Now, before there are any judgements about why I went to see this documentary, let me explain. I planned on seeing The Amazing Spiderman, but it was sold out so I decided to see this film before seeing The Amazing Spiderman.
My knowledge of Perry is fairly scant, I only really know of her through her marriage to Russell Brand and I only like one of her songs, but I do have an interest in celebrity culture and thought that this potentially could tell me more about life being a pop star.
The documentary is basically following Perry on her mammoth world tour in 2011 and all of the trials and tribulations that that ensues. We see the stresses of being on tour as well as the highs that Perry experiences. She has a very dedicated crew around her and she appears to particularly enjoy the meet and greets with her fans after the shows.
The interesting aspect of the documentary is when Perry’s relationship with Brand breaks down and although we are not given any real reasons for the break-up by Perry herself; her crew make comments alluding that Perry was the person who did all the work in the relationship by constantly flying to wherever Brand was during her days off, the point being that Brand never made the effort to visit his wife.
Another aspect that the documentary shows is Perry’s progression from a christian rock singer to the bubblegum pop princess. It is clear that she found her childhood to be stifling and maybe that explains why at 27, she feels the need to act, dress and look like a teenager.
The documentary aims to show Perry ‘as she really is’ and to a certain extent it does, there is genuine heartbreak when she has to perform after realising that her relationship with Brand is ending. Some sectors of the British press have made a big deal about Perry being shown without make-up which I thought was quite endearing.
However, this is clearly a very controlled documentary and it does show Perry to be a very canny individual and she definitely knows her market. But it does raise the question, how does she move on from being the bubblegum pop princess? She is only a few years away from turning 30 and obviously her target market will also have grown up, where will she go when the bubblegum bubble bursts?
Verdict: Interesting, if controlled, documentary. I didn’t care much for the songs although I did enjoy the concert footage. The breakdown of Perry’s relationship with Brand was very well handled and it is clear that Perry is an ambitious young woman who wants to be a role model to young girls. If I was 12 years old, I would probably have loved this film.
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