By In a week when one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer and a new Oliver Stone movie both come out, it’s easy to get lost in the throng. But when it comes to Katy Perry, the prospect of watching her bounce around on stage in upwards of a dozen ridiculous/silly/sexy outfits and doing so in 3D, well … that’s enough for me.
I told Geoff I couldn’t promise any more than jokes to the effect of “More like 3DD, amirite?”, as I had never really seen a concert movie before (sorry, Glee) and as such had no idea how to review one. Nevertheless, I woke up yesterday morning, shaved my haggard ‘beard,’ and met my friend Mary Grace in the Taco Bell parking lot. Out destination: Katy Perry: Part of Me 3DD.
Would the movie be more than Katy Perry covering the crowd in frosting shot from a frosting gun, or would I end up stuck singing her breasts’ praises for several paragraphs? Well, I suppose there’s only one way to find out.
Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D
Directors: Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz
Rated: PG
Release Date: July 5, 2012
The film (which turns out to be about two-thirds documentary and only one-third concert movie) follows Katy Perry, the only female musician to have one album with five singles hit Number One and Wikifeet superstar, on her epic 2011 world-wide tour. It also details her Christian upbringing, years-long battle to get an album out without completely selling out, and rocky marriage and rockier divorce with comedian Russel Brand, as well as her addiction to outfit changes. Also, for some reason, there’s a purple cat furrie that lurks about in the meet-and-greet area throughout the film.
I discovered a lot about Ms. Perry over the course of the 117-minute film. She would fly all over creation on her downtime from the concert to hang out with Russel Brand. Alannis Morrisette was the first non-Christian artist she heard, setting her down a path that would eventually lead to frosting cannons and blue hair. She has Mindfreak-esque wardrobe-changing powers (at least in “Hot and Cold”). But most importantly and impressively, she loves her fans more than anything. At her darkest, lowest moment, she still managed to put them first and perform before the biggest audience of the concert tour like a boss. I liked her before, but now I respect her too.
The songs, largely off her Teenage Dream album, punctuate the documentary side of the film. There’s fourteen or so songs, thirteen of which are performed during the concert and one during rehearsal. Two are covers (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “Hey Jude,” which was the one she did during rehearsal). Most of them feature her in some sort of ridiculous costume.
Speaking of ridiculous costumes, there are plenty. My favorite was the one that looked like that wallpaper candy. No, that’s not true. My favorite one is the last one, the one she wears during “California Girls,” where she’s got Hershey’s Kiss boobs. Dat cleavage.
But seriously, folks. This was a really interesting movie. I learned a lot about Katy Perry. Her two BFFs are Shannon Woodward from Raising Hope and and international DJ Mia Moretti. Eclectic! It chronicles her exhausting dedication to her fans and her personal life, and I wasn’t ever really bored. The editing was great, the 3D was alright (it really came into play towards the very end), her concert set had enough candy in it to give you diabetes, and yes, her breasts were marvelous.
Even if you aren’t the biggest Katy Perry fan, this film really shows you that she is one of the hardest working musicians in the industry, a woman with an incredible sense of family, and someone who seems like she’d be really fun to hang out with. Seriously, she’s a freakin’ goofball.
I’m pretty impressed that I only mentioned her boobs, like, twice. High five! Go see this movie!