Benutzerrezensionen

To be fair, despite Martha Stewart's own public criticism of this documentary, this is the most positive, humanizing depiction of her on film.

I'm not a fan but, as a woman, I admire her determination and gumption. At the same time, I can also confirm her behind-the-scenes bad behaviour towards staff, from friends who worked with/for her. But tell me a person in power who doesn't act like a d*ck, because I haven't met one yet.

Still, Martha comes away from this rather likeable and oddly relatable as a human being. And that's a good thing.

Mariana Pasternak, her so-called friend, betraying her to the FBI was so crap.

Here's hoping Martha kicked her to the curb.

I really enjoyed the documentary. For someone who knows of Martha, and didn't get her or what the big deal was about her, I now get it. When you put it like that, into one whole life review I get it. She's incredibly inspirational especially to women thinking of starting a business in a world that let's face it is still a man's world. So I found her life incredibly inspiring. I gave only 8 stars because I would have liked to see and know more about the early stages of writing a cook book, building the business and really getting into the detail of how she fitted so much into her day. Her life seems a little bit handed to her because of the people she was surrounded with. Is that why possibly we didn't go more in detail? I do see this being a series on streaming. I think find the right Martha and let's get into her life from young, to teen, modeling, marriage, family divorce, all the while building her empire from recipes, to magazine, TV, the deals, the hurts, successes, the affairs, the jail time. I think it could be a really binge watching series. But let Martha pick her actress!

I've been a Martha Stewart fan since the mid-90s, when I subscribed to her magazine, watched her TV show, and even bought stuff from her K-Mart line (which was actually not bad). Her prosecution always struck me as absurd, so I was intrigued by this new Netflix documentary, especially after hearing she wasn't thrilled with it. This isn't a fluff piece or pure hagiography; it's Martha in all her fabulous, famously prickly glory. The director crafts a sympathetic, balanced portrait of a brilliant, powerful woman taken down by none other than James Comey, the same man who did Hillary Clinton dirty and indirectly paved the way for where we are today. Whether you're a fan of Martha or just admire an 83-year-old icon who's reinvented herself alongside Snoop and social media, this doc is a must-watch.

Somehow I don't find it surprising that Martha Stewart complained publicly to no less than the New York Times about the final cut of the 2024 documentary about her life even though she fully cooperated with longtime documentarian R. J. Cutler on the production. After all, she is a legendary perfectionist who changed the fabric of American lifestyle culture and became the country's first self-made female billionaire. She was appalled that a big chunk of the film was devoted to her conviction and 150-day imprisonment two decades ago (including a day in solitary confinement for what seemed to be a minor infraction), yet this section (replete with illustrations) was the most compelling part of her story. Cutler does a masterful job covering her life, triggering Stewart to discuss aspects of her childhood, marriage, relationships, and business dealings that reveal the price she has paid for her perfectionism. Her life since prison has been an intriguing example of reinvention with unexpected notoriety that has proven fortuitous to her enduring brand. She is truly brilliant but with that detached sense of entitlement that still limits how much of her story she is willing to share even now. This documentary provides clear evidence what a fascinating life Stewart has led due in no small part to her unflinching tenacity and almost telepathic sense of what her audience wants.

Love Martha Stewart all over again after watching this! Learned a lot about her that wasn't commonly know and was reminded of what a trailblazer she is. All she was able to accomplish is truly remarkable. Her life hasn't been quite as easy as it appeared watching and reading her all these years. The only thing I would change, rather than just voiceovers, would have been to show a few of the people interviewed (her daughter and siblings especially). This documentary left me wanting to watch and learn more about Martha. I wish it had been a limited series. Love her style, intellect, and wit. She is as great now as she ever was!

I'm close to Martha's age and have watched her for years. Her TV shows and magazines don't reveal how picky she is and how gripey she comes across. This documentary does. I see why her husband left and it must be hard for her to keep her staffs. She doles out constant criticism. Nobody else can do anything right. Everything has to be her way or else. OMG That would get old.

I remember when she was found guilty and sent to prison. Media made such a big deal over her expensive purse but no mention of the attorneys wearing expensive suits etc. She did wrong but many have done much worse and never seen the inside of a prison.

