Directed By: Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin

Studio/Streamer: HBO MAX

Release Year: 2025

Length: 2 episodes

Audio Description Provided By:

Written by: Narrated By:

What is it? An intimate look at the piano man himself, Billy Joel, from obscurity to legend, tackling all life offered along the way, from failed relationships to once in a lifetime opportunities. Maybe, he did start the fire after all.

What Works: I didn’t realize how much i loved Billy Joel until I watched this. There’s even a moment, where Joel reflects on his failed relationships, and muses if he’ll be alone in his elder years. I wanted to hug him. I don’t own a Billy Joel album, but I kept hearing all these songs I forgot were all his. Add to that, he’s just lived an incredibly interesting life, and in spite of any failings he may have had, people still showed up for this documentary. Normally I’m wary of projects where the subject is still alive to participate, because any darkness won’t make the Final Cut, but Joel seems to own up to where he’s made mistakes, and his past wives can attest to that, without ever making him a monster. most of them just got lonely. He was committed to his music, which you’ll learn of the approximately four hours of footage.

What Doesn’t Work: it’s still four hours. Sure, we get more with Joel, like we did Paul Reuben’s in Pee Wee As himself, which followed the same model, but his story really did feel like there was a clear peak to sever the two parts. Billy Joel’s peak, the moment that separates the two, isn’t quite as pronounced, and so it just feels like we’re in an intermission of some kind. It plays more like a four hour film, while Pee Wee As himself played more like a true Part 1 and a true Part 2.

I’m also willing to entertain the idea that for legends, we should be accustomed to longer documentaries. Fans undoubtedly would have spent longer, but I guess my argument is that it never needed to be two films, but rather perhaps edited into one three hour feature? This is such a small thing.

The Audio Description: I really didn’t notice it much. And not in a bad way. I never felt lost, but it was also never distracting. Between the interviews, the footage, and the music, there’s so much of Joel to consume that the description does know when to step back and let the movie do its work.

Why you Might Like it: Fans of documentaries, or Billy Joel, or music documentaries in general, should love this. it is very well made, even if it feels long.

Why You Might Not Like it: It is long, and our attention spans continue to shrink to short form tick tock videos. If your brain has melted to the point where all you consume are videos under three minutes, I can’t imagine your brain having the patience for this.

Final Thoughts: Bill Joel: And So It Goes mines a very familiar set up left behind by Pee Wee As Himself, and once again highlights a flawed but brilliant artist we don’t quite mention how much we truly appreciate their artistry. Play us a song piano man. Just one more.

Fresh: 8.9/10