Celebrity documentaries that lift the veil behind the curtain …
Victoria Beckham | Netflix
Two years after Beckham‘s hugely popular documentary on Netflix, this three-part doc charts Victoria’s pursuit of credibility in the fashion industry, with appearances from Anna Wintour, Donatella Versace, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Juergen Teller, Roland Mouret and friend Eva Longoria. While there are some revelations about David injecting millions to fund VB’s brand, and Victoria struggling with an eating disorder since childhood, the series has so far scored less than half the audience as it lacks the candid direction of Fisher Stevens, who was recommended for the project by his friend Leonardo DiCaprio.
There are plenty of other new celebrity documentaries to watch too, from Twiggy released on BBC iPlayer earlier this year and directed by Sadie Frost, to Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated The Eras Tour: The End of an Era six-part documentary on Disney+ in December chronicling her recordbreaking tour, following the launch of her smash hit The Life Of A Showgirl album.
Famous Last Words | Netflix
This riveting new documentary series features the final ever interview with modern history’s cultural icons on the message they want to leave with the world, with all episodes aired posthumously. Produced and hosted by Emmy Award winner Brad Falchuk (husband to Gwyneth Paltrow), a limited number of people know who participated before each episode is announced, with the host leaving the closed set at the end of the interview to allow the guest to close the episode with their final words to the audience.
The series begins with much-beloved conservationist Dr Jane Goodall filmed earlier this year, with the episode released days after her passing at age 91 earlier this month. Her final message was raw and emotional (we may have cried), with a warning about climate change and political interference, and how each of us needs to act now to make a difference. We won’t spoil the rest as this new idea is a must-watch.
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost | Apple TV
Directed by their son Ben Stiller, this docu-film profiles his parents’ the marriage and careers as comedic partners, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, who were married for over 60 years until Anne’s death in 2015. The comedy duo proved very popular on variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960s, followed by sketch shows in the ’70s and their own sitcom, The Stiller and Meara Show, in the ’80s. Jerry saw a late-career resurgence in the ’90s in Seinfeld, The King of Queens and Ben’s zany Zoolander films.
Ben followed in his parents’ footsteps and won a Primetime Emmy Award for his variety sketch series, The Ben Stiller Show, on MTV. He made his directorial debut in Reality Bites with Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke, and went on to direct and star in films such as There’s Something About Mary, Along Came Polly, and franchises Meet the Parents, Madagascar and Night at the Museum. His most recent work on critically acclaimed Apple TV series Severance earned many Emmy wins, making him on of the most respected directors of our generation.
His two kids with wife of 25 years Christine Taylor (with a short separation before the pandemic) are also actors. Daughter Ella played Steve and Miranda’s son Brady’s pregnant “girlfriend” in HBO’s And Just Like That (IYKYK), while OG Sex and the City fans will recall that her grandmother Anne played Steve’s mother – a full circle moment! Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost explores the generational lessons we can all learn from our family. Another one to watch.
Mr Scorsese | Apple TV
This five-part documentary series examines how award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s colourful life experiences informed his artistic vision, as each film he has made over the last five decades managed to stun the world with originality. With exclusive, unrestricted access to private archives, the series features never-before-seen interviews with the man himself, his family (including daughter Francesca, who’s become famous in her own right for making her dad a star on TikTok!), friends and creative collaborators including Robert De Niro, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Steven Spielberg, Sharon Stone, Jodie Foster, Cate Blanchett and Margot Robbie.
Acclaimed director Rebecca Miller explores the themes that inform his work, including the place of good and evil in the fundamental nature of humankind. We see his dedication to the craft and the extreme lengths he went to in order to get controversial films made. With a 98 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this is a unique portrait of a visionary who redefined cinema, now on the small screen.
John Candy: I Like Me | Amazon Prime
Produced by Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks, this feature-length documentary explores the life and legacy of funnyman John Candy, who died of a heart attack in 1994 at only 43 years old. Beloved for his iconic roles in Uncle Buck, Home Alone, Spaceballs, The Great Outdoors, Cool Runnings and more, the documentary is commendable for its sensitivity and honesty in telling the actor’s story and the troubles he had throughout his life. It’s a credit to his legacy that interviewees include Hollywood friends Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Eugene Levy, Conan O’Brien, Catherine O’Hara and Macaulay Culkin. The film relies primarily on rare and never-before-seen archive footage, outtakes, private home video and audio commentary. For the film, Wicked‘s Cynthia Erivo recorded a cover of the song “Everytime You Go Away” that ended the classic 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles. We hightly recommend it if you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it yet.
