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20 Best Celebrity Documentaries That Demand You to Feel Them

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Are you looking for the best celebrity documentaries to hit you right in the feels? We got you covered. These twenty celebrity films share incredible true stories of trauma, tragedy, perseverance, motivation, and determination. 

Additionally, they are great at humanizing larger-than-life celebrities who think, feel, and behave like you and me. So please enjoy in no particular order the best celebrity documentaries to experience. Also, where to watch them. 

1. Tina

  • HBO Max

The HBO documentary Tina tells the legendary story of a Black rocker feminist icon that defined herself at age 47. But sadly, her career has often been overshadowed by her ex-husband Ike Turner.

Nevertheless, the film does great justice in showing how the media’s relentless pursuit of drama can be brutal for people living with PTSD. Listening to their son recant his childhood memories of his mother’s abuse was challenging.

Tina had promised Ike she wouldn’t leave him, and his “Woe is Me” manipulated her. Surprisingly, she felt guilty, even to the detriment of her safety. 

Tina Turner expressed her turning point came when she was introduced to Buddhism. People noticed that she exuded her newfound confidence from her Buddhist chanting practices.

Eventually, Tina broke away and did the impossible. A 47-year-old Black woman aspired to be the first Black female rocker to pack a sports stadium like the Rolling Stones, and she did that and much more. 

While dropping her Private Dancer debut album and starring in the third Mad Max movie, there was a lot to crown this queen. Although, the media demonstrated their typical sexist bias and asked inappropriate questions about her relationship with Ike. 

Several years later, they still can’t help but overshadow and insult her success by asking about him, despite her involvement in a happy and healthy marriage.

Turner found love with German music executive Erwin Bach. The way he talks about her forces you to smile. It’s satisfying to hear and see this man unequivocally in love with her. 

Ultimately, Tina Turner became a beacon of hope and an example of Black feminism by sharing her story and success. Kurt Loder thought up and helped Tina write her autobiography, I, Tina.

Later, the book became a film, and her story reached and touched a broader audience. Ironically, she hoped the book would end the Ike questions, but it opened her up to more. 

Hopefully, this documentary will help grant a peaceful closure to the media’s retraumatizing her with inappropriate questions. 

2. Jennifer Lopez: Halftime

  • Netflix

Jennifer Lopez’s Halftime documentary is an inspiring story of resilience in facing adversity. It’s top-notch celebrity entertainment.

She opens her heart to share about low self-esteem issues from being constantly attacked in the tabloids—Lopez speaks about discovering herself and believing in that and not anything anybody else said about her. 

Halftime highlights JLO’s hard work and determination that led her to become a global icon. She says her inspiration is “always evolving and going outside of your comfort zone to do something different.” 

Lopez is a dancer turned singer turned movie star and fashion mogul. We revisit the infamous 2000 Green Versace Grammy attire and discover that dress is responsible for the creation of Google Images. 

Also, the doc shows Jennifer Lopez had the number one album, J.LO, and the number one movie, The Wedding Planner, in 2001It’s an intimate look at one of the most impressive women in show biz. 

The film follows her as she prepares for her Halftime SuperBowl performance. In addition, the film depicts a vulnerable Jennifer Lopez sharing her pain and struggles as a Latina woman entertainer. 

For example, how the SuperBowl had two Latina headliners represent a job that generally one would do and only gave them 12 minutes to share the stage. 

Shakira and JLO wanted to make a statement, and they did, complete with kids singing in cages, “Let’s Get Loud!”

Lopez followed that performance with a remarkable rendition of “This Land is Your Land” at President Biden’s inauguration. Watching Jenny from the Block evolve into the superstar she is today is heartwarming. It’s a feel-good feature-length documentary film to see. 

3. Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell

In the Netflix documentary Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, we see a different side of the legendary Christopher Wallace, a.k.a., Notorious B.I.G., Captured by rare footage shot by his close friend Damion “D-Roc.” 

It accompanies interviews with Wallace’s mother, family, wife (Faith Evans), and friends. 

Despite the thugged-out gangsta rap image he portrayed, Wallace loved R&B and sang all of the time. 

Sean “Puffy” Combs elaborates that B.I.G. would be singing more than ever rapping. Finally, we get an inside look at Fulton St., where he and Junior Mafia used to kick it.

We discover that legendary artist Big Daddy Kane was his favorite rapper, and he loved visiting Jamaica with his mother. The documentary highlights how most people from the block never went much farther than down the street. 

