Pocketman

The film opens with Elton entering an addiction support group and admitting his battles with drugs, sex, and alcohol. He explains his desire to change before his life deteriorates further. The group coordinator asks him to share details about his childhood as the first step in healing.

Young Reginald Dwight grows up shy and polite in a tense home. His mother Sheila is emotionally distant while his loving grandmother Ivy offers warmth. His father Stanley is controlling and absent, setting the stage for Reggie's longing for validation and affection.

Sheila and Ivy enroll Reggie in piano lessons, giving him a creative outlet to cope with family strain. He discovers a genuine love for music that will shape his future. The early lessons plant the seeds for a remarkable performing career.

As a teenager, Reggie attends a music academy to refine his skills. A family rupture follows when Stanley leaves after discovering Sheila's affair, leaving Reggie devastated by the abrupt departure. He continues to pursue music despite the upheaval.

Reggie performs in a local pub with Bluesology, facing rowdy crowds and honing his stage presence. He meets fellow musician Wilson, who hints at questions about his sexuality when he kisses him before a show, complicating his self-identity. The experience pushes him toward professional ambition.

Elton answers Ray Williams' ad, impresses him with a piano snippet, and officially adopts the name Elton John after a suggestion involving The Beatles' image. Dick James, Ray's boss, is skeptical but provides a path forward. The meeting seeds a professional path toward collaboration with Bernie Taupin.

Elton contacts Bernie Taupin after receiving the song folder, and the two meet for the first time over a shared love of music. In a restaurant they sing Streets of Laredo, signaling instant creative chemistry. They begin writing together, even considering living arrangements to maximize collaboration.

Elton and Bernie decide to live together to focus on their songwriting, as Dick James grows to love their material. They write hits that begin to attract attention and set the stage for an American breakthrough. Arabella, their landlady, complicates their early living situation, forcing a temporary setback.

Dick James agrees to send Elton and Bernie to perform in America at The Troubadour, launching their breakthrough. Elton hides in a bathroom to calm his nerves, but with Ray and Bernie pushing him, he goes on stage and delivers 'Crocodile Rock' with the audience joining in. The performance solidifies their songwriting partnership and pop-stardom rising.

After the Troubadour success, Elton attends a party where he meets producer John Reid and is drawn into a personal relationship with him. Reid becomes both manager and lover, shaping his public image and career path while injecting control and tension into Elton's life.

In the 1980s, Elton marries Renate Blauel in a marriage that feels forced and unfulfilling as his relationship with Reid frays. The union ends in divorce, underscoring Elton's ongoing search for personal stability amid fame.

Elton discovers Reid has been skimming money from his record sales. He confronts Reid, while a dinner with his mother Sheila reveals lingering tensions and judgments about Elton's life choices. The pressure deepens his emotional instability.

Elton plans a comeback show at Madison Square Garden in a dramatic devil outfit earlier in his career, but a nosebleed from cocaine leads him to walk away. He later chooses to return to rehab and commit to recovery, initiating a renewed focus on his life and music.

During a party, Elton takes pills and vodka, attempts suicide by the pool, and is pulled from the water. He experiences a vision of his younger self playing Rocketman, a symbolic turning point that fuels his decision to seek help and begin healing.

Elton completes rehab, reconnects with Bernie who becomes like a brother, and returns to performing with resilience, including a triumphant 'I’m Still Standing.' The film closes with decades of sobriety, philanthropic work, and enduring collaborations with Bernie and David Furnish.