REVIEW | Katy Perry: Part of Me in 3D (2012)

The blue-haired bi-curious Barbie doll with her sun-kissed skin so hot will melt your popsicle, and her rainbow world of sugary treats and pop overload, has been converted to 3D in a concert documentary called Katy Perry: Part of Me, luring viewers to "step into her world," and see a visual "mad diary." 

From the same production company who brought us the surprisingly well-executed part-docu part-concert movie Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Katy's docu, though, does not really give us access to her innermost world, but merely shows us the surface; a promotional and safe facade that simply talks about a talented (and she is talented) girl who believes in herself—   the epitome of her song "Firework." There's a few shots of  her interacting with Grandma, Mom and Dad, and lots of backstage meet-and-greets with her toddler-to-teen fans, but Katy comes off as self-conscious and aware that she's being filmed. And then her team talks about how much she's like your typical girl-next-door but uniquely talented, and then interspersed with concert clips from her last world tour.

Also, the docu gives us just a wiki-backgrounder of Katy Perry as a product of Pentecostal minster parents and a strict religious environment that deprived her of entertainment, and then tells us when and what made her break free from these religious bonds (the how wasn't really given to us), and the process of how she skyrocketed to fame with her super catchy music and Willy Wonka candy store outfits that make little girls go gaga over her and little boys wanting to marry her (with you wondering if these children are aware of her naughty lyrics). 

The only raw, candid, and unedited Katy Perry that you'd see in this docu is her heartbreaking breakdowns from her failing marriage with bad boy British comedian Russel Brand. The Katy Perry business —to make people happy and believe in their dreams—must go on, even if she is falling apart. This will touch you and rip your heart apart, and if you're a weeper like me, uncontrollable tears will undoubtedly run down your cheeks. That genuine, authentic display of real backstage drama and candid human vulnerability is what's lacking in the rest of the docu.

Directed by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, with only a TV documentary under their directorial experience, Katy Perry: Part of Me lacks the heart and soul that makes a docu compelling and engaging. Executed weakly, fans will probably delight in her presence on the big screen and in 3D, but won't necessarily get any new experience, and non-fans might get seriously bored— except for the Russell Brand drama.

Yes, you will see a  lot of clips of Katy's face bare of makeup, but not necessarily baring her soul. Or maybe offstage, she's the reserved, quiet type and you won't get anything much out of her. After the movie, I din't feel like I really met the real Katy, just caught sad glimpses of a brokenhearted superstar.

2.5 out of 5 stars

In Philippine Cinemas August 29, 2012