Katy Perry is one of the biggest pop singers in the music industry today. However, when I first heard that she was getting her own 3D concert documentary I didn’t think she was THAT popular. But “Katy Perry: Part of Me” is one of the better recent films of this genre thanks to the use of technology and the method in which her life story is told.
Perry, like most successful singers, started performing at a very young age. Her parents were traveling ministers, so she could only listen to and sing Christian music. But after finally getting exposed to “outside” music, Katy decided to pursue a career in music and focus on writing and singing songs that had some meaning to what was going on in her life at the time. “Part of Me” delves into her struggles with a few early record labels that dropped her because they didn’t understand who she really was or what she wanted to accomplish with her music.
We also learn how Katy finally became a star from interviews with family members, managers, assistants and Katy herself. This is one of the things this movie has over another recent concert/biopic – “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” – in which he hardly spoke about his life and career at all. “Part of Me” clearly achieves the film’s goal: for fans to experience what went on during her 2011 World Tour and how she felt about her life at the time.
“Part of Me” also deals with of Perry’s divorce from Russell Brand (who’s briefly featured in the film). There are some candid interviews which take this film to a level above the typical “concert documentary”. If you think this is simply a 3D concert with a little backstage footage and personal stories, you’re be mistaken.
The 3D (which most people won’t get to enjoy on the small screen) is best used with the concert footage (which is not surprising), even though they still haven’t perfected the audience shots or real-life video. And there are only a couple of gimmicky uses of the 3D during the concert. Perry fans will not be disappointed with the music. There are plenty of songs (and wild costumes and production numbers) though only a couple of them are performed from start to finish. I like how the filmmakers edited-in some of the “extra” footage between the songs, which is what I, personally care about in these documentaries, much more than the music.
“Part of Me” also includes some video, both at the beginning and end, of people (young and old) saying how they’ve been inspired by Perry. Pretty typical stuff. I find it interesting that Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are two of the film’s producers. And there are a couple of humorous moments, including with Katy’s grandmother.
“Katy Perry: Part of Me” is rated PG for some language, revealing costumes and thematic elements. It’s appropriate for kids 9-10 and up. Perry fans will enjoy all of the music and feeling like you’ve attended one of her concerts. Not being a Perry fan (other than her voice work as Smurfette in “The Smurfs”), I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting her life story is and how well made this movie is.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Katy Perry: Part of Me” gets a B. Not a lot of “fireworks” but still worth seeing.