Can you imagine how small your world would be if you never left your neighborhood? We gain a deeper understanding of the helplessness associated with succumbing to the drug-dealing game. 

One part that resonated was when Wallace’s mother shared that she didn’t shed a tear because it was too heavy on the day of his funeral.

However, when she listened to his albums for the first and only time, she expressed, “The tears came.” It hits you right in the feels. As a mother and a decent human being, it’s a tragic tale of needless gun violence and immeasurable loss.

Over 25 years later, Brooklyn has beautiful murals of Wallace painted as the King of New York. Unfortunately, the Notorious B.I.G. died on March 9th, 1997, and his murder remains unsolved. 

4. Framing Britney Spears

  • Hulu

Framing Britney Spears is an eye-opening experience of our culture’s double standards of sexuality and abuse of male power:

  1. It’s disgusting how talk hosts got away with talking to her. Asking questions about her virginity, among other inappropriate questions never asked of boy bands or rock stars. She was a teenage girl, and we let them get away with that.
  2. It exemplifies how society eats at her reputation like ravenous dogs.
  3. It demonstrates the unrelenting pursuit to destroy every shred of innocence she ever had.
  4. Britney caved under the constant surrounding of the paparazzi and had a public meltdown. 

Britney served two stints in rehab and didn’t receive proper family aftercare. In addition, disturbing insight revolving around her father’s conservatorship over her for almost 14 years. The conservatorship claims Britney Spears cannot make decisions about her finances.

Furthermore, the conservatorship allowed security guards over her 24 hours a day the ability to cancel her credit cards, make recording and touring dates, and control who she could see. 

However, within a year of conservatorship, Jamie Spears booked MTV access for a documentary, Britney for the Record. Within two months, she is guest starring as Abby on How I Met Your Mother

In addition, she released her sixth studio album, Circus, and toured. She appeared on several shows, including Jimmy Falon. 

She had a residency in Las Vegas, bringing in a million dollars a week. It’s disgusting to see how greed and power destroyed this family. 

Britney’s Instagram became fascinating over time, and “Tess” Barker and Barbara “Babs” Gray created a Britney’s Gram podcast to discuss it. They begin paying attention to cryptic messages and her conservatorship.

Ultimately, it validated the issue and spawned the #FreeBritney hashtag movement, amassing a following of #FreeBritney supporters. Including celebrities Miley Cyrus, Paris Hilton, Rose McGowan, Drew Barrymore, Dolly Parton, Ryan Reynolds, and Ariana Grande.

Since Framing Britney Spears aired, we are happy to report the judge finally ended Jamie Spears’s conservatorship and control over Britney Spears and her finances. 

5. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

  • HBO Max

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is one of those celebrity documentaries that requires tissues. Fred Rogers was an ordained minister who loved children and brought joy to thousands of viewers. 

He believed the most profoundly spiritual thing he could do in his life was to love his neighbor as himself. Incredibly, his life models the commandment, on and off the screen. 

Mr. Roger’s neighborhood was a cultural phenomenon in the unlikeliest circumstances for success. For instance, the show’s set was campy, and they didn’t have a big budget.

Nonetheless, kids tuned in to be Fred’s neighbors for thirty-one years. While Mr. Roger’s taught us many lessons, one controversial scene made us love him even more.

When White people didn’t want to share a pool with Black people, Fred cooled his feet with Officer Clemmons in a pool. Officer Clemmons was the Black police officer on his show. 

He was the best at storytelling. There’s never been another person as lovely as Fred Rogers on television. Maybe even ever in life. The man exudes sincerity.

If you believe in angels, Mr. Rogers was an angel; if you don’t, you may reconsider after watching this film. Fred Rogers lived by the philosophy that “The best thing you can do is let someone know that they are loved and that they are capable of loving.” 

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is a feel-good celebrity documentary that restores your faith in humanity. “I love you just the way you are.”

6. Bob Ross Happy Accidents Betrayal and Greed

  • HBO Max

The documentary Bob Ross Happy Accidents Betrayal and Greed paints a beautiful picture of a happy little friend who healed and helped others heal through painting. A genuinely caring man who reached through thousands of televisions to befriend and help heal others in a way that helped heal him.

His television series, The Joy of Painting, was on for 31 years. The testimonies from fans about his show, finding them in their darkest hours, and pulling them back into the light are inspiring.

Watching and listening to Bob Ross is therapeutic and inspiring, “Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you’re willing to practice, you can do.” Sadly, Ross died of lymphoma cancer at the young age of 52.

