Katy Perry: Part of Me
Behind the scenes on a pop-music megatour
Directed by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz
(PG)
This look at Katy Perry’s life on tour proves to be “a visually spectacular testimonial to her own indomitable determination,” said David Hiltbrand in The Philadelphia Inquirer. But unless you’re already a fan of the record-setting pop singer, you might walk away “feeling taken advantage of—like you just paid someone to talk about herself for two hours.” From a distance, Perry’s an interesting figure, said Karina Longworth in The Village Voice. A product of a strict Pentecostal upbringing, she now makes a living “selling a drag exaggeration of female sexuality” to prepubescent listeners. But instead of exploring any of the contradictions in her act, this movie devotes much of its backstage time to acolytes endlessly praising her. The one instance of genuine emotion comes when Perry realizes her marriage to comedian Russell Brand is beyond repair, said Genevieve Koski in the A.V. Club. About to go onstage, she “chokes back sobs as she struggles to plaster on a smile.” Then the show starts and her fans truly fortify her, providing a “legitimately poignant experience that’s worth more than all the film’s various platitudes combined.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
An ingredient in Coca-Cola may be funding Sudan's war
Under the Radar Global trade in gum arabic centres on the African nation – and proceeds bankroll conflict between the army and paramilitary rebels
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Homes for multi-generational families
Feature Featuring a 1900 Jacobean-style mansion in Massachusetts and a 22.5-acre compound in California
By The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Foot PSA
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published