A-list celebrities have never been more vulnerable to criticism than they have been in recent years, thanks to the ever-present internet, fandoms, and social media. Hence, it’s understandable that many of them want to conceal their private lives behind carefully crafted public personas.
Documentaries, on the other hand, can offer viewers a behind-the-scenes look (often coinciding with the release of a significant new project) and are becoming a more prevalent mode of celebrity discovery — offering an insight into their daily lives and creative processes while also making investments in their work and forming their star narratives as they see fit.
“Katy Perry: Part of Me” is a 2012 film that follows the pop singer on her year-long California Dreams tour.
Where to watch: Tubi
Remember when Katy Perry’s “California Girls” and “Firework” were still playing on the radio? “Katy Perry: Part of Me” chronicles the singer’s meteoric rise to fame following the release of her 2010 credit album “Teenage Dream,” which takes place throughout her 124-show world tour.
For USA Today, Edna Gundersen wrote, “It’s difficult to determine the authenticity of Perry’s big-screen image, colored by handlers, colleagues, relatives, and gushing Katy Kats.” “However, her zeal, geeky enthusiasm, and charitable spirit come across as genuine.”
“One Direction: This Is Us” is a nostalgic depiction of the boy band’s early-2010s meteoric rise to fame.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime (free with IMDb TV)
“One Direction: This Is Us,” released in 2013 at the height of “Directioner” fever, follows the band on their 2012-2013 tour. This documentary is more overtly promotional than many of the other credited films on this list. However, it’s still a delightful time capsule for One Direction fans, particularly now that members like Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are releasing solo albums.
“Unabashedly an optimistic, snazzily filmed infomercial that accentuates and overdoes the positives of this well-scrubbed quintet,” wrote Stephen Schaefer for The Boston Herald, “‘Us’ also manages to catch the lads’ refreshing desire to stay basically who they were when dealing with life-altering changes.”
“Gaga: Five Foot Two,” a Netflix documentary, follows Lady Gaga as she records her album “Joanne” and prepares to appear at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Where to watch: Netflix
At the end of the 2016 documentary, one of Lady Gaga’s friends asks, “Why is there a football game before the Lady Gaga show?”
The credited film attempts to portray Gaga’s Super Bowl appearance (which bookends “Five Foot Two”) in this light, framing it as the latest culmination of her artistic efforts, alongside her 2017 album “Joanne.”
The documentary describes why she chose the name “Joanne” to honor her late aunt, who died of lupus at the age of 19. Gaga and her family characterize her as someone who “had a lot of talent but didn’t have enough time,” and they are seen looking at some of Joanne’s old art and poetry.
The 2017 documentary “Simply Complicated,” which was released in its entirety on YouTube, includes candid interviews with Demi Lovato about managing childhood stardom and addiction.
Where to watch: YouTube
The film interspersed footage of Lovato recording the music with raw interviews about her encounters with bullying, drug abuse, and heartbreak. It was released ahead of her 2017 credit album, “Tell Me You Love Me.”
Lovato’s triumphant return to the stage at this year’s Grammy Awards is all the more poignant in light of her recent revelations.
“Look Mom I Can Fly,” Travis Scott’s Netflix film from 2019 features snapshots of the rapper’s Houston roots, love of amusement parks, and love of the art.
Where to watch: Netflix
Travis Scott may be one of hip-hop’s most well-known and credited personalities right now, but “Look Mom I Can Fly” clarifies that he’s just a kid from Houston who loves his dad, Kylie Jenner, their daughter Stormi, and… amusement parks.
From the start of his career to the birth of his first child to the Grammys, the 85-minute Netflix original bounces through hundreds of moments in Scott’s life. Along the way, footage of his joy at working with artists such as Drake and Kanye West supplements the standard studio footage used in most music documentaries.
“Miss Americana,” a new Taylor Swift documentary on Netflix, follows the pop star’s political awakening and the development of her album “Lover.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Taylor Swift tells audiences in Emmy-winning director Lana Wilson’s “Miss Americana” that she needs to be liked, credits to the “good girl” persona she’s felt pressured to maintain since she shot to fame at 16 —and how events unfathomable to the general public, like feeling as if she was being booed when Kanye West interrupted her 2009 VMAs acceptance speech, have made her feel like she needs to be liked.
“Miss Americana” follows the singer’s growing political activism (including her 2018 denunciation of Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn), reveals her eating disorder past, and briefly discusses her intimate relationship with Joe Alwyn. Wilson paints a picture of a 30-year-old woman just beginning to reconnect with her public image by combining intimate, “relatable” footage with sobering reminders of Swift’s staggering public persona.