The surprising scandal twist at the end is terrible and an important reason not to buy Bob Ross Inc. merchandise. Regardless of how cute it is. 

One thing his son Steve says defines his father beautifully; he helped “Teach them that they could be valuable; they could be important in this world.” It’s an incredible testimony to The Joy of Painting

 The world is a little sadder for our loss of Bob Ross. We could use some happy little clouds and happy little trees right now.

7. Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl

  • Netflix

Shania Twain Not: Just a Girl is the ultimate Netflix documentary for female empowerment and resilience. She is a fantastic singer who can rock a mean guitar. She’s an exemplary example of superstar success.

Her Come On Over album was a cultural phenomenon that spawned twelve hit singles. From one album of 16 tracks! Twain pushes the limits and admits, “I was a disruption to the image of country music.”

She is a legend, from her almost scandalous mid-drift cuts to her ability to cross musical genres flawlessly. Her sound is edgy, and her lyrics empower women. Shania Twain is a feminist icon who helped pave the way for entertainers, including Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson.

Shania Twain Not: Just a Girl is an interview-style insight into her passion, determination, pain, and perseverance. Additionally, three diamond albums worth of her sensational hits highlights the film as we see both a vulnerable and stronger-than-life Shania Twain. 

She is the only artist to have three consecutive diamond albums, ever. “That Don’t Impress Me Much!’ Just kidding, it’s awe-inspiring. Twain is a country and pop music legend who pioneered the bridge of genre-crossing.

8. The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

  • HBO Max

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is an interview-style celebrity documentary with the last surviving brother, Barry Gibbs. Additionally, it follows Maurice, Robin, Barry, and Andy Gibb through the rise and fall of disco music. 

It shows incredible footage of the brothers harmonizing and perfecting their iconic sound that helped define the seventies. 

This astonishing documentary features The Bee Gee’s sixties guitar pop sound and their more known seventies falsettos. The Gibb brothers in the 60s resemble the Beatle’s sound.

So the music is terrific but maybe didn’t distinguish them enough. Nonetheless, Barry accredits Black music as a derivative influence on their sound. He highlighted The Mills Brothers as a primary source of inspiration. 

We learn their hit, “To Love Somebody,” was written for Otis Redding, but he died before recording it. After discovering that fact, it’s easy to hear Otis making it a hit.

Nonetheless, the brother’s owned it with their harmonized voice that’s incapable of being duplicated. Additionally, the film touched on the brother’s ambitions for solo albums.

Ultimately, a fight between Barry and Robin created tension that led to them splitting up for a while. Fortunately, they reunited for “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” and experienced their first two hits in America. 

Eventually, Barry Gibb discovered his falsetto, and everyone knew who The Bee Gees were. They dominated the radio. In addition, they created arguably the best soundtrack, Saturday Night Fever.

They held the top position for sales until 1992 when Whitney Houston‘s The Bodyguard Soundtrack outsold them by 5,000,000. 

No one can be mad about her claiming that throne; she is the “Queen of the Night,” but don’t let it take away from the unreplicated sound and success of the Gibb brothers. 

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is one of the best celebrity documentaries on our list. 

9. Miss Americana

Netflix

Directed by Lana Wilson, the Netflix award-winning documentary Miss Americana allows us to share the studio space with Taylor Swift. Watching her brain work when piecing her music together is fun and insightful.

 If you already love her, expect to fall deeper. Swift shares the pressure of always being “The Good Girl.” In addition, she talks about becoming the person everyone wanted her to be. 

We experience an unguarded Taylor sharing her eating disorder and prior obsession with being thin. She discusses sometimes feeling isolated by her fame and success and not having anyone to call that understood what she was experiencing.

Swift provides insight into her life, being scheduled for two years and not having an opportunity to figure out certain aspects of life. We gain an understanding that her writing is her way of taking control. 

Furthermore, Miss Americana touches on the infamous Kanye West interruption of a 17-year-old Swift, who was winning her first video music award (VMA). Hearing the hurt in her voice describing that moment and then seeing her immediate interview following the event is a fantastic testimony to her maturity and class.

Taylor Swift dropped her first album when she was 16 years old, making her the youngest in history to write and sing a country song professionally. Understanding the empowerment that she gives into every one of her tracks is what makes each one of them a hit. 

Her ability to adapt and continuously reinvent herself has poised her for even greater things. She is a one-of-a-kind artist, a fantastic live performer, and one of the most gifted singer-songwriters. Miss Americana is excellent!

