Katy Perry Part of Me review: A brand of her own

Paramount Pictures

How can you be too cartoony? the pop star asks quite reasonably at one point in Katy Perry: Part of Me.

By Bruce DeMara Entertainment ReporterJul 04, 2012

Katy Perry: Part of Me

(out of 4)

A behind the scenes look at pop star Katy Perry. Directed by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz. 95 minutes. Opens July 5 at major theatres. PG

Who is the real woman beneath the cotton-candy-coloured wigs and campy costumes?

Katy Perry: Part of Me, a pop-umentary of sorts chronicling her year-long 2011 world tour, gives us a close-up of the life of a pop princess at the top of her game and the personal struggles that go along with it.

Rather fortuitously (for the filmmakers), last year was also the year in which Perrys marriage to British comic Russell Brand disintegrated, giving the documentary an unexpected but dramatic story arc to counter-balance the flashy production numbers and the footage of adoring fans.

Part of Me is also a biopic of sorts, relying on old photos and pre-fame video, as well as first-person interviews with close friends and family, which tracks her not-so-smooth rise to pop superstardom.

Her grandma, whom she visits in Las Vegas during the tour, puts it bluntly: little Katy Hudson (as she was then known) was always a showoff . . . an attention-getter.

But the Perry who emerges is actually a bit more complex than that. Shes a creative force who plays a key role in designing the costumes and the confection-filled stage shows in which she is the reigning diva.

We also see Perry doing meet-and-greets with fans backstage, a ca! nny move perhaps for someone who needs to keep her fan base energized. But its also clear, as she exudes genuine warmth and a sense of humour, that shes not merely going through the motions.

Theres also the glammed-down Katy, whom we see in a few mostly unguarded moments, hanging out with her loyal cadre of supporting players, and even here we see someone, without the makeup and flashy clothes, who has a nice earthy realness about her.

The production numbers on stage including hits like I Kissed a Girl and Firework are actually quite a lot of fun, suffused with high energy but also playful. How can you be too cartoony? she asks quite reasonably at one point.

Its clear the loyalty she extends to colleagues like stylist Johnny Wujek and manager Bradford Cobb is returned. Sure, they speak of their boss in glowing terms, praising her creativity and hard work, but its clear their respect is heartfelt.

We learn something of her upbringing as the daughter of evangelical Christian pastors, a home life so strict that it banned Lucky Charms because luck, as brother David Hudson explains, is the work of Lucifer and the progression Perry made from budding but repressed gospel singer to unleashed pop diva.

In fact, the weirdest-looking characters in the film are aging hipster parents Keith and Mary Hudson, whose brief appearances send the creep-o-meter deep into the red zone.

Second creepiest is of course Brand, who calls Perry his little sausage at one point and whose screen appearances are mercifully few.

The film is bookended by fan testimonials theres no other word for it talking about the influence Perrys words and music has had on their lives.

Theres nothing new or radical in those ideals learning to accept yourself, not taking life too seriously but they are messages that resonate with her young fans, female and male, and thats not at all a bad thing.