Rachel Simon: HBO Max's Brittany Murphy doc doesn't do its Hollywood star justice. - NBCNewsTHINK
— the way Hollywood has treated its starlets, there are rarely easy answers. But this film, in particular, fails because it spends the majority of its two hours focusing on theof Murphy, rather than the actual person. Under the direction of Cynthia Hill , the doc doesn’t bother exploring who its subject was, with few interviews or details to give insight into Murphy’s life pre-Monjack.
Even one of the doc’s most powerful moments — learning that an agent told a young Murphy she was “huggable, but not f---able” — is over before we can process what the effects of those words must have been on a woman who would go on to suffer years of disordered eating. It’s not that the end of Murphy’s life isn’t worthy of analysis — especially in the broader context of how celebrities get, or don’t get, access to help and support. And the mystery surrounding Monjack’s potential part in his wife’s demise is compelling stuff, as are the interviews with figures like his parents and ex-wife . Together, these anecdotes paint an upsetting picture of all the people who got their hooks in a vulnerable, sick Murphy.
The choices the film makes to emphasize the morbidity of Murphy’s death don’t help. “What Happened” opens with the 911 call made by Murphy’s mother, Sharon, after she discovered her daughter’s lifeless body, and the song played over each hour’s title sequence is literally called “Die Young.
during her final years, including a prediction of her untimely death, ignited a tabloid storm. But even this moment feels surprisingly shallow given the weight of the tragedy.
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