Miss Americana is an empowering film highlighting Taylor Swift’s finding and asserting her voice in an industry that seeks to silence it. P.S. She is a cat lover, and this is one of our favorite celebrity documentaries for hitting you right in the feels. 

10. Becoming Michelle Obama

  • Netflix

Michelle Obama’s Becoming follows her on the book tour of her bestselling memoir of the same name. It received critical acclaim and is at a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Regardless of politics, this film tells a remarkable human being story. Two years after leaving the White House, Michelle Obama empowers young people across the country to challenge themselves. 

Becoming includes footage of Obama’s travels, talk shows, and her tenure as the 44th First Lady of the United States of America. In addition, it’s fun getting the inside scoop on how she and Barrack Obama got together.

Furthermore, she discusses being one of the only Black people at college. She elaborates it was the first time she had that experience. 

One of her roommates moved out because she was Black, and her mother feared for her daughter’s safety. It puts perspective on experiences some of us might not otherwise understand. 

The former First Lady talks about becoming much more scripted after realizing the truth in who they can be regarding teleprompters vs. free speech. Furthermore, she shared her pain and expressed something profoundly about people making inappropriate falsehoods about your character.

Obama explains when people try to play it off, “I was joking. It’s only politics.” Her response is, “No. No. No. It’s like – that changes the shape of a person’s soul.” 

Of course, harsh words cut forever, but sometimes you’re affecting someone each time you leave a comment and don’t realize it. It’s one of the most enlightening celebrity documentaries.

11. Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil

  • YouTube

Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil is a triumphant celebrity documentary that exemplifies hope for people in addiction and recovery spaces. In an interview-style doc, Lovato shares their childhood trauma and family history of addiction.

She also spoke about her eating disorder, extreme dieting, and over-exercising. Also, like many people with opioid use disorders across the globe, Lovato’s problem started with trauma and a prescription drug.

When she couldn’t find Xanax and cocaine, she moved to heroin and crack. Lovato mistakenly believed she could use those drugs recreationally in an all too familiar story. Also, surprisingly, Demi Lovato wrote her single, “Sober,” while actively using heroin.

She elaborated that she was simultaneously using weed, alcohol, meth, molly, and heroin. Eventually, she overdosed on heroin laced with Fentanyl. Fortunately, her friend found her when she did.

Hearing her friend describe Demi Lovato’s body turning blue at one point was shocking. Lovato suffered three strokes, a heart attack, brain damage, blind spots in her vision, and multiple organ failure.

Listening to her mother describe the tube the doctors sewed into Lovato’s neck is heartbreaking. The tube was a dialysis process that takes blood out, cleans it, and pumps it back into the body. 

Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil is a powerful documentary. It validates the reality that drugs don’t discriminate. Lovato’s honesty and vulnerability are admirable and an essential testimony for addiction and recovery communities

It’s an exciting documentary with redemption. Lovato said she is becoming who she is: “Life is fluid, and I’m fluid, and that’s all I know.” 

12. This Is Paris 

  • YouTube 

This Is Paris is one of the most shocking celebrity documentaries. Finally, we become aware of the honest Paris Hilton. One without the babydoll voice and ditzy facade. Paris pioneered social media influencers. 

She was a new celebrity famous for being famous, and many people didn’t take her seriously. “That’s hot.” However, her sister Nikki Hilton expresses that Paris is much more typical than she lets on. Describing her as a ‘Boy at heart.” 

Furthermore, her brand is more luxurious than she carries herself in private. Finally, we meet an intelligent businesswoman who has mastered her character and continues to play a part.

In addition, the film highlights her passion for music as we witness her DJ at festivals, including Tomorrowland. More shockingly, Paris shares her childhood trauma and PTSD with us.

She tells a terrifying story of being sent to abusive schools such as the Provo Canyon School in Utah. The “emotional growth” school employs a kidnapping approach in the middle of the night. 

It’s disheartening to hear her recall seeing her parents doing nothing as she screamed for help while not knowing who these people were pulling her from her home. She was beaten, stripped, and locked in solitary confinement. 

As a result, Paris lives with recurring nightmares and insomnia. She opens up about being in domestically abusive relationships. Because of her desperation for love due to her trauma and neglect, we see a vulnerable Paris. 

Finally, some of us see a relatable woman instead of the dumb blonde persona she portrayed all these years. We discover in This Is Paris that the anger from her trauma and her desire to be independent of her parent’s control is what feeds her drive to succeed. 

In addition, Paris confesses that the release of her s*x tape felt like being “electronically raped.” Furthermore, she was a teenage girl who was exploited and then accused of intentionally allowing the video to come public as a claim to fame. 

