Billy Joel: And So It Goes — Comprehensive Documentary Review & Insights
- Kimi
- Jul 19, 2025
- 7 min read
billy joel documentary, A Comprehensive Musical Biography
Billy Joel: And So It Goes is a two-part HBO documentary (nearly five hours total) offering an expansive portrait of Billy Joel’s life and music. Directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin – Emmy-winning filmmakers known for in-depth artist profiles – the film benefits from unprecedented access to Joel’s world, including never-before-seen concert footage, home videos, personal photographs, and extensive interviews. As its title (taken from Joel’s favorite song) suggests, the documentary emphasizes Joel’s music as the primary narrative: it features over 110 of his songs (out of his 121-song catalog) woven throughout as soundtrack and story. Unfolding largely chronologically, And So It Goes methodically follows Joel’s entire discography – giving every album its due, from his 1971 debut Cold Spring Harbor through 1993’s River of Dreams – rather than skipping over later works as many music docs do. This disciplined, album-by-album structure confers a sense of importance on Joel’s evolving musical styles (from working-class story songs to soulful ballads and pop experiments) and underscores how his songwriting reflected different eras of his life. The result is a comprehensive musical biography that not only celebrates Joel’s many hits and deep cuts, but also contextualizes his artistry across decades of American pop culture.
billy joel documentary Intimate Interviews and Revelations
Beyond the music itself, the documentary delves into Joel’s personal life through candid interviews with the people closest to him. All three of Joel’s ex-wives participate on camera – each speaking surprisingly highly of their time with him. In fact, And So It Goes marks the first time in 40 years that Joel’s elusive first wife, Elizabeth Weber, has spoken publicly about their marriage and its impact on his career. Weber (who was also Joel’s early muse and one-time manager) recounts pivotal moments like her insisting he include the ballad “Just the Way You Are” on The Stranger – the song that won Joel his first Grammys – and even Beatles legend Paul McCartney admits in the film that he wished he had written that song himself. Weber and Joel reflect on how Joel’s escalating drinking and a serious motorcycle accident in 1982 strained their relationship, ultimately leading to their split that year. (Weber recalls leaving him after that near-fatal crash, fed up with his reckless behavior fueled by fame and alcohol.) Joel’s second wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley, also appears, cheerfully reminiscing about inspiring songs like “Uptown Girl” while noting the challenges of his drinking at the time. His third wife, Katie Lee, and current wife, Alexis, offer further personal insights, painting a picture of Joel as a man who eventually grew and learned from his tumultuous past. Even Joel’s daughter Alexa and his half-brother Alex (a classical conductor) share family stories, adding multi-generational perspective to Joel’s narrative. Notably, the film explores Joel’s complex relationship with his long-absent father: Joel spent years searching for him, even finding him in Vienna in the 1970s, yet describes his father as “the missing link” in his life – a void that subtly influenced songs like “Vienna,” whose poignant lyrics Joel finally admits were inspired by his father. By including these deeply personal testimonies and memories, And So It Goes provides an intimate, humanizing view of Joel beyond the stage persona, showing how his love, losses and family history have all shaped the man behind the music.
The documentary doesn’t shy away from Joel’s darker chapters either. In a remarkably frank segment, Joel himself confesses to a youthful affair that nearly destroyed his closest friendships – and almost cost him his life. In his early 20s, while in the rock duo Attila, Joel had an affair with his best friend (drummer Jon Small)’s wife, Elizabeth Weber (before she became Joel’s wife). The film includes emotional interviews with both Small and Weber about this betrayal: Small recounts the devastation of discovering his two best friends were in love, while Joel recalls getting literally punched in the nose and feeling overwhelming guilt. The fallout from the affair sent Joel into a spiral of depression – he was homeless, crashing on couches and in laundromats – and he admits he twice attempted suicide as a result. (His sister recounts finding Joel in a coma after he swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills, and how Small ironically saved Joel’s life by rushing him to a hospital despite their broken friendship.) Joel’s candor in these interviews is striking: he openly labels his past behavior “very selfish” and details the mental anguish he went through before channeling those emotions back into his music and recovery. Other troubled moments are explored as well – from Joel’s struggles with substance abuse and out-of-control partying during his 1980s heyday, to his tendency to bury himself in work and neglect loved ones at times. Joel acknowledges many of these faults on camera (“I did a lot of terrible things,” he says matter-of-factly) and even addresses how he wrote scathing autobiographical songs like “Big Shot” and “Stiletto” to vent his frustrations during rocky relationships. To provide balance, the filmmakers include commentary from friends and fellow stars: rock icons like Bruce Springsteen and Pink weigh in to contextualize Joel’s legacy (Springsteen joking that Joel writes better melodies than he does) while also discussing Joel’s mid-career retirement from songwriting. By interweaving these unflinching personal stories with reflections from family, ex-bandmates, and music legends, And So It Goes manages to reveal the man behind the Piano Man in a way Joel himself had long avoided – offering fans and viewers an honest look at both his highs and lows over the decades.
