Elton John: Never Too Late
An unremarkable documentary chronicles a truly remarkable career.
Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.
What is extraordinary about Elton John is not that between 1970 and 1975 he produced thirteen albums, seven of which got to number one. Nor that he has been bestowed with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, a knighthood, the Légion d'honneur (presented by Emmanuel Macron), a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the National Humanities Medal (presented by Joe Biden). What is extraordinary about Elton John is that, unable to write a lyric to save his life, he became a star in the first place. Short, shortsighted and balding, he was about as atypical as a rock star could get, as he will be the first to admit. And so, in his own words again, he borrowed the bonhomie of Winifred Atwell, the aggression of Little Richard and the outrageousness of Jerry Lee Lewis and wrote music, not for the record companies, but for himself. In spite of everything, his rise in the 1970s was meteoric.
The life of Elton John has been well chronicled in the media, on film (cf. Rocketman), on TV and elsewhere, but this is the first time that a documentary has been brought to us by his husband, David Furnish. As Elton has always been so honest about his own life, there are few stones to be unturned here, but there is a lot of really personal stuff, including the most intimate and affectionate facetime interactions with his sons Zachary and Elijah, as well as behind-the-scenes material from his farewell tour of the US. It wasn’t until Elton played the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles – in 1970 – that he broke America, but the biggest live event of his career was performing over two nights in front of 110,000 fans at the Dodger Stadium in the same city. There is some hyperbole in Never Too Late, some embellishment of the facts, much that is swept under the carpet (such as his first marriage), but the gist is still astonishing.
Besides the footage of Elton performing his roster of massive hit songs, there are the insights from the singer himself that still raise the collective eyebrow. He didn’t lose his virginity until after he was a star, and it was only when he went public about his sexuality that his career took a downward turn. But it was one concert in particular, at Madison Square Garden in New York, that proved particularly memorable. Elton had a secret guest star under his belt and the crowd went wild when John Lennon sashayed on stage. Together, they performed ‘Whatever Gets You Thru the Night’ – and Lennon was almost sick. Later, Lennon found Elton alone sobbing in a backstage bathroom. Unbeknownst to the Beatle, Yoko Ono was in the audience and it was to be his last live performance.
Of course, fans of Elton John will have more than enough to delight them here, as the film follows its protagonist across the US until his final concert at – where else? – the Dodger Stadium. It’s an emotive swansong, in which Elton’s lyricist Bernie Taupin, his husband David Furnish and their sons Zachary and Elijah take a bow in front of thousands of adoring fans. Today, the singer, with even more hair than in the 1970s, cuts a kindly, portly grandpaternal figure, who is loving his life, having exorcised all the drugs, alcohol and demons that plagued his most successful years. As he says, he used to be “so successful, so unhappy, so miserable.” Now, he has his Rocket Hour podcast, his devoted family and his continuing support for up-and-coming singers, encouraging their efforts in an increasingly competitive world. Maybe he really is happy at last.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Featuring Elton John, David Furnish, Zachary John, Elijah John, Bernie Taupin, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, John Reid, Dua Lipa, Joe Biden, Eamonn Andrews, Russell Harty.
Dir R.J. Cutler and David Furnish, Pro R.J. Cutler, David Furnish and Trevor Smith, Ex Pro John Battsek, Ph Jenna Rosher, Ed Greg Finton and Poppy Das, Music Elton John.
Disney Branded Television/Rocket Entertainment/This Machine-Walt Disney Studios/Disney+.
102 mins. USA/UK. 2024. UK and US Rel: 15 November 2024. Cert. 12A.