Martha Stewart, the person and brand, elicits a wide range of reactions. This excellent documentary should only elicit a tasteful standing ovation. It's thoughtful, funny, seemingly honest, and moves along briskly. At 83 years young, it only seems fair that Martha has a fair amount of influence on her life's story. And it is an impressive one. She was and still remains a staggering figure of confidence, vision, taste, strength, and humor. Hearing her answers to tough questions adds heft to this documentary, even if some responses are self serving or hypocritical. The visual style here is also clever and tells the story of Martha's rise, fall, and 2nd act in a compelling manner. Overall, Martha is a very good thing!

Ah, Martha, thanks, yet again, for complaining. This accurate, engaging documentary about a driven woman and her primarily pointless activities, her ability to monetize supposed perfection and finally, her nearly sociopathic personality is worth watching, if for no other reason than to familiarize yourself with a life most wouldn't want to live. Clearly, her childhood left its mark on her, unfortunately, not the right ones. Her ability to exaggerate and make the world rotate around her is clearly evident; her claim to be a "pioneer" in Westport is the best example. By the time she moved there, many of us (I am a Westporter) had been or were still living there for 20 years or more, and the town had been and was already home to people with more talent than she ever had. That she is a liar is why she landed in jail. Dismissing her infidelity as insignificant and the sadness so evident in her daughter booth stand as evidence of her true character. The arrogance to believe she can control either the film's content, much less how she appears, without having gotten that in the contract demonstrates that perhaps she isn't as smart as some might believe. True, she was a successful business woman in a male dominated world, I'll give her that....and she can have it.

Netflix's Martha peels back the layers of Martha Stewart, revealing the woman behind the polished persona. Known as the original influencer and DIY queen, Stewart's commitment to making sophistication accessible to all shines through. Her decision to partner with Kmart reflects her belief in beauty for every budget. The documentary captures her resilience and complexity, showing both her tough demeanor and deep care for quality, innovation, and inclusivity. Martha is an inspiring tribute to a woman who redefined modern domesticity, proving elegance can be for everyone. I highly recommend this.

She was the riches woman in America and first billionaire women, what an amazing achievement and living the American dream a pioneer influencer.

It was a real interesting on the one hand is a perfect woman who was like a Disney princess, a real-life Mary popping or Cinderella, she brought joy in to the world by showing people how to improve their life's. Long before the internet took off.

I was amazed how much energy she had, she influenced people including men, as much as women. Building a brand and understanding what people want and creating the future.

In a man's world this documentary showed how she pitched ideas to the most powerful men and got rejected. She stuck to her guns and got her ideas out, finding someone to help her publish her magazines.

This documentary tells her story of her father being a salesman and strict upbringing.

Her family about to fall apart and Luckly she manages to get modelling job and meets a young rich man who wants to marry her and she agrees, to reverse her family's bad fortune.

Then her own father tries to stop her marriage and yet she still marries a rich man and his connections allow her to meet people that change her life forever.

How much was chance and fate and how much was her drive leading her.

A successful marriage ended with infidelity and as this documentary is her story, she tells you he cheated first. Then says how she created an opportunity for her husband to cheat and regrets that now and talks about how she cheated on him and loved him.

She starting over again, just charms everyone makes a lot of money and Her connections before she knows she is in a relationship with a billionaire and is a billionaire herself. Her rag to riches story complete.

Then the downfall It seems odd that America would treat a person like this, let alone a woman a role model. Then they put her in jail and treat her like an animal. It is what you expect in Afghanistan or some dictatorship.

What was her crime, legally buying share and then her friend who owns the company, he broke the law told her to sell.

It was a mistake to sell those stocks, yet this has happened and most people don't go to jail. Her biggest error not having someone, who did the deed, she was caught. Power fall people lost money and someone has to pay and F. B. I investigated people involved.

I guess the fact she had bad legal advice and denied it made her look more guilty and this was a crime.

The strangest thing happened, as she was losing her power, people she trusted brought her down. If they lied or not is irrelevant now, the fact she was found guilty. This enabled people to take over her business and black list her running a company, she lost her circle of friends.

Bad person?

Then there is her attitude should she have just been nicer to people or is it a sign or weakness in business and her controlling attitude is what enabled her to create an empire.

