[22] Critics complimented the film for Wilson's direction, and the "emotional heft" that came from Swift's vulnerable interviews discussing issues such as eating disorder, self esteem and sexual assault,[22] and also for the portrayal of Swift's creative process. Willman wrote that the film further features clips capturing Swift's increasing LGBTQ allyship, Swift's reaction to her mother's cancer diagnosis, and Swift's response to her 2017 album Reputation not receiving any nominations in general categories at the 2019 Grammy Awards. [16], The documentary includes the song "Only the Young", playing during the end credits, which was released as a promotional single alongside the film. And it was because I had worn something that made my lower stomach look not flat. He added that the film does not depict a "drastic change" but rather "a tough, somewhat deflating process of self-recognition". [6] She was provided with a list of potential directors, of which Wilson was one. It was released on January 31, 2020, through Republic Records, as a promotional single for Miss Americana, a Netflix documentary that follows Swift's life and career over several years; the song is featured in the film's ending credits. [92] Anne Petersen of BuzzFeed News commented that Swift contributes to society's "collective understanding of what beauty and success looks like", and that she is also talking about her "susceptibility to the pressure of that understanding". It was released on Netflix and in select theaters on January 31, 2020. It includes 25 Alamo Drafthouse theatres and an iPic theatre in the United States, and the Prince Charles Cinema in the United Kingdom. The video concludes with the motto: "You've marched for four years. TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino stated that, "in nearly a decade of attending Sundance, I've never seen a scene like the premiere of Miss Americana", and added that the "crowd before letting into the theater was huge", with rumors about how "there wouldn't be room for ticketed attendees". You register that enough times, and you just start to accommodate everything towards praise and punishment, including your own body. Please enable Cookies and reload the page. Miss Americana follows Swift and her life over the course of several years of her career. It is a biographical compilation of interviews, flashbacks, studio footage, home videos, cellphone videos and concert recordings that cover a number of events in Swift's life and career, including the making of her sixth and seventh studio albums, Reputation (2017) and Lover (2019), her past battle with body dysmorphia and allied eating disorder, her mother's cancer diagnosis, the toxic internet culture and media scrutiny she faces, her sexual assault trial, and her decision to go public with her political views, including LGBTQ+ allyship. [82] Critics found Canadian singer Shawn Mendes' 2020 Netflix documentary, Shawn Mendes: In Wonder,[83][84][85] to be heavily inspired by Miss Americana. The camera pans over a "Mr. Americana" poster starring "Tyler Swift", directed by "Larry Wilson", and premiering at the 2020 "Mandance Festival", a wordplay on the 2020 Sundance Festival. [21] Miss Americana has been described as an "intimate", "genuine", "funny" and "empowering" film, that documents "her humble beginnings as a country-music star to her position as an influential figure in pop culture". [95] In a Deccan Chronicle piece titled "Warring with food", writer Swati Sharma noted "it's no surprise" that many celebrities like Swift have struggled with eating disorders, and highlighted how the singer would be "so hungry after performances that she'd feel weak and on the verge of passing out".[96]. [78][79] Emily Strayer, of the American country music band The Chicks, commented on the documentary, stating: "The power she [Swift] has right now to change things is way beyond any power we [The Chicks] ever had. [77] Perry further added that Miss Americana inspires her to make her own documentary. [94] Ellen Ricks of HelloGiggles called Swift's reveal of her disorder as inspirational, noting "how it can potentially impact so many people still fighting", as "there is still so much stigma and misinformation" surrounding eating disorders, and praised Swift for "using her voice to shed light on the issue for her fans". Miss Americana has been listed amongst best films and documentaries lists by mainstream publications. He explained that the article was intended to "deconstruct the pettiness of the celebrity–industrial complex" and expressed his regret that the headline appeared to be "overly critical" of Swift. She defies her advisors and gets political — breaking her silence and following in the footsteps of the Dixie Chicks – with thankfully less damaging consequences. !function(t,e,r){var n,s=t.getElementsByTagName(e)[0],i=/^http:/.test(t.location)? After premiering at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the film received critical praise and a standing ovation from the audience. 'Cats' and 'Miss Americana' In December 2019, Swift was featured a live-action adaptation of the famed Broadway musical Cats , along with Jennifer Hudson , James Corden and Rebel Wilson . And I think one theme that ended up emerging in the film [Miss Americana] is what happens when you are not just a people pleaser but someone who's always been respectful of authority figures, doing what you were supposed to do, being polite at all costs. God, I almost tear up like thinking about some of the notes I've gotten from teenagers about how they look in the mirror and they hate their body and they hate the way they look. [18], Miss Americana was met with critical acclaim upon release. Taylor Swift said about Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince in her Lover Enchanced Spotify campaign, "This song is about disillusionment with our crazy world of politics and inequality, set in a metaphorical high school.I wanted it to be about finding one person who really sees you and cares about you through all the noise. I still think it's important to be polite, but not at all costs. But now that they've seen that Taylor has struggled with some of these same things too, and she's gotten through it and she's stronger and happier as a result, and that inspires them to keep going. Representative Eric Swalwell revealed that Swift authorized the usage of the song for the campaign free-of-cost, marking the first time Swift has allowed her music to be used in a political advertisement. In the apology, Glaser stated