Billy Joel’s Unfiltered Confessions in ‘And So It Goes’
Well, isn’t this just thrilling—a washed-up piano man gets his own documentary at Tribeca, and we’re all supposed to hang on every perfectly delivered note. Billy Joel: And So It Goes hits the screen like a greatest-hits album on shuffle—familiar, safe, and padded with just enough “exclusive” footage to justify the hype. The Tribeca Film Festival premiere (April 19, per Tribeca’s official program) promised earth-shaking admissions, but mostly served up a generous helping of nostalgia with a side of man-child diva moments.
The film leans heavily on Joel’s own narration, as if the guy hadn’t told us his life story a dozen times before. We get the classic origin tale—Brooklyn kid picks out tunes on his grandma’s upright, sneaks into Long Island piano bars—and, yes, there’s that “never-before-seen” clip of 18-year-old Billy blasting through “Piano Man” at an obscure dive. Rolling Stone fans might recall that footage from a 2010 retrospective, but here it’s re-branded as “fresh intel.”
True bombshells? Don’t hold your breath. Joel’s infamous mid-80s breakdown is mentioned in passing—no new therapy confessions, just a quick montage of rehab center exterior shots. He grunts about “almost losing my hands” after that 1993 finger injury, yet the documentary conveniently glosses over how he rehabbed back to stadium tours. Meanwhile, ex-wife Christie Brinkley gets a respectful nod (complete with a vintage Vogue spread), but Katie Lee’s two-year marriage barely warrants more than a throwaway “It was complicated.” Sources like People and Variety confirm the doc tip-toes around divorce details, so don’t expect any tell-all fireworks.
On the musical side, producer Phil Ramone’s ghost hovers over every track, with sideline interviews from protégés like John Mayer (via People Magazine) gushing that Joel invented the “piano-rock blueprint.” Yet Mayer’s praise feels recycled—he’s said it before. A snippet of Sting praising Joel’s songwriting craft (courtesy of Billboard) injects a bit of star power, but mostly we circle back to the same anecdotes: “Uptown Girl” started as a gag, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” was born from a litany of headlines. Revolutionary? Hardly.
And yes, the film hits us with gorgeous concert footage—the kind you can find on YouTube in better quality. But tributes from fans who credit Joel for “saving their lives” do get the waterworks going in that Tribeca theater. Cute, if you’re into that sort of thing.
All in all, And So It Goes amounts to a tidy bit of fan service, wrapped in a veneer of “unfiltered confessions.” If you’re hoping for scandal or deep-dish drama, prepare to be underwhelmed. At least we got to ogle his vintage acoustic setups and hear him grumble about the music industry one last time. So there you have it—another celebrity vanity project masquerading as vérité. You’re welcome.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and · New York Post Entertainment RSS Feed
· People Magazine
· Variety
· Rolling Stone
· Billboard
Attribution: Myrna M. Suarez (Creative Commons)
