Last night, in front of presumably millions of viewers, Britney Spears bared herself in a way her music videos never did.Britney: For The Record is a first-hand account of the "comeback" that many never thought possible. Interestingly enough, Britney doesn't like the word "comeback". She says in the interview that she never really left, although she did take some time for herself. It's one of two times where she undersells the two years of public hell she endured. She speaks similarly of the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, suggesting her stumbling and terrible lip-synching was an "okay" performance. Save for those two instances, Britney appeared to have seriously considered what caused her sensational fall from grace and now understands it.
Britney spoke honestly about her relationships; while different, they both share a common thread. She escaped the pain of dealing with the failures by throwing herself into work and other activities that may have been ill-advised. She also explained that when she is with someone, she puts everything she has into them, and when it falls apart, it leaves her wrecked. The Kevin Federline debacle was particularly damaging since they had two kids together. The life they shared was her whole world, and their break-up left her without purpose. She also acknowledges two major important aspects about her marriage; it happened for the wrong reasons and that Kevin really was a gold-digging scrub. It was nice to hear it from the horse's mouth what the whole world already knew.
Britney describes herself as a guarded person who was taken advantage of by the people closest to her. She allowed those people to guide her into situations that made her a weekly tabloid staple. Also a front-page influence was her own rebellious nature, which raged out of control as people attempted to take control for themselves. The result was losing custody of her children and her mental breakdown that got her committed. She talks briefly about when her children were taken away, explaining that her out-of-control behavior was a result of not wanting to return to an empty house every night.
The big moment of the interview came when she expresses her distaste over her current life. Although she is in a better place, Britney still feels like she is being too controlled, thanks in part to her father Jamie Spears. She decries the lack of passion and excitement, describing it as "Groundhog Day everyday".
Along with the interview was footage of her life over a period of two or three months, beginning with her return at the VMAs. It was very nice to see Britney genuinely energetic and happy, whether she was rehearsing for her upcoming tour or shopping with her friend. She was almost like she was 10 years ago; bubbly, funny, and absolutely beautiful. There were some moments that definitely corroberated with her interview. During a break from filming "Womanizer", she was trying to convince her friends that she didn't always get her way, and looked slightly disappointed when they assumed she did. The most disturbing footage was when she couldn't even get out of a car in New York because there were hundreds of photographers flashing their cameras, including a particularly crazy one who screamed at her for getting back in the car. The scary moment reeked of Princess Diana-style insanity.
So, what should be gathered from this documentary? What is the message? When a celebrity of such an insane level is given two extremeties to live with, meticulous control or absolute chaos, it drives them literally crazy.
The documentary was a huge success in my humble opinion. After two years of insanity and chaos, Britney Spears has finally re-humanized herself. Seeing her rebound from the "bad times" as she called them really makes it very easy to root for her.
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