Michelle Obama’s film, ‘Becoming,’ is “bland,” “self-celebratory,” “unfocused,” and “paper-thin,” but she “dazzles.”
The documentary follows her on her book tour for her book, Becoming, and we imagine you have to really love Mrs. Obama to watch it. It sounds dull even with all her dazzle.
THE REVIEWS
Time magazine says that Michelle “deserves more than a worshipful gaze” that the documentary offers.
“The big problem with Becoming is that of all the people who don’t need a hagiography, Obama is pretty much tops on the list,” critic Stephanie Zacharek wrote.
“Obama deserves so much more than the worshipful glassy gaze of this documentary; she’s so far beyond it that it can barely contain her.”
Variety wrote that it is “being distributed by Netflix, which has a business arrangement with the Obamas. As such, it won’t surprise anyone that it plays like an extended promotional video, a cross between close-contact hero worship and inspirational infomercial.”
They continued, “There are no big revelations here, no gotcha moments or intimate scenes in which Hallgren’s subject lets down her guard, but the target audience hardly expects anything tougher. Far more than the memoir, the film presents a manicured version of the way Michelle Obama sees herself…”
Indiewire went off on Michelle, describing her documentary as “bland” and assigning it a C+ rating: “While the film’s star and subject is never less than dazzling, even her most inspiring moments can’t obscure a paper-thin exploration of a remarkable life in transition,” wrote critic Kate Erbland, adding that the movie amounts to an “unfocused collection of concepts that could all inspire their own films.”
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The Washington Post headlined their review, “‘Becoming’ goes backstage with Michelle Obama, where everyone’s dazzled but the details are nothing new.”
The New York Times said the documentary feels “routine” and that many elements come off as “stagy.”
“It hits all the notes of a megastar choosing to share her life with the public,” critic Lovia Gyarkye wrote, adding that the movie “is not the candid Michelle Obama film that people might have been waiting for.”
CNN didn’t criticize it but even their write-up was boring. Nothing much appears to happen in the documentary. If it does, CNN didn’t find it. Hollywood Reporter’s review is much the same.
New York magazine’s Vulture said the movie was “self-celebratory” and “guarded.”
“Becoming is an act of legacy burnishing, no doubt, but it doesn’t feel like it’s laying the groundwork for a future campaign from its subject, no matter how adored it makes her look,” critic Alison Willmore wrote. For someone who is as used to being kissed up to by the media as much as Michelle is, this one has got to hurt!
Steve Pond in the Wrap was very kind but did say it was “less artful and less significant” than other films.
In other words, it’s a whole lotta nothing at best.
HER TWO CHILDREN WERE A CONCESSION
In the film, she describes her children as a ‘concession’ that cost her her dreams
She was establishing her relationship as Barack’s equal but it changed with children.
“I wasn’t really ready for that. That really made it harder.”
“Something had to give – and it was my aspirations and dreams,” Mrs. Obama said.
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