Elton John: Never Too Late is a tepid and simplistic look at a musical legend that does nothing to add or detract from its subject’s already mythical stage presence and talent. A straightforward, non-confrontational, and not particularly reflective documentary from directors R.J. Cutler (Belushi, Martha, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry) and David Furnish (the subject’s husband and closest confidant), this doesn’t tell fans and even casual observers much about Elton John that they don’t already know or suspect. Although it observes the artist as he embarks on his final American shows before retiring from touring, Elton John: Never Too Late is more of a shrug than a swan song.
In the early 1970s, Elton Hercules John exploded onto the musical scene like a supernova. By the age of 27 – and within the first five years of the decade – John had released an unprecedented fifteen albums, amassed a string of hits, and garnering considerable amounts of critical acclaim. Working alongside songwriter Bernie Taupin and blessed with considerable stage presence, John seemed unstoppable. But bad relationships, burn out, and addiction issues nearly derailed John’s life and career right before he was to perform an iconic, sold out show at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. Now, after almost six decades on the road and with family and making the most of the time he has left firmly in mind, John looks to hang it all up with a full circle, final concert at the same stadium and in the city that launched his career to superstardom.
Maybe it’s because Elton John: Never Too Late is coming hot on the heels of the much more entertaining (although admittedly fictionalized) biopic Rocketman, but Cutler and Furnish’s documentary feels redundant. There’s not much in here from a biographical standpoint that hasn’t been covered better in other places, and while John seems like a delightful person with a healthy degree of self-awareness and perspective about his life and career, all of this is delivered with a feather touch approach. The behind the scenes bits where John is captured on tour are as exciting and insightful as watching people sitting down to eat lunch, while the archival materials feature no new insights from Cutler and Furnish’s subject, instead relying on previous recordings made with journalist Alex Petredis while prepping for Elton’s autobiography. There’s a stagnancy to Elton John: Never Too Late that’s hard to shake, and while it’s never outright bad to watch, it’s also never revelatory or all that open.
With the exception of a lengthy section devoted to John’s collaboration with John Lennon – and being a part of the latter’s final ever live musical appearance – Cutler and Furnish aren’t telling fans anything they didn’t already know or suspect. There’s also a nice section that shows John’s passion for producing a radio show that can break up and coming artists that brings a considerable amount of warmth, but not much else. These are elements to John’s personality and history that aren’t talked about, but here they come across curiously like filler in a documentary that has no sense of flow or function.
Just as it seems like Elton John: Never Too Late is starting to hit some sort of stride and the focus shifts lightly towards the present and away from the historical, Cutler and Furnish’s film is just about over. The archival stuff is interesting, but rarely offers anything new. A lot of the present day, behind-the-scenes element are banal and disengaging. And while there are some nifty choices made in terms of what music cues to use from John’s extensive catalogue (including a bit from his first ever band Bluesology), there aren’t enough high points to keep die hard and casual fans entertained. It’s not a tribute or a swan song, but rather an assembly of moments that would be better served by a grander vision.
Elton John: Never Too Late streams on Disney+ starting Friday, December 13, 2024.
