New Celebrity PR Gambit: Self-approved “Documentaries”

Conservative News DailyFebruary 5, 2023

Imagine if a documentary crew followed your every move. Scary, right?

Even the most decent of citizens can be scared by a situation that makes them look unflattering. People with skeletons hidden in their closets are even more to fear.

Take a look at the self-directed documentary.

It’s the same process, on paper, but you or someone you love gets to call the shots. Voila! Voila!

Netflix’s “Pamela, A Love Story” The streaming channel launched the film this week. The film follows the actress’s colorful career, from starring in the smash hit “Baywatch” To her tabloid-friendly, love life. The spin couldn’t be more obvious.

“I wanna take control of the narrative, for the first time,” she says in the film’s trailer.

Nothing wrong with that, on paper, but let’s not kid ourselves. There’s a reason Anderson agreed to star in the project. Her son Brandon Thomas Lee is also a producer.

Reviews, so far, are laudatory while some critics can’t help but share their skepticism, like Roger Moore.

Unguarded? No. Deep? Not really, but a bit self-aware. Unfiltered, warts and everything? Only hers, children.

Anderson isn’t alone here.

Michelle Obama is the main attraction “Becoming,” A 2020 documentary about her book tour, cultural impact and future plans.

While most reviews were favorable, some critics raised concerns about the project’s tone. The Detroit News described it as, “as polished and smoothed out as a campaign ad.”

It’s no surprise.

Behind the production company “Becoming” Higher Ground. if that name rings a bell, it’s because it’s the cinematic shingle Founded by the Obamas After their White House exit.

Was anyone thinking? “Becoming” would show anything but the former First Lady’s very best side?

Val Kilmer is one of a few actors who are well-known for their difficulties behind the scenes. The 2014 documentary “Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau” did the actor’s reputation few favors.

The documentary “2021” “Val” The star was rebranded as both a cancer survivor and a dedicated person. They are both true. However, seeing him share his creative process has changed the narrative about his career.

Kilmer and two of his grown children Jack, Mercedes, produced the documentary.

The Netflix documentary is not to be missed “Halftime,” An interesting producer credit has been attached for a glimpse into Jennifer Lopez’s career and life. Yes, that’s Lopez’s manager, Benny Medina, listed on the film’s IMDB page.

HBO’s late-2013 episode featured the most bizarre example of this sub-genre. “Pelosi in the House” This is the story of Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of Congress. Few would argue she’s not a consequential figure in American politics, but the choice of film directors proved wildly inappropriate.

Pelosi’s daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, is calling the shots behind the camera.

That’s not to say these productions don’t reveal fascinating nuggets. Stars have a tendency to want to share everything about themselves. This can be both factual or illuminating.

Sometimes the star’s input can yield a truly warts-and-all story. “Rocket Man,” made with Elton John’s blessing, included some of the tawdrier aspects of his colorful life. John and David Furnish co-produced the movie, but John insisted that the film not glorify his past.

The film, although it was successful, did not present itself as grounded in the truth. The film’s fantasy sequences alone scream that truth.

Documentaries on paper are one thing. We’re meant to believe their narratives, accept their truths as gospel.

It’s hardly earth-shattering that “Pamela, A Love Story” puts a positive spin on an actor’s life and career. It’s more complicated when folks like Pelosi and Obama, figures who intersect with the nation’s political present (and future), get the hagiography treatment.

In any case, viewers need to know the reason these projects exist and why they are accessible to the public.