“Elton John: Never Too Late” review – a rollicking look at the life of a music legend
By Tom Davidson
October 10, 2024
It was in Los Angeles that Elton John first found stardom in 1970 and it was there, 52 years later in November 2022 that he said goodbye to touring, playing at Dodger Stadium for the final time, his iconic 'ELTON' baseball outfit traded in for a more age-appropriate robe (still bedazzled with glitter, naturally).
That is the journey that new documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late” takes us on; from obscurity as Reginald Dwight, to the legendary musician Elton John bidding an emotional farewell to the touring life.
While “Never Too Late” treads over familiar ground for those who have read his autobiography Me, it's hard to not be charmed by the man himself or moved by his story (and a soundtrack of Elton's best songs from the early Seventies can hardly hurt).
“Never Too Late” is replete with footage from the Rocketman's earlier career, including from the legendary Troubadour Club where he found his on-stage groove.
We're guided through his stratospheric rise to fame, his busy touring schedule, his prodigious Seventies output and his turbulent love life.
A Disney+ production, “Never Too Late” doesn't attempt to gloss over Elton's chaotic life or drug use. He's typically up front about it, with narration taken from his interviews with Alexis Petridis, for the aforementioned book.
“Never Too Late” really shines when it shakes off the formula of Elton's rise to fame and instead shows us the man himself. There's a touching video call with his two sons Zachary and Elijah and we're given a glimpse onto his recording Rocket Hour with husband (and “Never Too Late's” co-director) David Furnish, on which Elton champions young musicians.
In one breath he shows his age, bristling at the use of the term 'queer' (kids these days embrace it, Furnish says), but in the next scene he's riffing off a sublime new interpretation of the piano in Tiny Dancer for a winning remix.
And for 15 minutes when the film eschews the timeline entirely and shows us Elton's friendship with John Lennon, the film practically sizzles. There's a cute Andy Warhol anecdote followed by a triumphant return to the stage for the former Beatle that Elton credits with helping to reunite Lennon with Yoko Ono.
But that Madison Square Garden performance in 1974 was Lennon's tragic swansong.
Elton's own swansong hasn't come yet, “Never Too Late” gives you the sense that even now Elton feels most comfortable on stage – but he's happy to admit that he has other priorities now.
But it's still a rollicking good time to look back over what was.
In cinemas November 15, on Disney+ December 13
