Miss Americana Movie Review
Miss Americana promises an unfettered look at Taylor Swift’s life. But does it deliver? Miss Americana opens with a scene of Swift at a piano with one of her cats playfully walking across the keys. A wholesome image to begin a documentary that at times is anything but. The documentary covers the last few years of Swift’s life including the momentous event involving Kanye West that catapulted Swift into her self-proclaimed downward spiral. According to Swift, this was the event that threw her world into a tailspin and began her reckoning with her tarnished public image.
The documentary is filled with old footage of Swift’s early days, before she became a household name. She discusses her rise to stardom and how she was affected by the intense media scrutiny that began to surround her. Swift discusses her eating disorder and the effects of the Kanye West incident on her life. The documentary intersperses clips of her personal life with clips of Swift recording albums, mainly her latest album Lover, and writing songs.
Director Lana Wilson follows the traditional documentary route. She doesn’t pull any punches and one suspects that she wasn’t given the freedom to include everything she may have wanted to. Swift has always had a deliberately curated image that has changed multiple times. Miss Americana is another carefully constructed narrative. It doesn’t provide much insight that Swift fans don’t already know. There is a brief (and rare) mention of her relationship with Joe Alwyn but it is quickly glossed over.
Swift does cover her recent foray into the political landscape and the debate that ensued over whether it was a smart career move. Everything seems to be a strategy for Swift, even this documentary. For die-hard fans, they will love to see the behind the scenes footage. I enjoyed seeing Swift in her element, which is writing songs. Her real strength (of which she is acutely aware) is her ability to translate personal experiences into catchy songs. She is an excellent song-writer and it was those scenes that I appreciated the most. The production value is phenomenal and the footage provides a clear cut story that is as interesting a documentary as any other. My only wish is that it had been slightly more authentic.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this film if
1. You like Taylor Swift
2. You are interested in music production or songwriting
3. You like pop culture
