Britney: Backstage

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Though maybe not at the height of her media stranglehold when she first took off in the 1999/2000 sort of period, Britney Spears is still quite a tabloid favourite, and the comings and goings of her private life are still quite hot topics in all the various showbiz gossip magazines/columns. Photos of her can still sell for a fair bit, too, as the various papparazzos chasing after her in this documentary prove. But around 2007/2008 the strain started to show and her mental health began to very publicly deteriorate. The ruthless ambition with which she made it at such a young age was revealed to be more a product of her mother pushing her towards something more than her own will and being burned out while still at quite a young and imperative age was causing her to rebel big style. For a period in the latter year, this documentary caught her in her private life, talking about the bad decisions she made, where her mind began to crumble, and how the help of friends and family (especially her father, who's now also in charge of a lot of her personal affairs) helped get her back on her feet again, as she prepares for her 'Circus' comeback tour.

Britney comes over a lot more grounded and mature than when she first started out, an old head on young shoulders, as though she's become very accepting and unfazed by the world she's a part of and nothing can hurt her now, like she could offer some useful advice to anyone else entering the profession. Here and there, though, she comes over all emotionally unstable, very suddenly, like anything could bring it on. There could well be some kind of mental disorder going on there. The interviewer is wise to let the lady herself do most of the talking, and let her naturally open up about a lot of what she needs to get off her chest. It's all handled very searingly, with a fair bit of hidden depth, like something that was meant to answer questions and not just be a throwaway interview. There's obviously still a large fan base that is interested in Spears's life and what's going on in it, and with sensitivity and compassion, the result here is a perfectly adequate piece that should satisfy a lot of Spears's more dedicated fans. ***

This documentary was real and it's heartbreaking to hear Britney Spears talk about the conservatorship that she has been legally trapped in for (now) over a decade, as I write this in 2020. It's heartbreaking.

I see a girl who explains that she was upset, in a bad place at one time but she has learned her lesson and she wants her freedom back. Unfortunately, she is surrounded by people who live off her millions including her father. It's very sad to watch but very important. Now you'll never see this air again or Britney to do a interview like this because the c-ship has become even more controlling and won't let her truly speak without a script. Heartbreaking, and a true tragedy.

I've always liked Britney as a performer and I was looking forward to seeing this documentary in the hope that she would reveal that she's gotten some insight into her life. If she has, it was displayed in the film at a sadly superficial level. She states she's had to "grow up" and she's "learned a lot" these past few difficult years, but from what is shown, I didn't actually see any profound evidence of it.

I was also hoping she would shed some light on her bizarre behavior regarding the court custody hearings, how she kept showing up late or not at all (yet in the course of the film she mentions more than once how dearly she loves her kids). And she never talks about the hospital incident either. All her statements seem to be planned out to reveal the least possible about herself; it's more like she was using the documentary for publicity.

Ironically, the only person who speaks from any genuine wisdom in the course of the film is Madonna, who talks about how a person creates his or her own reality and how Britney has at least begun the self-examination process by asking "What was I thinking" regarding this year's events.

At the end, she is asked how she will change her life to reflect her new so-called insights, and she responds by saying she will go through her life like "a karate kid." She then grins a self-satisfied grin, as if she's uttered something profound. She hasn't.

Creative people, e.g artistes, singers, actors, has & always will be in the limelight, a public persona, and as such, having their every movement and actions to the magnifying glass of the public.

As such, they were in this sort-of like, 'Prison' whereby they weren't allowed to make mistakes (however small), or to be remotely wrong, and that they were supposed to be angels, or even Godly.

That's the gist of this documentary. About how Britney tries to justify the things that she has done, about her daily life, about how even her daily routine is not as regular as the others.

And I think that Britney has done a good job in justifying her case. I believe that she does not do this to justify what is wrong. In fact, she did admit that some of the things that she did was wrong.

A very good documentary of Britney post her minor hiccups, and what lies ahead of this diva.

A very intimate and eye-opening documentary on the ups and downs of one of the greatest female superstars of my/our generation. I really respect and admire Britney after having viewed this film. Like many, when tragedy was at her front door I thought she had lost it with the head shaving and "bad mother" allegations. But this movie alone proves to me that she's still that sweet, fun loving girl that the world first fell in love with. Her charisma and dedication profoundly shines a radiant glow when being interviewed on various life experiences.

The cinematography and editing should be heavily praised, a very candid approach that had me glued to the screen. As the viewer you really get an inside look at just how hard it is to maintain the facade of happiness when surrounded by constant media pressure and attempts to tarnish a person's hope. I got to see a lot of sides to Ms. Spears that I don't think many have, for one she has a great sense of humour and a positive attitude that reflects inspiration to its audience.

For anyone who has questions on what really happened to her in the last 5 - 8 years. I recommend you find a copy of this. Great biographical journey that leaves you with two key thoughts. 1) What has become of human society as a whole when the naturally gifted are turned into our slaves of entertainment and pass time gossip. And 2) The amazing resilience of one individual to keep on walking the long road despite overcoming so many obstacles

10 out of 10, great movie making, a must see for any fan or aspiring musician