It seems to come from her father's controlling and upbringing.

Like they say a leopard never changes its spots, yet she has managed to shed her old skin and is rebranded and keeps going.

In a way you could have seen her, as next president of U. S. A or back in jail for another crime.

She has the minus touch and seems to have achieved far beyond the cards she was delt at birth.

Down side to this documentary is that it is only her story.

I enjoyed this documentary for showing her story, but it does seem one sided and controlled and her ex-husbands and friends don't tell their side.

This was hard for me to watch. It was void of goodness and much more about ego. Ego ego ego. It's sad because living as a perfectionist and void of true joy is what I felt in watching it. I can admire intelligence in the business world but Martha seems to live without almost any true emotional intelligence. I don't know. I hate to say that but it's my take. It was a pretty sad story and I can only imagine how people were treated along the way.

As far as the documentary. It was pretty cheesy to have friends and people who knew her speaking but not able to see them. It just added to the coldness.

My mom and I always called her Martha Stupid because she used ingredients that weren't cheap or not readily available to most people back in the day (we live in LA).

My favorite episode on tv is when she went to use a citrus squeezer and put the citrus in the wrong way. You can not squeeze juice from the rind. The projects she did, also not feasible. I own power saws and drills.

My problem with her is that she still thinks she did nothing wrong. Prison is for people that break the law. She is condescending, at best in her interviews. Still condescending at the end. Her own daughter had a show making fun of her. That should tell you everything right there.

Wow, "Martha" is one of the best documentaries I've watched in a long time. It delves deeply into the life of Martha Stewart, a remarkable human being and the quintessential embodiment of resilience and reinvention. The film chronicles her incredible journey from rags to riches and back again, illustrating how she navigated a world filled with challenges, including a series of relationships with men who did not always treat her well. Yet, through it all, Martha consistently emerged on top, a testament to her strength and determination.

Martha Stewart is a complex figure-she presents a hard exterior but is also a sensitive soul, filled with humor and kindness. The documentary captures this duality beautifully, showcasing not just her successes but also the vulnerabilities that shaped her character. One poignant theme that emerged throughout the film is the persistent sexism that successful women face. Despite progress toward gender equality, the documentary starkly illustrates the hatred and scrutiny directed at women who rise to prominence. It serves as a reminder that the fight for equal rights and opportunities is ongoing, and the barriers that successful women encounter are very real.

The film also touches on Martha's highly publicized legal troubles, where it becomes clear that the Department of Justice seemed determined to take her down. However, rather than breaking her spirit, her time in prison offered her a chance for deep reflection and reinvention. This period of her life is particularly compelling, showing how she used adversity as a catalyst for growth.

Interestingly, I found myself drawing parallels between Martha Stewart and Donald Trump, both of whom have faced significant challenges from the Department of Justice and the media. Their journeys illustrate how public figures can reinvent themselves even when faced with serious obstacles. Both have endured scrutiny and criticism, yet they have managed to rise again, embodying the idea that resilience is key in overcoming adversity.

Personally, I would love to have Martha Stewart as a friend. Her journey is not only inspiring but also relatable, demonstrating that it's possible to find one's place in the world, no matter the setbacks. I'm so glad she has carved out a niche that fits her perfectly; it's clear that Martha Stewart is, in every sense, imperfectly perfect.

Overall, "Martha" is an insightful documentary that not only celebrates her achievements but also sheds light on the societal issues she faced. It's a must-watch for anyone interested in the complexities of gender, power, and resilience in the modern world.

A documentary that will certainly make you feel and think many things.

Once again we have the society that absolutely hates and wants to destroy the successful, bossy, independent woman.

Then indeed you can see the impatience of such a woman with those who are clearly inferior to her - mostly intellectually. But what intelligent self made human has tremendous amounts of patience with people who need to do a job? Men have done far worse things than being bossy and impatient. Now if I had a schedule to keep while filming I'd be pretty pissed off that someone doesn't have the brains to cut an orange with a proper knife....

This documentary showed once again that America will always hate its women. Women will never truly have power, and men will continue to push society to nitpick on them and sensationalise any imperfection and defect they have.