Finally, as the original influencer, Paris Hilton admits that sometimes she feels like she helped create a monster. Nevertheless, it’s an eye-opening documentary that instills an appreciation for her brand and the intelligent businesswoman she is behind her mask.

13. Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry

  • Apple TV+

Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry shows us two teens in their bedroom, creating an iconic sound that has taken over the pop waves. She first gained attention at the young age of 13 when she posted “Ocean Eyes” online.

Eilish opens up about the exhaustion of her Tourettes syndrome and subsequent tics. Additionally, about internet comments being hurtful. 

Eilish’s older brother, Finneas O’Connell, is the mastermind behind the music Billie sings over. We watch in awe as they create songs together and do it effortlessly.

Furthermore, she shares her music art journal with us, and she has an affinity for drawing phallus. Finally, she expresses how she wants to be around friends, which is the hardest part of touring.

Watching this teenage girl ascend into stardom and become a successful young woman is a joyful experience. It’s crazy to watch the brother-sister duo create a Grammy award-winning album in their bed and living rooms. 

Billie Eilish is a seven-time Grammy award winner. Finneas O’Connell is the mastermind behind the sound of several hit tracks from artists, including Halsey, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, and Selena Gomez. 

Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry has a 96% critic rating with a 95% audience approval and is one of our favorite celebrity documentaries.

14. Gaga: Five Foot Two

poster for celebrity documentaries of gaga: five foot two
Image Credit: Netflix.
  • Netflix

Gaga: Five Foot Two is an award-winning documentary. It grants a behind-the-scenes look at preparing for the SuperBowl Halftime performance and the production and release of her album, Joanne

Gaga: Five Foot Two is a fantastic insight into her creative vision and career determination. We discover that Gaga has Fibromyalgia. It causes her pain, briefly captured by the cameras. So if you’re an empath, you’ll likely cry.

In addition, we are privy to American Horror Story (AHS) footage. Lady Gaga plays Scáthach in AHS’s sixth season, Roanoke. She discusses how like the woman she’s playing, there are many “owned” women today. 

Gaga: Five Foot Two documents a larger-than-life eccentric talent and energy in a little but fierce package. Gaga has a close relationship with her grandmother. So it’s endearing and pulls your heart strings when she plays “Joanna” for her for the first time.

In addition, she takes “Bad Romance” and turns it into a piano bar hit. Her voice can make your eyes well up and spill over feeling the emotion in her song. 

She’s a sensational performer with exceptional range and poise. Lady Gaga proves she’s on her way to her dream of becoming “An old rockstar lady.” 

Image Credit: Netflix.

15. Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly

  • Netflix

The Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly documentary is a euphonious rollercoaster for your ears. It begins with him being interviewed on a rollercoaster, talking about taking things to the extreme with his album Astroworld

The intensity continues as we take an intimate look into the life of rapper Travis Scott. From the hype of on-stage performances to the muffled sounds of being passed around in a stage dive. It’s a musical experience.

A generous Scott takes the Nike shoes off his feet and hands them to a fan front row of his audience. Additionally, he is a family man with a new baby. 

Finally, he explains his affinity for the Houston Astroworld Park that shut down. That’s why he hosted a concert called Astroworld on the property across the street from where the theme park used to be. 

Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly is one of those celebrity documentaries that you think will go one way but instead tells a different story. 

16. Jonas Brothers: Chasing Happiness

The Chasing Happiness documentary shows brothers Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Kevin Jonas’s rise to stardom and the obstacles faced along the way. The Jonas Brothers are a tight-knit family, and music was always part of their identity.

Nick Jonas was signed at age ten but insisted they listen to a song with his brothers. So the kids got signed that day, and The Jonas Brothers were born. 

However, they were not allowed to tell anyone because their father was a pastor. Ultimately, Columbia records molded them into a rock band but dropped them from the label.

They toured malls locally before getting a call from Disney offering a record deal. The kids amassed a vast following almost overnight. When booked to play at the fairgrounds in Texas, they caused a traffic jam from Oklahoma into the state. 

Chasing Happiness is the incredible true story of three kids who went from booking food court gigs to young men selling out Madison Square Garden for three consecutive shows. The brothers also had a reality TV show called Married to Jonas.

Several talk show hosts made jokes about them being virgins (minors) and their Disney promise rings. Again, the media is entirely inappropriate, and we allow it? It’s disturbing and ultimately was damaging to their career.

