50 Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now

12. Rocketman (1985)

Directed by Dexter Fletcher

Written by Lee Hall

Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard

There are many musical biopics out there. They tell the tale of a musician or actor’s life, whether alive or dead. Although usual, the biopics are done after death as a way to commemorate or celebrate particular moments in the artists’ careers. Rocketman is based on the early life of Elton John, a musician who is very much alive and kicking.

This could have been a disaster. Instead, it turned out to be one of the best movies of 2019. In fact, it’s one of the best musical biopics around. Taron Egerton captured Elton John’s personality perfectly, leading to praise from the singer/songwriter.

A biopic about Elton John seemed like just a pipe dream. The project had been in development for decades with multiple people in mind or accepting the lead role. If that was the only hurdle to get over. Fortunately, the wait and hard work paid off.

There were pressures to cut out a sex scene between Egerton and Richard Madden. However, director Dexter Fletcher refused to do so. He wanted to tell the real story and not a PG-13 version of it. Paramount Pictured feared it would affect sales. On opening weekend, it made back $25m of its $40m budget. Overall, it made $96m in the United States and $195m worldwide. Maybe it would have made more being a PG-13 movie, but this was authentic and the story Lee Hall and Fletcher wanted to tell.

You can watch Rocketman on Amazon Prime Video now.

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