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Britney vs Spears

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Britney Vs Spears
Official poster
Directed byErin Lee Carr
Produced by
  • Erin Lee Carr
  • Kate Barry
  • Sarah Gibson
Cinematography
  • Shane Sigler
  • Megan Stacey
Edited by
  • Jason Sager
  • Tim K. Smith
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • September 28, 2021 (2021-09-28)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Britney vs Spears is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Erin Lee Carr, that follows American singer-songwriter Britney Spears and her life over several years of her career and her conservatorship. It was released on September 28, 2021, on Netflix.

Synopsis

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The film follows Britney Spears' life over several years and her conservatorship.

Production

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Erin Lee Carr spent two years researching and investigating the Spears' conservatorship dispute.[1] Carr had attempted to reach out to Britney Spears through her representatives, but did not receive a response, instead writing her a letter about the film.[2] The film initially was supposed to revolve around the conservatorship and the media's treatment of her, but following the release of Framing Britney Spears, it changed the structure of the film.[2][3]

In February 2021, it was announced Lee Carr would direct an untitled film about Spears, with Netflix set to distribute.[4]

Reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 60% approval rating based on reviews from 15 critics, with an average rating of 4.20/10.[5] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 41 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]

Kristen Lopez for IndieWire gave the film a B− writing, "Erin Lee Carr’s Britney vs Spears feels like a movie not searching for scandal but a genuine desire to help, to say something to Spears, to remind us why we love her and how we failed her. It reminds us how a government system has failed her consistently for 13 years. It reminds us of how her family has failed her.[7] Judy Berman of Time gave the film a positive review, writing: "The most thoughtful, stylishly composed of the three docs, it's framed by Carr and Eliscu’s collaborative quest to break the silence surrounding the conservatorship."[8]

Conversely, Michael Cragg for The Guardian gave the film one star out of five, writing: "Certainly not in the pop star’s best interests, this disturbing film gives redemption stories to controversial figures from Britney’s past. Nothing about this feels right."[9] Daniel D'Addario for Variety wrote: "This shapeless doc feels overlong at just over 90 minutes, because it's unclear what, exactly, Carr and collaborator Jenny Eliscu want to say about Spears."[10] Jen Chaney of Vulture wrote: "a Netflix work that was originally intended to celebrate Britney unfortunately comes across as a bandwagon jump", referring to the documentary Framing Britney Spears that had premiered earlier that year.[11] The Daily Beast and San Francisco Chronicle both described the film as "exploitive".[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ Spector, Emma (October 1, 2021). "Britney vs. Spears Asks: What Does It Mean to Be a Powerful Woman and Have Your Voice Silenced?". Vogue. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "How Netflix's top secret Britney Spears documentary hopes to get her story right". Los Angeles Times. 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  3. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (September 28, 2021). "'Britney Vs. Spears' Producer: 'Sunlight Is the Best Disinfectant' for Exposing the Pop Star's Conservatorship Battle". Variety. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  4. ^ Shaw, Lucas (February 14, 2021). "Netflix Is Working on Its Own Documentary About Britney Spears". Bloomberg News. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  5. ^ "Britney Vs Spears". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "Britney Vs. Spears". Metacritic. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Lopez, Kristen (September 28, 2021). "'Britney vs Spears' Review: Netflix Doc Gets at the Heart of Spears' Tragic Confinement". IndieWire. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  8. ^ Berman, Judy (September 28, 2021). "Three New Britney Spears Documentaries Tell a Chilling Tale About the Bystander Effect". Time. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  9. ^ Cragg, Michael (September 28, 2021). "Britney vs Spears review – Netflix doc is schlocky, trashy and deeply uncomfortable". The Guardian. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  10. ^ D'Addario, Daniel (September 28, 2021). "Netflix's 'Britney vs Spears' Tastelessly Gawks at Singer's Scandals: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  11. ^ Chaney, Jen (September 29, 2021). "Documenting Britney Spears". Vulture. Retrieved September 29, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ Bradley, Laura (September 29, 2021). "Are the Britney Spears Documentaries Exploiting Her All Over Again?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  13. ^ Leibrook, Rachel (September 28, 2021). "Review: Britney Spears Netflix doc feels as exploitative as the case it portrays". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
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