Elton John reflects on his early years in Elton John: Never Too Late, leading up to his final North American concert at Dodger Stadium.

Disney+ gave Elton John quite the send-off in 2022 with the livestream airing of Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium. Industry insiders will likely remember the night for being the day that Bob Iger returned to the helm at Disney. Still though, the musician put on a rocking performance and gave us a night to remember, becoming an EGOT winner in the process.

In prepping to write his memoir, Elton John held a number of conversations with journalist Alexis Petridis. The filmmakers utilize their conversations throughout the film. A brief reminder of his popularity during the early 1970s: he recorded 13 albums between 1970-1975 with seven albums reaching #1 on the Billboard charts. The top of the world at just 27 years old! His pinnacle during this era: a concert at Dodger Stadium. This is a far change from performing at the likes of the Troubadour Club. Anyway, the weaves in the previous moments in the musician’s life during candid moments from his 2022 tour. Once we get into the second half, the concert tour gets the montage treatment up until it reaches Los Angeles. Time flies because this puts the documentary in its final half hour.

This is really a one-man documentary. We get archival interviews with folks like Bernie Taupin, but it’s mostly the Elton John show. The film draws on his taped conversations to tell his story but we see him on stage, in the recording studio, and behind-the-scenes in general. His present-day appearances are mostly through verité footage in the months leading up to the Dodger Stadium show. It allows viewers to take in a front-row seat as he says goodbye to the Yellow Brick Road. If I have a complaint, it is the running time. You need at least a multi-part documentary to tell Elton John’s life story. I had similar issues with The Beach Boys in that the documentary is too short. After 1976, it’s basically nothing until the addiction issues going public in 1990. Where are The Lion King and Aida?

Elton reminisces about performing with John Lennon at Madison Square Garden in 1974. The concert would sadly become the ex-Beatle’s last ever public performance. I love that the show footage from that evening. To be fair, their performance is a mixture of still photos and video. They feature “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” is in full while we get a brief snippet of “I Saw Her Standing There.” I’m an Elton John fan but I’m an even bigger Beatles fan. Even though it is not the best video footage, it is still awesome just seeing the footage of Lennon screen. I cannot stress it enough!

Once we get into the Los Angeles portion of the film, filmmakers utilize the archives by showing clips from the epic 1975 concert at Dodger Stadium. It does not feature many clips but a small amount. Back in 1976, the musician made a decision to break from touring. It’s also during this portion that we hear the audio interview in which Elton comes out as bisexual. Life would change in 1990 with the musician going public about his addiction to alcohol. Anyone that watched Rocketman already knows about some of his previous addictions. The 2019 biopic is honestly a key reason as to why I am familiar with his childhood and early career. But without the adversity in his early career, we might not be discussing him in the same way today.

It’s important to note that the film does cover some of the major highlights. There is no denying that his Troubadour Club in 1970 is a game-changer–his career would never again be the same. Filmmakers also make sure to give fans the greatest hits throughout the doc. There are a number of other gems on the soundtrack that maybe don’t have the same reputation. Missing, of course, are his contributions to The Lion King. “Never Too Late” is a song on the 2019 soundtrack for The Lion King but it’s also the title of the end credits duet with Elton John and Brandi Carlile. If you’re like me, you probably thought they were the same song. Anyway, the under-two-hour runtime means having to leave footage out for time.

Elton John: Never Too Late leaves fans wanting more but the documentary gives audiences an intimate look into the highs and lows of his early life and career. As music documentaries go, it does a good job especially when it comes to his early career. However, there’s still a wealth of information and highlights that are missing from the film.

DIRECTORS: R.J. Cutler and David Furnish
FEATURING: Elton John

Disney+ releases Elton John: Never Too Late on December 13, 2024. Grade: 4/5

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