Streaming outlook: “Elton John: Never Too Late” – documentary about the pop legend

A year and a half ago, British pop and rock superstar Elton John ended his farewell tour. However, it shouldn’t be a farewell to music. The 77-year-old, who is famous for hits like “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer” and “Candle In The Wind,” hasn’t ruled out one-off appearances either. Nevertheless, the end of the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour marked a clear turning point in Sir Elton’s life. This is documented in the film “Elton John: Never Too Late,” which is now available on the Disney+ streaming service.

Not a biography, but an excerpt

It was directed by documentary filmmaker RJ Cutler and Elton John’s husband David Furnish. Furnish found making a documentary about someone so close to him a particular challenge. “It’s more difficult because it affects you emotionally,” said the 62-year-old in an interview with the German Press Agency in London, “especially when you talk about topics like mortality and the end of something that defines a person almost their entire life has.”

The archive material that was available would probably have been enough for a detailed documentary series. But the film, unlike the musical drama “Rocketman” from 2019, is not a chronological biography of Elton John and makes no claim to completeness. The 80s and 90s, for example, are not an issue at all. Instead, Furnish and Cutler show excerpts from John’s life and focus on two key phases – when he made his homosexuality public in the 1970s and when he left the big stage in the early 2020s.

Two groundbreaking decisions from Elton John

“It’s about two decisions,” said Cutler in the dpa interview. “The first hits Elton John when he is at the absolute peak of his fame as a rock ‘n’ roll icon and yet deeply personally unhappy. He comes out and shows who he is – at a time when the price for Such openness could be extremely high. He made the second decision at a later point in his life: he gave up the last great addiction of his life, touring, to be with his family.”

The framework for the approximately 100-minute documentary film is formed by two superlative concert events in Los Angeles. In October 1975, Elton John performed in front of 110,000 people on two evenings in the US metropolis and thus finally established himself as a global star. But privately he felt lonely. The film also shows him as a no longer lonely, loving family man who appears thoughtful before his return to the huge Dodger Stadium for three concerts in December 2022.

Singer talks about his own mortality

The audience experiences some surprisingly personal and moving moments as the beloved musician speaks openly about his mortality. At 63, he was already old when he became a father and therefore wanted to spend as much time as possible with his two children. “I want to see them get married and have children,” says Elton John, noticeably emotional, “but I don’t think I’ll live to see that.”

Apart from such interview scenes, the singer with a penchant for eye-catching glasses speaks from the off in the documentary. John had no influence on the creative direction, emphasized Furnish. His husband was not involved in the production at all. “He knows me and of course trusted me,” said the 62-year-old. “Elton is very good at trusting his employees and he doesn’t want to be involved. He doesn’t want to see it until it’s finished.”

Little new, but good entertainment

The film is at its best when it shows Sir Elton’s personal side. But he only does this to some extent. Unfortunately, apart from a few moments, you don’t learn too much new. The film also seems a bit thrown together overall and the narrative framework with the two Los Angeles appearances is a bit forced, especially since the tour continued afterwards.

Nevertheless, “Elton John: Never Too Late” is somewhat entertaining. On the one hand, this is due to the many fascinating archive recordings and, on the other hand, because Sir Elton John is one of the most colorful and interesting personalities in rock and pop history.