The one movie Matt Damon and Elton John agree is the greatest of all time: “Just incredible”
As you could probably guess, Matt Damon and Elton John haven’t crossed paths too frequently during their careers, but one thing they can definitely agree on is which movie deserves to be called the greatest of all time.
The legendary musician isn’t averse to the odd film and television appearance, making guest appearances as himself in everything from The Simpsons and South Park to the infamous Spice World and Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle, but he’s only entered Damon’s filmic orbit once.
In 2013, John broke the habit of a lifetime when he played live at the Primetime Emmys for the first time ever, paying tribute to Liberace in a performance that was introduced by the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting scribe and Michael Douglas, who played the two lead roles in Steven Soderbergh’s made-for-TV biopic, Behind the Candelabra.
Beyond that, they don’t exactly travel in the same circles, but if they did, they’d at least have something to talk about. The pair might exist at opposite ends of the entertainment industry’s spectrum, but what they do have in common is their undying praise for one of cinema’s undeniable masterpieces.
When the ‘Rocket Man’ ivory-tinkler was asked to name his five favourite films of all time, there was only one contender for the top spot. “Godfather II,” he declared. “Just riveting. It’s just incredible. At that time, there weren’t usually sequels to films, and when they did Godfather II, when they said they were going to do Godfather II, I groaned.”
Once he’d seen it, though, he changed his tune. “And, of course, it was better, I think, than Godfather I,” he added. “I think it’s an amazing, amazing piece of filmmaking. He was an amazing director, Coppola.” The filmmaker’s seminal sequel is undoubtedly one of the best ever, and when Damon was asked the same question, the first title to roll off his tongue was identical to John’s.
“Well, I’ve always said Godfather II,” he shared. “I think that movie’s pretty near perfect. It’s an impossible thing to answer, your five favourite movies, but I would put that one, just for its direction, its writing, and its acting, its production value. I mean, it’s really amazing.”
While you can’t say they’re thinking outside of the box, since even the folks who don’t think The Godfather Part II is the single finest motion picture to have ever existed will at the very least be able to acknowledge that it’s right up there with the rest of the usual suspects, it does provide the one piece of common ground that you never knew Matt Damon and Elton John had.
It’s Martin Scorsese’s favourite of the trilogy, too, and Damon found that out for the first time when he asked the filmmaker to his face while they were shooting The Departed. The pianist and industry icon may not be anybody’s idea of a cinephile, but he knows the best movie of all time when he sees it, and it’s The Godfather Part II.