billy joel documentary Critical Reception and Reviews
Review Summary
Billy Joel: And So It Goes lands in the sweet spot between fan service and serious musical biography. With a solid 71/100 on Metacritic and a still‑perfect 100 % “Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes after its first week, the two‑part, five‑hour HBO film has clearly impressed most critics while leaving a vocal minority unconvinced.
What Works
Depth over spectacle – Directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin surrender the usual “talking‑heads + greatest‑hits” formula for an almost forensic, album‑by‑album approach. Newsday praised the sheer completeness: virtually everyone with meaningful history—bandmates, ex‑wives, business partners—gets on camera, so there are few lingering “what about…?” questions.
Genuine emotional access – Multiple outlets highlight how Joel’s own interviews peel back the public façade. IndieWire called it a film that “isn’t about surfaces,” while Rolling Stone singled out “startling candor” in Joel’s admissions about infidelity, alcoholism and attempted suicide. Variety likewise notes the filmmakers “include a lot of warts,” refusing to air‑brush the messier chapters.
Storytelling through songs – More than 100 cues from Joel’s catalogue become the spine of the narrative, letting the music comment on the life events being discussed. For viewers who know only the hits, the structure quietly argues why the deep cuts matter—and why Joel’s catalogue warrants re‑evaluation alongside Springsteen or Elton John.
Starter‑friendly – Several critics (including NPR and The Daily Beast) stress that the documentary works even if you arrive a casual listener. The chronological flow makes it easy to follow, and the parade of celebrity admirers—McCartney, Springsteen, Nas—helps newcomers triangulate Joel’s place in pop history.
Where It Falters
Length and pacing – Five hours is a commitment. Slate branded that runtime “indefensibly long,” and The Wall Street Journal’s capsule review on X dubbed the result “sprawling [and] worshipful.” In truth the second half, which lingers on 1989‑1993 and then on post‑retirement touring, could have lost 40 minutes without sacrificing insight.
A soft‑focus lens at times – Because Joel granted unprecedented access, the film occasionally feels beholden to its star. The darkest material—his financial lawsuits, recent creative stagnation—receives less probing than the early‑career traumas. You sense the filmmakers choose empathy over journalistic distance.
Conventional craft – Visually the doc is competent but not inventive. It leans on straight‑cut concert footage, Ken‑Burns‑style photo moves and talking heads against tasteful backdrops. That restraint matches Joel’s no‑frills persona, yet cinematographically it never reaches the bravura of, say, Summer of Soul or Peter Jackson’s Get Back.
My Take
And So It Goes isn’t the most daring music documentary of the decade, but it may be one of the most thorough. If you come looking for formal innovation you’ll grow restless; if you come to understand how and why Billy Joel became the Piano Man, you’ll walk away satisfied and, quite possibly, surprised by the vulnerability on display.
The film’s generosity is both its asset and its Achilles heel: lovers of deep‑dive artist histories will relish the exhaustive runtime, while casual streamers might wish for a tighter, three‑hour director’s cut. Either way, the documentary convincingly reframes Joel’s catalogue as more than nostalgia fodder; it argues for his songs as durable storytelling artifacts that still sing—warts, schmaltz, and all.
Conclusion
Billy Joel in 1973, at the start of his career. The documentary features extensive archival footage and interviews that shed light on the man behind the music.
In summary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes succeeds as both an immersive fan experience and an enlightening biographical film. As one critic aptly put it, this series “is more than a music documentary — it’s a revealing, deeply human portrait” of the Piano Man. By incorporating hundreds of song clips, countless personal anecdotes, and perspectives ranging from Joel’s family members to rock superstars, the documentary achieves the directors’ goal of satisfying longtime fans while also answering the skeptics who ask “Why Billy Joel?”. The film makes a compelling case for Joel’s enduring greatness: it not only celebrates his hit-filled career, but also honestly examines the personal trials and triumphs that shaped his music. In doing so, And So It Goes stands, in the words of NPR’s reviewer, as “an important reassessment” of an artist whose contributions have sometimes been undervalued by critics. Love him or not, this documentary’s blend of nostalgia, insight, and authenticity offers a rich understanding of Billy Joel’s journey – leaving viewers with a deeper appreciation of the man behind the beloved songs.