I watch Netflix documentaries from time to time but they rarely keep my attention for the full duration. Surprisingly, I watched this entire 2 hour documentary and it was very interesting. I didn't know much about Martha besides she seemed like the cookie cutter typical housewife and that's her brand. But seeing her personality on this documentary, it was much different than I expected. She's hardcore. The fact that she went from billionaire to convict and still managed to stay culturally relevant at the age of 83 is so fascinating to me. Also I always found her relationship with Snoop Dogg so random but wholesome. I loved she included his song during the end credits.

I found it interesting that she also didn't show anyone else in the documentary besides herself and used primarily voiceovers to cover other perspectives, which you don't normally see in documentaries. Also they used a lot of animation on top of these voiceovers which kept my attention. Overall surprisingly interesting and made me like Martha Stewart way more. 8.5/10.

Documentary itself was not that bad, especially if you were alive to enjoy Martha's hay day. Did she get railroaded? Hard to say but I believe she did. I always had a sneaky suspicion that she was a cheese grater of a person and this documentary proves it. The grave sin of choosing a little knife over a big one is not worth talking to someone like they were the bottom of your shoe. If she can't handle a simple exchange with her fellow human, how she wasn't exposed way sooner is amazing. I vividly recall a Halloween episode back in the 90's where she pretended to cut herself and not one crew member offered help and that was very telling. I used to work in television and production knew how to care if they deserved it but we could also make life difficult.

This engrossing documentary will give you insight to one of America's first and best Influencers. It was really interesting hearing about Martha's beginnings, early childhood, modeling career and where her head was when she married. "You fell in love, married, and had a baby!" End of story whether you wanted a baby or not. But Martha wanted more. Publicly speaking we knew on half of the story.

I really began to love Martha when she gave her old tv tapes to her daughter and her daughter's friend to screen on TV as they picked both Martha and the show apart to a cable audience. It was hilarious! It told me everything I needed to know about Martha.

Martha doing the Justin Bieber Roast on Comedy Central was the best. She surprised everybody and let the world know, nothing was going to bring her down. Not even prison. My hat is off to you, Martha!

Brenda Pizzo.

I did not know much about Martha S. Other than she was wealthy and used to cater to the wealthy. Of course I knew she had a product line and a show and magazine and served time. So I was curious to know more about her and decide to give the documentary a try. I was stunned throughout the presentation and got emotional towards the end. I did not know it was Comer who determined she should be prosecuted and frankly this documentary confirmed what I always felt to be true about him; a liar who was desperate for attention and the spotlight. It's gross how she was prosecuted but I believe she became a better human as a result. I got the impression she was sheltered as a child by a bigoted and over bearing, borderline abusive, father. Then she marries a wealthy guy and is thrust into the uber wealthy world of wall street; once again surrounded by wealth and privilege. She was totally naive to the goings on of anyone outside of her business universe. Her boyfriend just wanted her there for status and the way he broke it off was disgustingly insensitive. Martha was shocked by the way in which he went about ending it, which suggests she had no idea about the man she was with for 15 years. I'm not even sure she realized how vulnerable she was, being a billionaire, and all those who wanted to ride her skirt tails, who she may even have considered friends, only to have them turn on her as soon as things got tough. I admire her independence and love of self and wanting to be better and keep growing. I have a new fondness and respect for this woman.

Unfortunately, there are structural issues with the film. This documentary fell victim to almost every cliché in the book, typical of many modern Netflix documentaries. Even if you know nothing of Martha Stewart's admittedly fascinating story, you will be able to see all of it coming. There is no suspense here, as all the highs and lows are predetermined by quickening montages and swelling of music - largely a byproduct of the tabloid media the film often decrys in the first place.

My biggest issue, however, was how the movie saw Stewart as a character. One the one hand, it praises her as a pioneer in her field, and becomes a sympathetic portrayal of a woman fighting for her freedom and respect in a business dominated by men. Then, almost within the same breath, will have no qualms with showing her nasty side, a self confessed "b****". It's not an honest documentary - if the film had repeatedly owned her brash and confrontational personality then it may have succeeded as feeling unapologetic. Unfortunately, it seems the filmmakers didn't want to pick a side. Instead it became a collage of tabloid headlines and handwoven centrepieces.

Interesting subject matter for sure, but not made to its full potential.