that: "Unfortunately, I am featured in her [Swift's] new documentary as part of a montage of asshats saying mean things about her, which is used to explain why she felt the need to escape from the spotlight for a year", and admitted that her comments may have come from a place of "projection". "Only the Young" debuted and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Digital Song Sales chart, and entered the charts in several other countries. People are connecting to it in a really deep way, which was, of course, my dream when making the movie. Petersen added that Swift refuses "to hide, and thus continue to normalize, the behaviors that perpetuate it". It opens with a quote from Vice Presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, wondering why "so many powerful people are making it so difficult to vote". [32] Glamour's Marie-Claire Chappet wrote: "Miss Americana shows Taylor is sick of the restrictive parameters set out for women in the spotlight. Directed by Lana Wilson. She's in a different person than we were ever". Swift later wrote “Only the Young” when she felt very upset after Republican incumbents won, she told Variety. [29], The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber wrote that Miss Americana portrays "a pop star facing a daunting challenge—redefining success", acting as "a container for the dictates of supposedly meritocratic capitalist patriarchy". [9] Big Machine denied the accusations in a statement. I think to see Taylor, someone who's an icon of beauty, voicing these thoughts that so many people have had is incredibly, incredibly powerful because it's not something you would expect to hear. [10] In response, a representative for Swift published an email from a Big Machine executive refusing to issue licences in connection to the documentary. [3] The Sundance Institute outlined: "Director Lana Wilson offers a multifaceted window into Swift, her creative process, and her singular experience of being one of the brightest lights on the world's global stage. Usually we have to make alterations to the dresses, but we can take them right off the runway and put them on you!" Event Details, Videos, Merchandise & More "http":"https";t.getElementById(r)||(n=t.createElement(e),n.id=r,n.src=i+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js",s.parentNode.insertBefore(n,s))}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); [5], Swift expressed interest in making a documentary with Netflix following the concert film Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour, which premiered on the streaming platform in December 2018. [13] Six days later, an official trailer to the film was released on YouTube and on Swift's social media accounts. It also became the highest-rated Netflix-original biographical documentary by a recording artist in IMDb history. Here Are 11 of Them", "25 Music Documentaries to Watch on Netflix This Week", https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/music-documentaries-women%7Caccess-date=October, "Seventeen's Media Awards: Best Movies of 2020", "7 captivating celebrity documentaries available to stream now", "The best movies of 2020 and where to stream them", "Year in Review: The Prom', 'Invisible Man' and More Best Movies of 2020", "Sundance: In Miss Americana, Taylor Swift demotes the internet", "With 'Miss Americana,' Taylor Swift Brings Her Raw Star Power to Sundance", "Taylor Swift responds to comedian's apology for body shaming comments", "5 Reasons To Watch Miss Americana (& 5 Reasons To Skip It)", "In "Taylor Swift: Miss Americana" fans discover a vulnerable Swift in the biographical documentary", "Katy Perry Was Impressed By Taylor Swift's 'Miss Americana' Documentary", "Katy Perry to release access-all-areas film inspired by Taylor Swift", "Katy Perry inspired by Taylor Swift to make tell-all documentary", "How the Music Industry Finally Caught Up to The Chicks", "It's time to face the facts—our male pop stars need to try a bit harder", "Netflix documentary Shawn Mendes: In Wonder barely uncovers the shiny veneer of music stardom", "Shawn Mendes announces Netflix documentary In Wonder", "Netflix's 'Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You' Concert Film Is A Love Letter To The Time Before", "Ariana Grande Celebrates Trump Impeachment in Netflix's 'excuse me, i love you'—But It's No 'Miss Americana, "Taylor Swift reveals eating disorder in Netflix documentary", "Why Taylor Swift's Eating Disorder Reveal Could Help Others", "How Taylor Swift's eating disorder reveal helped me come to terms with my own", "Taylor Swift and the Gray Area Of Disordered Eating", "Taylor Swift's 'Miss Americana' shows that eating disorders can manifest silently", "Taylor Swift's eating disorder reveal in Miss Americana has given me hope in my own recovery", "Nikki Glaser apologizes to Taylor Swift for resurfaced body shaming comments", "Taylor Swift Responds To Nikki Glaser's Apology After Miss Americana Clip", "Everyone Is Apologizing To Taylor Swift Now Thanks To 'Miss Americana, "Taylor Swift Lends 'Only the Young' to New Political Ad", "Taylor Swift allows song to be used in campaign ad", "Taylor Swift Just Unveiled Her Self-Directed Music Video For "The Man" And It's Full Of Hidden Details", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miss_Americana&oldid=1006532315, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Most Compelling Living Subjects of a Documentary (Honor), Best on Netflix: The Top 12 Musical Movies + Shows for Theater Bugs, The 10 Best Netflix Documentaries of 2020, The 16 Best Documentaries Of 2020 (So Far), Some Of 2020's Music Documentaries To Watch, 15 Netflix Documentaries That Are Actually Interesting To Watch, 12 of the Best Netflix Originals of 2020, so far, The Best Music Documentaries You Can Stream On Netflix, Documentaries about music stars were all the rage in 2020, 25 Music Documentaries to Watch on Netflix This Week, 7 captivating celebrity documentaries available to stream now, This page was last edited on 13 February 2021, at 11:04. The song was written by Swift after the 2018 United States elections,[6] but did not make it on the track-list of Lover. I'm so sorry to hear that you've struggled with some of the same things I've struggled with. Miss Americana debuted at the opening night of 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2020, to critical acclaim centering on its intimacy and vulnerability. [38] Beth Webb of Empire opined that "nothing new seems to break through her [Swift's] barriers" in the documentary.