Delayed Reaction: Taylor Swift: Miss Americana

Premise: Taylor Swift decides she doesn't want to play nice anymore.

I go back and forth on how I feel about these behind the scenes documentaries about musicians. I prefer if they are mixed in with some performance footage. Mostly, I enjoy when they give the illusion that the musician doesn't have complete control of what's being included. That was never going to happen with a Taylor Swift doc. For better and worse, she's too vigilant about her brand. Few musicians have ever been as savvy as she has been about controlling her image. It's very impressive. Even from a young age, she (and the people around her) were able to appreciate the power of a brand. But, we are in an age where celebrities have never felt more accessible. Between Twitter, Instagram, podcasts, and newer apps that I'm not even aware of, it's easier than ever to have a pretty good idea about who a famous person is (while also understanding that it's not really an unfiltered view). However, even when Swift is coming off as candid, it doesn't feel entirely real. This isn't unique to her either. I'm not sure I've ever heard a word from Leonardo DiCaprio that a team of publicists didn't want me to hear.

So, instead, I have to look at Miss Americana as a sort of meta-examination. What can I learn about Taylor Swift by the fact that this is what she wants me to see? It's decently telling. She's bristling against the box that she put herself into for much of her career. She's also starting to think about what her high profile means. She has the ability to be heard by a lot of people. How should she use that? I hear a lot of people complain about celebrities who have an inflated opinion of themselves. They hate when an entertainer gets political. I'm not a fan of that either, but I don't think it's anything that can be avoided. Everyone rants about their own causes. Some people just have more people listening. I think Miss Americana is interesting because it doesn't act like Swift's political stances are particularly nuanced. Like 95% of people, she has a pretty generic understanding of things. I found this oddly refreshing. This doc is brand management, and they could've just as easily contrived a reason for her to give a super-intellectual examination of things. She doesn't though. She just wants to stand on her soapbox on occasion like anyone else.

Miss Americana is a bit bloated topically. It finds time to talk about the Kanye feud, her body and weight issues, her sexual assault case, and political thoughts, mostly at the expense of seeing much about her creative process. Her current relationship is conspicuously talked around. That's fine. I never expected to get "the real story". If nothing else, there was a simple thrill to hearing Taylor Swift swearing. It makes me imagine a future in which she pokes fun at herself with a series of cameos in movies in which she goes against type.

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend