Stormy

The Stormy Daniels documentary provided a compelling insight into the intersection of power, politics, and personal choices. While it may have leaned towards a reality show format and exhibited bias, it effectively shed light on important societal issues. Therefore, I would rate it 5 stars for its thought-provoking content and its ability to expose the underbelly of power dynamics in the United States.

Stormy Daniels has ultimately made very bad choices throughout her life, which led her to engaging in a parasitic relationship with Donald Trump, where she thought she could expand her career beyond porn and topless dancing. Sadly, this did not transpire, but she ultimately kept pushing for her 15 minutes of fame, which is sadly turned into a 15 year saga she seems to be very comfortable with sleeping with the documentarian, putting her child's life at risk, and losing important relationships for money. I don't want to blame her for these decisions, because she did have a very rough upbringing, so I do hope that she does well in the future. If you were looking for something unbiased, don't bother.

As someone who is totally uncomfortable with what Stormy does for a living and political sex scandals from Clinton to Trump, I was amazed how impressed I was with her resilience as a woman and a mother on every level. She navigated a very difficult childhood and jumped on opportunities that came her way to survive. The unsavory porn business is one thing but that is Trumps world. Trump was friends with Epstein and seducing a 27-year-old Stormy with sex in exchange for furthering her career and reneging is despicable. Her story and strength are beyond just entertaining because it's a true story. Respect and thanks to her and the people who did such a great job on this documentary.

This movie shows that Stormy Daniels shows a huge amount of courage by standing up for herself against one of the most dangerous people in American history. The documentary remains fascinating throughout, because the story is fascinating throughout. I have a newfound respect for Stormy Daniels; where she came from, and where she got to by never giving up. Unfortunately, her story is not that different from too many women today who have suffered under men who would abuse them, and take them for granted. I hope this documentary broadcasts her story to many more people, so that they can know the truth of what happened to her.

As "Stormy" (2023 release; 110 min.) opens, it is "March 30, 2023" as Trump is criminally indicted for the hush payment made in Fall of 2016 to Stormy Daniels to cover up his affair with her in 2006. In 2018, the Wall Street Journal reports on the hush payment, and all hell breaks loose. We then go back in time as we learn of Stormy's troubled youth in Baton Rouge, LA... At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: let me state upfront that while of course I am aware of the hush payment and Trump's subsequent lying about it, I was not aware of all the details. Much of the footage in the documentary comes from 2018, detailing with the fallout after the WSJ's report. With Trump's and the White House's machination in full force and effect, it is literally a David v. Goliath battle: the President of the United States v. A porn star. Along the way we get almost unfettered access to what that felt like as it plays out in real life. Check out the media frenzy, and the enormous pressure Stormy faced (and still faces) from the MAGA world. It's absolutely insane. Meanwhile Trump continues to deny, deny, deny. But soon (in mid-April or so) the chickens are coming home to roost for Orange Jesus... Please note that the overall rating of this documentary here in IMDb (currently 5.2 stars) is grossly misleading, as there are hundreds of ratings but less than 10 reviews so far. Almost certainly much of these ratings have come from white trash Let's Go Brandon MAGA folks who have not seen the documentary, and are too dumb to recognize a quality documentary if it hit them in the face. ("Stormy" is currently rated a very respectable 71% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.)

"Stormy" started streaming on Peacock earlier this week, and I caught it last night. I was quite surprised how effective this documentary turned out to be. If you are interested in politics, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

If one is looking for a salacious story of a low functioning woman, that is not her. It is a documentary about her life, and when she met Donald, she was already writing and producing, and hoped to make a horror film. Trump dangled the chance to be on Celebrity Apprentice, saying he had the veto-proof right to pick one person to be on the program. It is less about what happened with him than it is how it upended her life. Taken advantage of by male lawyers, at first just insulted, then threatened and stalked, making it almost impossible for her 7 y/o daughter to have a life. When she could not get jobs in the US, she set up a tour in Canada, only to find out that the FBI crime computer had an extensive list of arrests, which never happened. But she lost entry into Canada because of that. More lawsuits, and then the threats became more as death threats of a serious nature. In the end she says she doesn't want Trump to go to prison, but she is willing to go to prison rather than pay the judgment Trump got against her for legal fees. During the height of the Me-too movement, she got a lot of support from woman, but it also took a huge toll on her.