The first part of Billy Joel’s documentary ends with the musical titan noting, "I realize life doesn't always have a happy ending.”
The second half of the engrossing “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” wraps with a similar sentiment of realism sprinkled with optimism.
“I’m not finished … I’m still looking. I’m still searching,” Joel, 76, says with watery eyes as he sits in front of a piano in his home. “I may not ever figure it all out. But I’m tryin’.”
The 2 ½-hour continuation of Joel’s life story premieres at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) July 25 on HBO Max (Part One was released July 18) and picks up in 1982, after Joel broke his wrist in a motorcycle accident that threatened his career.
Directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin crafted a comprehensive dive into his later history, leading to his record-setting residency at Madison Square Garden. It is likely not a coincidence that this final chapter – the two parts of the film total five hours and include 110 Joel songs – arrives exactly a year after Joel played his last show of the decade-long run at the hallowed New York venue.