We see exclusive insight into why the Jonas Brothers broke up and how they grew back together. It’s an inspiring story illuminating the power of brotherhood.

17. Shawn Mendes: In Wonder

  • Netflix

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder centers around Shawn Mendes’s life on and off stage. We also learn about his struggles with anxiety and depression. It’s an authentic look and an important reminder to be kind.

We never know what people are going through with mental health issues. Also, an important reminder that even pop-rock stars face real-life battles. Mendes shares the necessity to shake his ego before hitting the stage.

He opens up about not being born a superstar and the courage it takes to get onto the stage. Mendes elaborates that it’s about embracing his passion and singing at the moment.

We also get a raw and intimate look at him and his former love interest, Camila Cabello. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at them harmonizing beautifully, utilizing the acoustics of the ceramic bathroom walls. Shawn Mendes: In Wonder is an inspiring documentary with fabulous music. 

18. Kid 90

  • Hulu

Kid 90 is one of the most incredible celebrity documentaries for finding 1990s nostalgia—Soleil Moon Frye is the MVP. She carried a video recorder and saved her tapes. As a result, we are privy to behind-the-scenes archival footage.

It’s an incredible trip down memory lane for Gen-X and Millenials. Kid 90 features an ensemble of child stars, including Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Brian Austin Green, Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Dorff, Scott Bloom, David Arquette, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Danny Boy from the rap group House of Pain.

While submerged in 90s pop culture, Soleil discusses growing up together and some of the obstacles she had to overcome. However, her bravery and perseverance are apparent as she opens up about being objectified as a developing teen. 

She discusses getting a breast reduction and sexual assault. In addition, she kept all of her journals and even voice recordings on old answering machines. 

The video documentary Kid 90 documents the tragedy of untreated mental health issues that led to several child stars overdosing or taking their own lives. 

It is both bitter and sweet hearing these voices and seeing these faces again Jonathan Brandis, Rodney Harvey, Sean Caracena, Andrew Dorff, Harold Hunter, Justin Pierce, Shannon Wisley, and Kimo. 

19. Dolly Parton: Here I Am

  • Netflix

Dolly Parton: Here I Am is a British biographical documentary. It follows Dolly as she celebrates the 50th Anniversary of her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Parton explains that performing there was an ultimate goal and honor.

Her hits include “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” and “9 To 5.” She’s a class act and easily one of the best songwriters ever. Who hasn’t heard these jams? “I Will Always Love You” is one of the greatest love songs ever.

Whitney Houston made Parton a lot of money with her rendition, and Dolly gives her due credit, “She made me rich.” Elvis wanted the rights to the song, and at a time when women didn’t tell men “No,” she did just that. Not only a man, but Dolly said no to Elvis Presley. She’s freaking awesome.

She was charmingly hilarious in an interview about leading the s*xual revolution and bra-burning. Dolly joked I was the first woman to burn my bra – it took the fire department three days to put it out.” 

The devotion of Parton’s fans is remarkable. Dolly Parton is a global icon who has opened a theme park, acted in hit films, and wrote some of the most recognizable hits in the world. 

Additionally, she confesses, “I never went where anyone has expected me to go. I do that in my songs. You might think you know me, but I might surprise you.” 

20. Nas: Time Is Illmatic

  • Peacock

Nas: Time Is Illmatic is sitting as one of the highest-rated celebrity documentaries on Rotten Tomatoes, with a whopping 98% critic approval and 82% audience score. 

It’s an intimate look at the inner city struggles influencing hip-hop music and Black American culture. Nasir “Nas” Jones is among the greatest rappers of all time. Representing Queens, New York, we get an inside look at the Queensbridge Housing Projects and what it takes to get out of them.

Nas: Time Is Illmatic navigates the 80s and early 90s crack epidemic destroying their neighborhood while also discovering it is a 1.5 billion dollar industry. Things that make you go, hmm? 

On his father’s advice, Nas quit high school and educated himself by reading many books. His mother wasn’t happy about the decision, but it ultimately paid off for Nas. 

The documentary touches on the loss of his friend Ill Will and the devastation that caused. Nas honored him with his record label (Ill Will Records) and his first album, Illmatic.

Additionally, Nas shares testimony about his song where he predicted his kids, “The World Is Yours.” He raps, “Thinking a word best describing my life to name my daughter. My strength, my son, the star will be my resurrection.” Nas had his children in that order and described its fruition as “chilling.” 

Don’t miss out on viewing these documentary films. Several are award-winning documentaries, and all tell a great story. 

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Written by Elizabeth Ervin

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