Katy Perry: Part of Me

There are some very miserable spiteful reviews on here. They usually contain such revelations as 'I don't like Katy Perry's music and hated this movie'. Er... what are you doing watching a film about Katy Perry if you don't like Katy Perry's music. I know, you came to be bored and to dislike it and you succeeded. The film contains a very revealing and surprising story about a genuinely gifted songwriter breaking out of her strict religious upbringing and rising to the very highest peak that anybody could possibly wish for. She did it through shear determination and spirit. She did not get it handed to her. She was in fact jerked around by all the record companies and almost sunk until, in one memorable quote, one of the young female execs stole her music from the company and 'snuck out' with it, so that she would be free to find success at another label which had people of some imagination and vision instead of the lame egotistical dicks that she was tied to at that time. Her message is absolutely positive, absolutely empowering and liberating for young girls, and the concert footage shows just how transcendent that message becomes for them at the live shows. She is not sleazy or nasty or stupid. If I had a daughter I would strongly approve of her being a 'Katy cat'. I enjoyed every minute of this documentary. Those who hated it are most likely sad old men or jealous bitches. I reckon.

It's 2011. Katy Perry is embarking on her California Dreams Tour. It starts off as a traditional inspirational behind the scene concert movie with a good dose of the story of a young struggling artist. It introduces her team, her family and her journey so far. The journey is a little enlightening with some fascinating bits about record labels. It's all pretty much expected from a concert film introducing an artist. It's a good first half about her rise. The movie moves into auto-pilot where her marriage is wonderful, the fans are adoring and it's hard-working fun. About an hour in, the real world relationship intrudes and her marriage to Russell Brand falls apart. It gets hinted at from time to time culminating in the text message. If this is a regular drama, the climax is Katy waiting to rise up onto the stage. The movie would end soon after that. Watching Katy breaking down is like skimming the surface of a very deep pool. There is probably so much more to the story but we're given only glimpses. In the end, this is concert movie and not an in-depth documentary. It can't turn into a deeper analysis for both personal and professional reasons. It's an opportunity lost. She does show herself to be driven, professional and a romantic. For fans, that would be more than enough.

There have been tons of concert movies that have come out, but unless you're a fan they really have a limited audience. With the latest Katy Perry: Part of Me they do something a bit different than just deliver another concert film, but instead an inside look at the creation and execution of Perry's tour, but also a documentary aspect telling about her career and personal victories and heartaches throughout.

What's good about this film is that you don't have to be a fan of her music to find it interesting. On one side you get the Behind the Music vibe of her career wrapped in a big bow of making of the concert, sprinkled with numerous performances of her on stage. While all this is entertaining in itself, what really takes this film outside of the norm is the closer look at her personal life and emotions that she deals with while struggling to deal with life, marriage, and an unbelievable tour schedule. Here they never shy away from showing her raw moments of breaking down from pushing herself just as much as the glamour and fun of her seemingly magical world she has created around her. It's refreshing to see a star of her caliber that feels like a down to earth girl who made it big time and now just happens to be one of the biggest stars in the world. Of course there will be those that think some of it is just playing to the camera and who knows, but really who cares. The entire vibe she has created seems to bring more happiness to the world and her fans and seeing the amount of work and actual creative control she has it really impressive for someone still so young.

Like her music or not, this film is so much more than that. This is a behind the scenes look at the side of music you don't see very often. Every star has their ways of doing things, but here seeing what Perry, and obviously many others like her go through both personally and physically to deliver what the fans clamor for should give you a new respect for both her and the performers in general. What's really crazy is that you can't help but enjoy this movie due to the simple fact that it exhumes joy on every level. It's like you fell off a cloud into a real life candy land and will bring a smile to your face.

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Yeah, I actually took the time to watch this. It's exactly what you would expect. It's simply another touring concert movie to cash in on the success of a modern icon, but at least we do get to see why people look up to Katy Perry in such a way. Is it her music? Okay, but lots of artists have good music. Is it her fashion? I don't think that's it either. I think people look up to Perry because her personality is just so likable, and she's faced relatable issues and real life problems, all of that leading to where she is now. Maybe the movie makes her a little too likable, but you can see exactly why she's considered such a role model, and any fan of her music (guilty) will enjoy hearing the live performances of her songs.

*** / *****

IF you're a fan of US singer Katy Perry, you'll love this

autobiographical concert movie of her songs and life.

If you don't know anything about her, you'll still enjoy the movie as it follows the structure of these kind of movies: it has many concert performances and interviews with her family, friends and fans about what a great singer and person she is.

The movie follows her on a year-long tour last year to promote her album, which produced five No. 1 hits, the first for a female artiste.

The movie would have been a normal one but for the way it milks her divorce from British comedian Russell Brand for all it's worth. Brand filed for divorce in December 2011 after 14 months of marriage.

It shows what led to the divorce (him wanting to have a baby; she not being interested in becoming a mum now) and then her finally accepting the divorce, complete with a breakdown, just before the start of her concert in Sao Paolo, Brazil. She even contemplates cancelling the concert.

This will certainly brings tears to many, as it did to me.

I enjoyed her concert shows as they were vibrant, energetic and colourful. "Thank you for accepting my weirdness," she tells the camera and her fans.

Her niceness permeates the movie, and you can see why her mostly white fans adore her, dress like her, mime her lyrics and say how much she inspires them and gives them hope.

** www.jeffleemovies.com (FB and Twitter)