For instance, Bernie and Elton first met for a total of about 30 seconds at the Dick James office around the corner from the Lancaster Grill. However, if they had included that 30 second bit, it would have expanded the movie by 20 minutes. Elton first met John Reid in London. John was not at the shows at the Troubadour or the Troubadour North. EJ actually made the first move on John and rang him at the Miyako Hotel in San Fran. But that fact would have expanded the movie by 30 mins. While I would have LOVED for the movie to be in 3 or 4 parts, its not reasonable.

[@gregoryedward6079]

There are always critics. No matter what he did or didn't add, some will find fault. As many have said this was his story told as he wished to tell it. Not a documentary-biography.

[@mollyelliott5356]

You said it yourself, it's a 'fantasy' and Elton made it that way, as he produced it!!

[@eneabooks]

The fact is that when you get a time limit you cannot put everything you would want to, they want us to see how he lived his life not how his life was, we see it through his eyes and that means that we see how he felt like (without friends and with only some people, only downs and some ups) so yeah it's not completely accurate in fact but it must be in Elton's eyes since they worked on it with him as well

[@DaviniaHill]

No mention that Bohemian Rhapsody shares a character, the villain of this film.

[@handebarlas6248]

Once a bad guy always a bad guy. Poor Elton and Freddy they both got caught by the same villain.

[@jtmcf]

Hande Barlas John Reed was a bad guy in Rocketman but not in BoRap as that movie was Paul Prenter as a villian

[@mikegryn]

Worse part about this "musical fantasy" release...is that it makes it very unlikely that another more accurate biopic will ever be made. My first impressions of Rocketman is that EJ & DF took it as an opportunity to settle scores and skirt blame. A missed opportunity.

[@nateds7326]

I think you guys should know there was, in fact, no kid with a player piano at the bottom of eltons pool. Disappointing

[@livb6945]

Best comment.

[@Themanwhocameback2]

All the idolatrous sheep bleeting criticism of this video can't deny the fact that the film lies when it says the "John" in the name Elton John refers to John Lennon. It doesn't. It refers to Long John Baldry. The Someone of whom Elton sang in :Someone Saved My Life Tonight"

[@alicelevy3144]

THIS IS TRUE......THE NAME "ELTON JOHN" CAME FROM A COMBINATION OF ELTON DEAN AND LONG JOHN BALDRY !.....NOT JOHN LENNON LIKE THE FILM SUGGESTED

[@twurtlemaggot8720]

Rocketman is not a biopic nor is it meant to be exactly like Elton’s life, Elton John knew exactly how the movie was and he agreed with it. Rocketman is meant to have a slight fantasy feel to it like with the troubadour scene and the rocket scene

[@BaeYeou]

I haven't even watched the video yet, but I personally think that it doesn't really matter due to Rocketman's fantasy elements. It's not meant to be an objective look at his life, more so showing how moments felt, hence some of the large changes to the music such as "Bennie and the Jets" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Basically, it doesn't entirely matter that there are incorrect details since it's fantasy and subjective; the whole movie is effectively just Elton telling those events from memory. Besides, if you wanted a true look into his life, you could dig up stuff on the internet or get his autobiography.

[@dwho432]

The 70s was really quite a time to live in. I believe that's how a lot of other rock stars lived.

[@boringbailey10]

I’m actually really sad to hear that he didn’t actually get the John in his name from John Lennon.

[@michaelferguson5209]

Pretty big lie there Elton john helped create this movie on how he wanted us to see it

[@PhiloPommier]

Thats about how power turn history into history.

[@Jpeterson7]

I have the Goodbye Yellow Brick road documentary and it was a good time for Elton and HIS GREAT BAND. At least the Queen movie was more about the band.