Gaga: Five Foot Two

These types of documentaries always interest me, regardless if they were actually any good or needed to be made. Many people will dislike a movie like this simply because they will think it is just a way to make more money for a whole of people that already have tonnes of money. Or the problems they face aren't really problems, and watching someone whinge about how hard their life is when they have a mansion and millions of followers is excruciating. But I find it quite captivating. In many ways I think these movies capture quite a clear extract of modern pop culture and share it with the world. I find it educating to see how someone like Lady Gaga lives her life, what her day to day looks like, what annoys her or what gets her excited, or what someone of this fame's values are. Most of the time I come away from a movie like this, thankful I'm not famous, or a pop star, thankful that I have my own quiet place with a handful of people that care about me, and I was again in this viewpoint after watching Gaga.

She shares an insight on what it is like to work for producers and some of the power plays going on behind the scenes that just seem so twisted and power hungry as she shares about the dynamics at play when men with lots of money can ask for whatever they want. It's no wonder that the #Metoo movement was exposing many people like this, and long may it continue.

Alongside this Gaga also displays many of her inner traumas as she is processing her break up with her fiance and trying to return to preforming while coming back from a hip injury. You can quite clearly see the mental weight of keeping up with trends, of trying to find yourself, of being secure, or doing what you feel you were made to do. All things that Gaga is trying to put her own spin on. She decides that this is because she's become a woman and not a girl anymore, that its something to do with age. But I think this clearly shows that fame can just prolong maturity, that she lost her sense of herself in her fame of 21, 22. She didn't know what she wanted and just went with what she was told. Compared to her now deciding what she wants. This is something I feel like, I'm able to do sooooo much easier, at a much younger age, and that becoming famous in your early 20s at a time of such change, insecurity and identity development is actually such a burden, something that can take years to unravel.

So this doco, is a bit strange, but as I've said uncovers quite a hidden world and really shows that fame and fortune are really just a huge disappointment and to put your hope in them is a terrible idea. Great to watch the doco from this point of view, any other view and its just ok.

Too many excerpts, statements whose context I didn'tt understand. If this is about permanent mutual adulation "you're great" "no, you're great" ... then again there are problems whose causes are not really explained. The documentary jumps from one action to the next and apparently nobody seems to bring out a straight, understandable sentence except permanent compliments.

A woman is shown who is'nt at all with herself. Understandable. Healthily and psychologically at her limit, she can't survive an hour without medication and you can clearly see that. She pays a very high price for her fame.

Often she repeats how she used to be insecure, permanently felt she wasn't enough. But I didn't get the impression that this former condition was actually over. She seems to have taken on a new role, but it's just a role. If the make-up falls off, in the end the person stands there who she still is.

Lady Gaga is surely a musician. The documentary provides an insight into her life, but is very superficial to my taste and therefore oftentimes boring.

Gaga, "Five Foot Two" My Review, There was great anticipation for this Netflix release, and for those that understand & appreciate Gaga's path over the last decade, it was an inviting hour & 40 minutes as it took you deeper than behind the scenes, sharing more than just Gaga performances, Numerous occasions totally unplugged, at home with family, sharing the emotion of special moments, inclusive with family hugs looking back to whom they have lost & the warmth of a baptism, There was lots of footage with her family, especially her dad, this capturing many of Gaga's emotional highs & lows, it took you beyond her celebrity & fame, it brought you to her struggles & pain, & the discomfort inclusively through health & relationships. There were many scenes capturing her warmth & sensitivity ( as expected) as well as her exhaustion & dedication in rehearsal & to her fans. Gaga shared her fears & insecurities, and showed that the life of a superstar is very much like the common woman. We all cry, we all hurt, and we all need time alone... I laughed a few times & cried as well, there was an amazing piano rendition of 'Bad Romance' which was performed at Tony Bennett's 90th birthday party, that simply gave me goose bumps It was ridiculously awesome.... I found the scenes at Wall Mart to be crazy funny as Gaga herself asked a clerk "Where can i find the Lady Gaga CD's" and the guy didn't even know who she was, nor did the security guy. Ha! Many people do not understand that Gaga's latest album "Joanne" was a full track of emotion & change, and significantly different from all the songs she had written on the previous 4 albums. It's about growth, learning, healing, being you & true to your emotions. This documentary takes you through a decade of Gaga's growth, up close & into her dressing rooms, her personal care & her travels. Her tattoos & showing her often not wearing any makeup. Oh and there's a scene where she's poolside speaking with fashion consultants, and yeah topless....that was interesting... In closing, for obvious reasons, an absolute must for those that appreciate Gaga, but then again, if you do, you've seen countless clips of Gaga's path over the years, and pretty much have a great understanding of her passion, energy & ridiculous gift to the music industry, and as always, the sensitive warmth that exudes out of her skin, straight from her heart. & for those that have never had any interest, perhaps they will find it interesting to see how 'Real' a superstar can actually be.... Have a great day, Peace to all ~Geo

The film does not hesitate to reduce the quality of the recordings by cell phone recordings from the private life of the pop queen. It is precisely this directness that defines the honesty of the film. Lady Gaga up close. The documentary is nicely told but, above all, made easy.

I knew unbelievably little about Lady Gaga before seeing this documentary.

I knew that she wears elaborate costumes that sometimes make her look equal parts regal and ridiculous and that she has a gorgeous singing voice. I did not even know that she is an American (from New York City) and an earthy person in her private life. The first scene in this movie shows her as she looks when she gets out of bed and feeds her dogs. She is more how I would have imagined that her personal assistant might look.

Basically, a camera crew follows her around for possibly longer than we know. It is a good thing not to feel as if we are with her in real time because this doc may have followed her for many months.

The word exhibitionist might be a bit strong, but little of Gaga's anatomy is left to the viewer's imagination. We also meet the inner Lady Gaga (nee Stefani Germanotta) learning that she is affectionate with her friends, generous with her fans, and lonely at the end of every day. She is often insecure and is perhaps something of a snowflake. Her combination of provocativeness yet wariness about men is not explained, but is presented as is.

Gaga is conscious that she has turned thirty. The fact that her latest boyfriend has not worked out is only part of her misery. We learn that Gaga has an old pain in her hip that contributes to her worries. Keeping up with her backup dancers requires frequent sessions with physical therapists. She would like to have children, but she anticipates that her hip could make that prohibitively painful.

In one scene, her mother (?) suggests that she not be maudlin. It is a suggestion made in kindness, but might profitably be taken in a firmer sense. The heart of the movie – if there is a plot to this slice of life – is that Gaga is putting together an album (ultimately a successful one) dedicated to her aunt Joanne who died at age 19. This is not difficult to understand. Joanne was a promising writer and artist. Gaga clearly identifies with her almost as if she herself had died at a younger age. (Joanne is one of Gaga's middle names, I have since learned.)

For technical reasons, we do not get to see much of her concerts. This is not a filmed concert. We get to hear her sing, but not enough. The movie cuts away at the beginning of huge concerts. It is a little like being left on the launch pad at the end of "The Right Stuff," just as Gordo Cooper is about to take off on one of the most exciting and harrowing flights of the entire Mercury Space Program, but we don't get to see it.

Therein lies the problem that most viewers might have. If you want to see the diva, warts and all, then this is the documentary for you, but if you want to see her in action – or more importantly hear her – then you should hold out for one of her concert films.