Taylor Swift: Miss Americana

This is a very revealing portrait of a very talented artist, and how she came to be. But aside from detailing the ups and downs of pop stardom, the film really comes into its own as Ms. Swift does herself - with the awakening of her social conscience and using her voice for causes of justice. As for those who are bashing the artist and the film here... "you need to calm down."

Believe or not, before watching this documentary, I have never listened to any of her songs no matter how famous she is/was. Just because today is women's day, I felt obliged to watch something related to an influential woman of our century and discovered this beautiful surprise. I always label her as some dumb b*tch who famous for creating songs for her exes. But but but her genuineness and impressive talent did move me big time. Like the soul searching bits, finding own voices and stands, and eventually she has learned to out-live her haters and live her life without needing the approval of others. Haters gonna hate anyway, let's live our life to the fullest and be a successful woman!

When I heard about this documentary, my expectations were relatively low. I was a fan of Taylor Swift's music in the 2000s and early 2010s, but over time, I guess I just drifted away. Upon hearing about the documentary, I thought maybe it would be some "believe in your dreams" bullcrap to inspire the younger fans. I was wrong. Taylor shows how she deals/dealt with real issues that everyone can relate to. From feeling alone, the need to be the best you possibly can, and eating disorders, it stunned me. The documentary shows us Taylor's life from a new perspective, HER perspective. I would've never guessed that she felt that way at the VMAs. The documentary also shows the results of callout culture, and how she coped with it. Taylor has gone through a lot these past two decades, and the documentary shows everything in a new light. Does this documentary make me want to go listen to her music? Yeah, but not the same way I used to. Do I have more respect for Swift? Undoubtedly. I give Miss Americana a 9/10

Miss Americana is as insightful a pop artist documentary as you could hope for, but by keeping some moments private, Swift reminds us that we'll never know the whole story. And really, what gives us the right to?

This documentary gives you a great inside look into some of Taylor Swift's songwriting and business decisions. She is smart and savvy, but it also shows how lonely being a mega-celebrity can be. While it brushes against some pretty serious topics - her self-imposed isolation, her mom's cancer, and her body image/eating issues - it doesn't go as deep as I would have liked. Clearly, Taylor is pretty protective of her privacy, which is understandable. One of the parts of the documentary that goes the deepest is when she discusses how her people-pleasing personality had led her to validate herself by the approval and praise of strangers. The best part of all though was her frank discussion and an inside look into why she chose to become publicly political. It's a brave move, and you can only applaud her for it, whether you agree with her politics or not.