Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana receives glowing early reviews at Sundance Festival
Taylor Swift’s new documentary is earning rapturous early reviews following its debut screening at the Sundance Film Festival.
Miss Americana was met with a standing ovation at the film festival, as seen in a clip shared by Variety.
The documentary charts Swift's career and personal life over the past few years, and will be released in selected cinemas and on Netflix on Friday January 31.
Critics have heaped praise on the documentary, with Adam Chitwood of Collider calling it “a fascinating and candid story of how an insanely famous artist who was trained to be nice and inoffensive reconciles her growth as a political and feminist human being in the public eye.”
The Taylor Swift documentary ‘Miss Americana’ is a fascinating and candid story of how an insanely famous artist who was trained to be nice and inoffensive reconciles her growth as a political and feminist human being in the public eye.
It’s on Netflix next Friday #Sundance2020— Adam Chitwood (@adamchitwood)
Decider’s Anna Menta said that while Taylor Swift fans are bound to love Miss Americana, “I also think this film is going to sway some haters.”
Taylor Swift fans will love #MissAmericana of course, but I also think this film is going to sway some haters. Wilson told a story of a woman finding her political voice; it’s genuine and inspiring. #Sundance
— Anna Menta (@annalikestweets)
HuffPost's Leigh Blickley called the film “intimate and funny and sad and poignant”.
Miss Americana is intimate and funny and sad and poignant. Plus, it’s the Taylor Swift sing-along we all need. Loved it. #Sundance
— Leigh B. Z. (@leighblickley)
Variety’s Ramin Setoodeh said it was an “illuminating, empowering portrait of Taylor Swift at a turning point in her career.”
#MissAmericana is an illuminating, empowering portrait of Taylor Swift at a turning point in her career, a meditation on the loneliness of fame, and a study on why women—even very famous women—aren’t treated the same as men. #Sundance2020
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh)
Other critics echoed the praise, with Slash Film’s Chris Evangelista branding it a “dynamite crowd pleaser” and Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblatt saying it was “the kind of insight you actually want into a superstar.”
#MissAmericana is a dynamite crowd pleaser. A sweet, surprisingly funny portrait of Taylor Swift growing up and getting political. #Sundance
— Chris Evangelista @ Sundance (@cevangelista413)
Maybe not the most expected start to #Sundance2020 but the Taylor Swift doc #MissAmericana is smart and funny and intimate and feels like the kind of insight you actually want into a superstar
— Leah Greenblatt (@Leahbats)
MISS AMERICANA: Come for Taylor Swift’s eye-opening revelations (“We don’t want to be condemned for being multifaceted”), stay for the “Out of the Woods”/awards show montage and the moment Taylor admits she hadn’t eaten a burrito until her 20s. (Oh, the new single is ✨👌🏼)
— Manuel Betancourt @ Sundance (@bmanuel)
.@taylorswift13’s fierceness about what she holds passionately dear pervades “Miss Americana.” Still, my favorite moments are (a) she has an ecstatic moment coming up with the right words for “Getaway Car”; (b) she gives a guy a manicure and says, “Give me a good review on Yelp."
— Chris Willman (@ChrisWillman)
Miss Americana is directed by Lana Wilson, who made the acclaimed documentaries After Tiller (2013) and The Departure (2017).
The documentary looks at Swift's journey to becoming politically outspoken, and reveals candid details about her struggles with an eating disorder.