Movie review: Katy's charm and a front row seat to her world tour makes 'Part of Me' work

Katy Perry can get away with things that no one else can, for instance, singing a chorus that goes “peacock cock cock,” wearing a bra that sprays actual whipped cream, even having Rebecca Black guest star in a music video. 

 

Recently, she has also gotten away with producing a movie called “Katy Perry: Part of Me,” a documentary about her first world tour which premiered in the United States in July and is premiered locally on August 29. 

 

From any other artist, this would come off as tacky, self-absorbed, or an annoying attempt to self-promote and milk their career highs for every penny they’re worth, but not from Perry.

 

Of course, all but the young and most adoring fans will go to the cinema with the knowledge that the film is, of course, a cash cow and a giant Katy Perry advertisement besides. But that won’t stop people from enjoying the show anyway, if not because of Perry’s transcendent and undeniable charm, then because of the close-up view of a concert tour whose production value and high-powered performances account for its incredible success.

 

The film highlights well Perry’s best-loved qualities—her crazy style, unapologetic kookiness, sincere devotion to her fans, her humility, her humanity through a sensibly edited series of scenes that place testimonials from Perry’s family, friends, and fans alongside old home videos and behind-the-scenes footage of her being silly backstage.  

 

Of course, all the people who are close to Perry testify that she is, in fact, as goofy and as genuine as she seems, evidenced by backstage footage of her eating like a pig, making fart noises as she gets stretched by a personal trainer, visiting her grandma with gifts in tow.

 

And of course Perry’s loved ones also reveal her lesser known but equally admirable attributes, such as the fact that she isn’t merely a pop star who goes on stage to sing, but involves herself in all the dirty work of putting the show together too.

 

They also paint quite a one-sided picture of the end of Perry’s one-year marriage to English comedian Russell Brand, with whispered comments not-so-subtly implying that Brand did not put as much effort into the relationship as Perry did.

 

The movie reaches its emotional climax when Perry is shown falling to pieces backstage before her concert in Brazil, after Brand had called it quits with her. The scene was delicately shot, with Perry’s face shown only marginally, likely to keep the authenticity of her sadness in tact.

 

When her production team asks her if she wants to push through with the show, for a moment, the answer seems negative, but the next scene shows her all made-up in her peppermint dress, about to make her grand entrance but holding back tears and then, after a few deep breaths, putting a big smile on her face in true show-must-go-on fashion.

 

This series of scenes makes one appreciate Perry‘s professionalism, and while the editing may be contrived, the emotion hardly is—or doesn’t feel so at least.

 

Perhaps the film puts the star on a sky-high pedestal and praises her more than necessary, but because it is Katy Perry of the ineffable charm, nobody really minds.

 

Anyway, the filmmakers temper all the Perry praise with concert footage, where the cheers for Perry are harder to deny or be skeptical about because right in front of you is the stage presence and talent that earned the raves.

 

The movie is clever to dedicate a good bulk of screen time to the concert scenes—though it has to be said that the 3D technology through which the concert is presented isn’t absolutely necessary. The Wonka-esque wonderland that was Perry’s world tour stage, as well as her Technicolor costumes would have dazzled even without the computerized confetti falling on the audience.

 

But 3D or not, the concert scenes not only added to the movie’s entertainment value, but also provided the necessary documentation of musical moments that weren’t to be missed, live versions of Perry’s most famous songs that all her fans—even those who were not able to make it to the concerts—should hear (e.g. Perry’s live performance of her seminal hit, “I Kissed a Girl”).

 

Interestingly enough, it is amid all the manufactured candy sets and rainbow colored wigs and doll dresses that the viewer is most likely to find the most honest and appealing portrayal of Perry in the movie.

 

The up-close views of her singing her heart out, basking in the spotlight, swaying coyly to the music, and getting the audience to jump and laugh and dance is Perry in her element and at her best, and the movie could have gone on those scenes alone.

 

Ultimately, some might still refuse Perry as girl-next-door-turned-superstar, or as doting family woman, or as love martyr, but very, very few are able to reject Perry as performer. It is, after all, Perry’s main role, the one she is most known and loved for. –KG, GMA News