This review covers Elton John: Never Too Late and is spoiler free.
Elton John: Never Too Late is a candid look at the rockstar and the man from his early days to when he prepares for his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium. The documentary takes us through Elton’s life from the highs to the lows and how he overcame adversity, abuse, and addiction to become an icon. An inside look at a legendary and expansive career from a deeply personal point of view. The documentary reflects on Elton’s decision to stop touring so he can spend more time with his family.
The documentary film utilizes archival footage, Elton’s open and candid conversation with journalist Alexis Petridis (who helped him write his memoir), animation sequences, and Elton’s iconic music to paint the portrait of Elton John. My favorite moments in this documentary are the small humanizing moments. Whether it’s Elton talking to his kids or his nephew, reflecting on being an older dad and possibly not being around for his kid’s weddings, or when he and his husband (also co-director of this doc) David are doing interviews for his Apple Music radio show “Rocket Hour” with upcoming artists.
The doc juxtaposes Elton’s early career in the 1970s and the countdown to the final Dodger Stadium performance. Director RJ Cutler originally wanted to make a documentary about Elton’s first five years where he had 10 hit albums, and director David Furnish (Elton’s husband) wanted the doc to focus on the Farewell Tour. However, Cutler and Furnish realized both periods of time worked well together, and that’s why we see most of the doc take place in those two periods. The parallel storytelling structure works but one has to wonder if we could’ve just had two Elton John documentaries, one covering that historic early run and one covering the countdown to Dodger Stadium.
The doc also hits the key points in Elton John’s story. His tumultuous upbringing, changing his name, his working relationship with Bernie Taupin, his abusive personal and professional relationship with manager John Reid, his suicide attempt, his addiction battle, and Elton coming out in 1976. The doc should be considered a companion piece to Rocketman.
“My life at that time in the 1970s really was going 500 miles an hour, and you feel that in Never Too Late from the filmmaking to the archival material,” says Elton John in a statement. “They capture that.”
Another bright spot in the documentary is its focus on Elton John’s Thanksgiving 1974 Madison Square Garden show in which John Lennon joined him onstage for three songs. It would end up being Lennon’s final public performance ever. We also know Disney+ loves The Beatles, so I wasn’t surprised to see this moment get some shine in the doc.
“With the John Lennon footage in Never Too Late, there’s a lot of sadness involved of course about Lennon, but at that particular moment in time, it was quite extraordinary,” says Elton John in a statement. “It was just joyous, and that’s the way music should be. We didn’t have time to think about much that night, to be honest — we rehearsed in the afternoon, and then we went and did it that night.”
Although focusing on the 1970s and the end of the Farewell Tour does take away Elton’s career in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. I wish they would’ve at least touched on those time periods as I feel like there may be more uncovered ground in those time periods in comparison to Elton’s early career. Yet I understand the filmmakers’ desire to keep the narrative to the opposite ends of the timeline. I just think when you use the words “50-year career” in the marketing some may go into this documentary expecting to hit more of those years.
The doc also races towards the finish line. I feel like this has been a common instance with most Disney+ documentaries in recent years. The ending feels a bit rushed. Maybe it’s because they want this to be under two hours? The same thing happened with Jim Henson Idea Man, where you wish you just had a bit more time to explore the latter half of the icon’s career. I’m also extremely biased because I could watch an entire docuseries on both Jim Henson’s career and Elton John’s career. It just feels like in some instances they held back a bit.
Elton John: Never Too Late continues Disney+’s strong documentary efforts and its dominance specifically in the music-centric space. Fans new and old will enjoy this documentary that chronicles his early career, his struggles, and his ultimate triumph at his final concert in North America at Dodger Stadium.
Elton John: Never Too Late paints quite the portrait of the rockstar. It showcases Elton’s battle with abuse, addiction, and adversity in a unique way. The doc is candid and is set to the backdrop of Elton John’s iconic tunes. It’s an all-around satisfying documentary.
Elton John: Never Too Late is directed by R.J. Cutler and David Furnish from This Machine Filmworks & Rocket Entertainment. Animation was done by Sun Creature. The project was executively produced by Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein, Mark Blatty, John Battsek, Jane Cha Cutler, Luke Lloyd Davies, and Rachael Paley.
Elton John: Never Too Late streams December 13 on Disney+.
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Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
